AirTrain is a fully automated people mover at San Francisco International Airport (SFO). The system was built by Bombardier at a cost of US $430 million, and opened on February 24, 2003. The trains operate 24 hours a day on two separate lines, covering a total of six miles (10 kilometres).
The entire AirTrain fleet is wheelchair accessible and allows rented baggage carts on board. The system is composed of 38 Innovia APM 100 cars built by Bombardier of Montreal, Quebec, Canada, which can also be found at Tampa, Denver, Atlanta, Seattle-Tacoma, Houston, and Madrid International Airports.
Lines and stations
AirTrain operates on two linesâ€"Red Line and Blue Lineâ€"both of which run every 2½ minutes. The Red Line travels in a clockwise loop, beginning with Garage G station and ending with Garage A station, which takes about 9 minutes to complete. The Blue Line travels in a counterclockwise loop, serving the same stations in reverse order, and also proceeding to West Field Road and the Rental Car Center, which takes 19 minutes for a round trip.
Alternatively, passengers may walk around the terminal loop instead of riding AirTrain, which takes about 25 minutes by foot; however, passengers must ride AirTrain to access the Rental Car Center.
AirTrain does not provide access to SFO's long-term parking garage and lots; instead, passengers must take a free airport shuttle bus between the airport terminals and the long-term parking areas. The end of the track past the Rental Car Center station is only about six hundred yards away from the airport's long-term parking garage, and the system may be extended to the garage in the future if the funds necessary for construction can be raised. As of December 2013, plans are underway to build an additional long-term parking garage just south of the existing one; the new garage would be built to accommodate a future AirTrain extension. In addition, the airport is seeking an appropriation of $67.7 million from the City and County of San Francisco to build the extension, which is estimated to cost $85 million in total.
AirTrain is free of charge. It is funded by a $20 "airport fee" charged by rental car companies.
The AirTrain stations at the International Terminal are located one level above ticketing, at both ends of the main hall. Stations at Terminals 1, 2, and 3 are located on level 5 of the domestic parking garage and can be accessed near security checkpoints B, D, and F.
See also
- Airport rail link
- AirTrain JFK
- Coliseumâ€"Oakland International Airport line
References
External links
- SFO AirTrain, San Francisco International Airport.
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