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Airport rail link

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A Narita Express Train to Tokyo's Narita International Airport

An airport rail link is a service providing passenger rail transport from an airport to a nearby city; by mainline- or commuter trains, rapid transit, people mover or light rail. Direct links operate straight to the airport terminal, while other systems require an intermediate use of people mover or shuttle bus.

While popular solutions in Europe and Japan for decades, only recently have other Asian, North American and Oceanian links been constructed. Advantages for the rider include faster travel time, easy interconnection with other public transport and high comfort, while authorities have gained less highway and parking congestion, pollution reductions and possibilities for extra profits. Onwards connection benefit airports by reaching out to greater areas. There is also a comprehensive news service called airrailnews

Mass transit

For airports built within or close to the city limits, extending mass transit systems like rapid transit or light rail to airport terminals allows full integration with other public transport in the city, and seamless transport to all parts of town. The desity of depature will be highm, while travel time is a drawback as the services make many intermediate stops before reaching the city center. A common solutions involves building a separate people mover from a mass transit station to the airport terminal, often using automated systems, allowing faster travel time and fare discrimination, for instance Orlyval. Other systems prompt for a separate rapid transit line from major mass transit terminal, such as AirTrain JFK.

Mainline rail

Frankfurt (Main) Flughafen Fernbahnhof

Dedicated railway lines to airports have become popular since the 1980s, with airport terminals for airport express, intercity and commuter trains, allowing one-seat travel to the check-in halls. This solution requires the building of new track; a cheaper option being establishing a new station of an existing line connected to the airport by people mover or shuttle bus.

Integration with intercity services has produced alliances where airlines sell connecting service by rail. Central Europe has seen integration of high-speed rail into airports, with TGV and ICE services domestically and internationally operated directed from Charles de Gaulle International Airport and Frankfurt Airport. Because of this many airport stations have received IATA codes.

Other airports have instead chosen to focus on an airport express train dedicated to high-speed transport from the airport to the city centre; a solution often opted for where the airport is located outside the urban area and mass transit system, but where a direct downtown service is required, such as Flytoget serving Oslo Airport, Gardermoen. Other airports are served by both express trains and rapid transit, such as London Heathrow Airport.

These solutions often have the drawback of less dense departures, like twice per hour.

Shuttle

Where the train station is not located at the airport, a shuttle system is required on the last part of the journey; either using a (often automated) people mover or a bus. While the former allows low operating costs and higher perceived quality, the latter does not require specialized infrastructure to be built; often becoming the preferred choice at smaller or low-cost airports. Because shuttles remove the one-seat advantage of a rail link, market shares are dominantly lower with these types of system, often requiring passengers intermediate waiting time while transferring and waiting for a new mode of transport.

Some airports have a system where the rail link only serves one terminal or concourse; passengers must instead use an airport circulator to reach the necessary terminal. Circulators typically also serve parking lots, and sometimes airport hotels.

Connection types

One-seat ride via main-line train

Commuter rail-type service directly from a city centre to the airport, without needing to change trains and sometimes without intermediate stops;

Asia

Airport Express train, Hong Kong

Europe

London's Heathrow Express runs non-stop from Paddington Station to Heathrow Airport.
A BM71 Airport Express train of Flytoget at Oslo Central Station.

North America

Oceania

One-seat ride via local public transport

Many cities also provide a link to their airports through their rapid transit or light rail systems, which, unlike express trains, often make numerous stops on the way to the airport. At some airports, such as O'Hare in Chicago or Hartsfield-Jackson in Atlanta, the rapid transit train only visits one terminal or concourse; passengers must transfer to an airport circulator to reach other terminals or concourses.

Asia

Europe

Copenhagen Metro has unmanned trains.

North America

A Baltimore Light Rail vehicle at BWI's international terminal.

Oceania

Rail to airport people mover

A hybrid solution adopted in some cities is a direct rail connection to an airport train station instead of to the airport itself. At the airport train station, the passenger switches to a people mover or other train that goes to the airport terminals. The same system can also serve passengers moving between different terminals and traveling between the terminals and car rental lots or parking areas.

Europe

North America

Rail to bus to airport

See also: Airport bus

Another common arrangement requires the passenger to take a train (or metro) to a railway station (usually) near the airport and then switch to a bus that goes to the airport terminals.

Asia

Europe

North America

Passengers board an AirBART bus at Oakland Airport.

In the 1980s, New York City Transit had a service called the JFK Express (advertised as the Train To The Plane) that was unpopular and eventually cancelled. It was essentially a premium-fare subway ride to a bus that went to JFK Airport. Afterwards the bus continued to run, serving Howard Beach station until the opening of AirTrain JFK in 2003.

Oceania

Under construction

Future

Other cities are considering "train to the plane" services.

See also

References

  1. ^ "Transportation Industry: Egyptian National Railways - Egypt". International Railway Journal. Simmons-Boardman Publishing Corporation. 2001. Retrieved August 13, 2009. {{cite journal}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help); Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  2. ^ Railway Gazette International July 2008 403.
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