Newark Airtrain Monorail

Here's the thing: It's $8.25 to get through the AirTrain gates at the NJ Transit/Amtrak station. If your NJ Transit or Amtrak ticket is set for the station, the cost is added at time of purchase, else you gotta do an add-on payment. It's kinda like JFK's AirTrain... and it's built so that PATH can't really integrate with it and keep the "Inside is free, outside pays" philosophy.

But that's not to say this newer system going to follow the same route. I bet it'll follow the same philosophy, though.

Is the new monorail going to have secured terminal to terminal stations as well as outside of secure areas? Similar to DFW airport. If so that would preclude PATH doing the circulator.

Another version of 'extend the PATH' - which has merit - is extend the Airtrain. If the Airtrain reached Newark Penn, and was integrated into the station - per Jamaica - it would of course offer PATH, but also more NJT service (including RVL) and more Amtrak - plus Newark Light Rail and millions of buses. And connect into Downtown Newark. This would offer far greater options for dispersal - even if it meant an overshoot (if EWR station closed). But perhaps it stays open with a South Newark type local purpose.

Frankly, the route needs 4tph to South Amboy or so, to mop up all the local service.

In another lifetime, this could have been a PATH branch (Newark-WTC used to be 15-20tph in high peaks - these could be distributed and do more for NJ)

I just stumbled on this newspaper article, to follow up on the posts from before Christmas.
https://www.mycentraljersey.com/story/n ... 003644007/

Not cable cars like a ski resort, but ground-based. Construction to start in 2025 and open in 2029 already. Sounds too good to be true (having just ridden the old herky-jerky AirTrain this morning, by chance). "Only" $570 Million , + more to operate it, but that's a lot less than many numbers that had been estimated the last few years.

Jim S

Cable car. Question covers around how many stations? Assume cars are connected together into trains.
1. does that mean it will similar to San Francisco cable cars where a grabber will grasp the moving cable. That would be awful slow.
2. How about every train is semi permanently connected to cable and all trains move at same time?
3. Train at a station is accelerated some how till it can grab cable. Acceleration maybe linear induction? very complicated.
4. Transfer station where every terminal train goes to make connections to other terminals?

So, probably other ways which makes speculation interesting.

Westpoint, good questions. I guess the reason the cable cars are so much cheaper is that putting the “clasper” in each car or “train” if that is what they are doing, is a lot cheaper than a propulsion system in each car or train and associated power delivery. They still need power for lights, doors, AC etc but I guess it’s much less.
I,m a skier and Doppelmeyer (spelling?) dominates the long high speed lifts that go well over a mile, and very fast. The cars detach for loading and unloading, and reattach automatically, with fast acceleration

amtrakowitz wrote: ↑Thu Dec 21, 2023 3:20 am

Head-end View wrote: ↑Wed Dec 06, 2023 7:25 pm

GojiMet86 wrote: ↑Mon Sep 18, 2023 4:25 pmShoulda extended PATH directly to the airport, with one station serving the three terminals through walkways. Or one station for each terminal. Or just use more buses.

Should do what SEPTA did at Philadelphia Airport. Extend the rail line into the Airport with a stop at each major terminal.

Frankly, with a budget of $2 billion, that’s more than enough dough to do that with the PATH train, even to use PATH cars as circulators between terminals and parking. But instead pay for play wins again, it seems.

It is my understanding that the federal allowed per passenger surcharge can only be used for a facility that serves only the airport. Since PATH would not be exclusive to the airport, such funds could not be used to offset the cost.

pumpers wrote: ↑Thu Dec 28, 2023 5:26 pm I just stumbled on this newspaper article, to follow up on the posts from before Christmas.
https://www.mycentraljersey.com/story/n ... 003644007/

Not cable cars like a ski resort, but ground-based. Construction to start in 2025 and open in 2029 already. Sounds too good to be true (having just ridden the old herky-jerky AirTrain this morning, by chance). "Only" $570 Million , + more to operate it, but that's a lot less than many numbers that had been estimated the last few years.

Jim S

There's a clue in the article:

Doppelmayr is known for constructing cable systems for gondolas, ski lifts and airport trams, including BART's airport connector in San Francisco and the DART connector to London Luton Airport.

If I remember correctly, that's the Oakland airport. Therefore we can look off Youtube and confirm... yep, it's a grabber system. I won't be surprised if there's a loop to turn trains around, because it's multi-stop.

So yesterday I took my annual sightseeing ride on the EWR air train from the railroad station. When we got to the end of the line at the new Terminal-A, I was surprised to find that the AirTrain Station is widely separated from the terminal, unlike the stops at the other terminals which connect more or less directly. According to the signage, it's about a 10 (!) minute walk (partly outdoors) or a 4 minute ride via the shuttle bus.

So after taking the AirTrain to the end, you then have to take a bus to Terminal-A ??!!??!! What were they thinking? Why didn't they build it so the AirTrain takes you right to the terminal like at the old terminals? I don't friggin' believe this!

I was intending to take a walk thru the new terminal, but changed my mind when I saw what a hassle it is to get to it. But at least it was a good Airtrain ride as usual.

Maybe the new airtrain will go directly to terminal A ??

west point wrote: ↑Sat Jan 13, 2024 10:02 pm Maybe the new airtrain will go directly to terminal A ??

Hope you're right. Could be the current set-up is just temporary until the new AirTrain is built.

All this info is publicly available so you don't have to speculate…

The new AirTrain route is going to be terrible for everyone other than terminal A passengers for the next 2-3 decades. However, the routing they chose allows for the old system to continue running while construction is ongoing, thereby (ostensibly) reducing disruption to the traveling public during construction.

And no, this new system will not be post-security, nor are there any plans to install any other kind of system post-security. Some airlines, such as United, run connector bus shuttles between the terminals post-security, however.

lensovet wrote: ↑Sun Jan 14, 2024 1:59 am All this info is publicly available so you don't have to speculate…

The new AirTrain route is going to be terrible for everyone other than terminal A passengers for the next 2-3 decades. However, the routing they chose allows for the old system to continue running while construction is ongoing, thereby (ostensibly) reducing disruption to the traveling public during construction.

And no, this new system will not be post-security, nor are there any plans to install any other kind of system post-security. Some airlines, such as United, run connector bus shuttles between the terminals post-security, however.

TBH having this be pre-security is a good idea, as well as have a post-security line (a la Pittsburgh).

The somewhat near(er) term replacement of Terminal B, and longer term replacement of Terminal C necessitates the kind of terrible Airtrain routing for the near and forseeable future. The current Airtrain ends where the old parking garage used to be, so that they didn't need to extend it in any way. With the new Airtrain, there will be a very long walk for Terminal C passengers to walk.

By the time I'm retired and won't need to fly as much, we will finally have a good, modern airport.

The slides I've seen from the EWR Vision plan public sessions shows that Terminal B and Terminal C are going to be replaced by a single large terminal.