Right-Sizing Airport Automated People Movers

What are the correct size, configuration, and technology for airport APMs? How much competition is needed, and among what suppliers? In recent years there have been discussions about using smaller, cheaper APM and Personal Rapid Transit (PRT) systems at airports. This paper looks at a representative set of large, medium, and small airport APM projects and shows how the local requirements (set by airport configuration, ridership, and owners) affect the APM system configuration, technology, and competition. The bases of the process to define airport APMs are explored. Representative airport APM project will be briefly described, including the requirements, configuration, key determinants, suppliers/technologies included, and the resulting supplier and system. Large airport APMs include: Dallas/Ft. Worth, Dulles, JFK, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Singapore-Changi, and San Francisco. Medium sized systems include: Newark, Miami-North Terminal, Miami-Miamover, Atlanta — Consolidated Rental Car (CONRAC), Oakland Airport Connector (OAC), and Houston. Small system projects include Minneapolis-St. Paul Rental Car and Green Concourse, Amsterdam, Providence, Sacramento, Birmingham (UK), and the Houston-tunnel system. Summary information on these airport APMs is provided in the table at the end of this paper.