Alstom to operate, maintain AirTrain Newark

March 21, 2023
The seven-year contract will task Alstom with operation, dispatching, maintenance and signaling responsibility for the nearly three-mile system.

Alstom has been awarded a seven-year, EUR€250 million (US$268 million) contract from the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ) and Newark Liberty International Airport to operate and maintain the airport’s Innovia monorail system known as AirTrain Newark. The contract will extend through January 2030 and carries an option for one additional year.

“We are proud of our continued partnerships with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and with Newark Liberty International Airport,” said Michael Keroullé, president of Alstom Americas. “Our industry-leading Innovia airport system has been moving travelers and employees between terminals at Newark Airport safely and reliably since 1996. Building upon the knowledge gathered over more than 25 years, and our worldwide leadership of operation and maintenance of automated transit systems, our service delivery team will continue to focus on maintaining the AirTrain Newark’s high-performance levels and supporting the best possible passenger mobility experience at the airport.”

Under the agreement, Alstom will be responsible for 24-hour train operations and dispatching, maintenance of the vehicle fleet, station doors, guideways, power distribution systems, car wash, signaling system and facilities.

The AirTrain Newark fleet is composed of 15 Innovia monorail trains, of six cars each, serving six stations, including the new Terminal A along the nearly three miles of elevated guideway. The system not only operates between the airport’s terminals, but also connects the airport with rental car facilities, hotel shuttles and central parking lots, as well as with other transit systems and services such as New Jersey Transit and Amtrak. Last year, nearly 10 million passengers rode the AirTrain, with an average daily ridership of around 26,000 travelers and airport employees. To accommodate the high passenger volumes, the system operates 24/7, 365 days a year. Full automation of the system provides improved safety, high reliability, higher capacity with shorter headways between trains and lower maintenance costs.