USA: Passenger services on a 4 km extension to the PHX Sky Train automated peoplemover line at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport in Arizona began on December 20.
The western extension from Terminal 3 to Rental Car Center includes one intermediate station at 24th Street. Works were undertaken by Alstom, which also operates the line. The project included electro-mechanical and guideway equipment, expansion of the current maintenance and storage facility, supply of a maintenance and recovery vehicle, signalling renewals and upgrading the existing vehicles.
Alstom has delivered 24 additional Innovia APM 200 vehicles to increase frequencies and run three-car trainsets instead of two, taking the total number of cars up to 42.
‘The complexity of this extension project was tied to the need to maintain airport connectivity services aligned with passenger expectations during construction and especially at the time of integrating the extension to the existing system’, said Michael Keroullé, President of Alstom Americas.
The $745m project was financed by rental car customer and airline passenger facility charges.
The peoplemover connects Rental Car Center to the 44th Street station of Phoenix’s Valley Metro Light Rail via the parking areas and airport terminals. The first phase between Terminal 4 and 44th Street opened in April 2013, with services being extended to Terminal 3 in December 2014.
Trains run every 3 to 5 min 24 h a day and are free to use.
