Bombardier Transportation announced that it has signed a contract with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ) to provide operations and maintenance (O&M) services for a further 10 years and a capital asset upgrade program to ensure the system continues to perform optimally. The contract is valued at approximately $243 million US (197 million euro) and will start on August 3, 2012.
The AirTrain system at Newark Liberty International Airport first opened in 1996 - the world's first fully automated monorail system at an international airport. A fleet of 12 six-car BOMBARDIER INNOVIA Monorail 100 trains originally served three airport terminals, three stations at remote parking lots and a rental car centre via a 3 km dedicated, dual-lane elevated guideway. Since then, the system has been extended to the North East Corridor (NEC) rail line, increasing its length to 4.7 km, and the fleet expanded to 18 six-car trains.
With more than 100 operations and maintenance specialists on site, Bombardier has provided O&M services on the system since it opened. More than 33 million passengers travelled through the airport last year. To accommodate the high passenger volumes, the system operates 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Building upon the knowledge gathered over the past 16 years, Bombardier is addressing the challenge of improving the performance and extending the life of the system beyond 2020. The asset upgrade works announced today will involve the overhaul of key sub-systems including the vehicles, track work, communications, power distribution systems and the maintenance recovery vehicle.
Eran Gartner, President Systems, Bombardier Transportation said: "Our innovative, customer-oriented and cost-optimized services draw on Bombardier's worldwide experience in public transport. We will ensure that the AirTrain monorail system continues to form the backbone of ground transport at Newark Liberty International Airport, transporting thousands of riders daily until 2020 and beyond. Newark and our parallel JFK AirTrain operations are strong showcases within Bombardier's portfolio of projects."
Bombardier Transportation is a leading innovator in sustainable mobility. Its highly reliable driverless systems support the urgently needed shift from road to rail to reduce congestion and pollution in major cities and airports. INNOVIA driverless systems have served communities around the world for over 40 years. Many of these systems benefit from Bombardier's complete life cycle and support O&M services.
