More Than Just a Maintenance Facility: The DFW Airport Maintenance & Storage Facility

The new Dallas/Forth Worth International Airport's Skylink Automated people mover functions under a unique arrangement in which the owner's personnel operate the system while the supplier's personnel maintain the system. Both parties share the facility. Design of the maintenance & storage facility (MSF) was accomplished as part of the overall APM program's fast-track approach involving Halff & Associates — the MSF designer, DFW Airport Board — the owner, Lea+Elliott — the owner's APM system consultant and Bombardier Total Transit Systems — the system supplier all collaborating on the design. In addition to a maintenance control center used to facilitate servicing of the entire APM vehicle fleet, the single-level MSF houses all command, control and communications functions needed to operate the new system. As such, the MSF serves as the nerve center for all start-up testing, commissioning, integration and system demonstration activities and houses system administrative offices for both the owner and supplier's teams. The facility footprint is 9,290 square meters (110,000 square feet). The adjacent storage is 4,645 square meters (50,000 square feet). The yard includes vehicle wash facilities. Moreover, the facility was designed to enable future expansion of additional vehicle service bays while remaining in full operation in public passenger service. Because the MSF is built in the central terminal area of the active airport, design of the MSF went well beyond traditional technical design criteria requirements to current and long-range airport operational considerations ranging from customer service to airport security. More than just a maintenance facility, the MSF has been a crucial element of the Skylink APM program from system design and construction to testing & commissioning to multi-party operation. This paper discusses design, construction and use of the DFW maintenance & storage facility. The key to the success of the MSF has been the cooperation of a cohesive, talented team committed to meeting the airport's current operations needs while moving DFW International Airport into the 21^st Century.