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Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) is the world's busiest airport, transporting over 108 million passengers in 2024. The Plane Train is an automated people mover located at the airport, connecting all terminals and concourses. The Plane Train operates in the secure area of the airport, connecting the two landside terminals with its seven airside concourses. ATL Skytrain is another train at the airport that connects the Domestic Terminal with the rental car centre and the Georgia International Convention Centre.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Airport Name | Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) |
| Plane Train System | Automated people mover system |
| Plane Train Operator | Alstom |
| Previous Plane Train Operator | Bombardier Transportation |
| Plane Train Stations | Concourses A, B, C, D, E, F, T, and the Maynard Holbrook Jackson, Jr. International Terminal |
| Number of Tunnels | 3 |
| Number of Trains | 2 |
| Middle Tunnel | Alternative pedestrian pathway with moving walkways |
| Train Departures | Every 2 minutes |
| Shuttle Service Duration | 12 minutes |
| Concourse Walk Time | 5 minutes (8-10 minutes from Concourse E to F) |
| Concourse A to F Walk Time | 35 minutes |
| Concourse F Gates | F1 to F10, F12, and F14 |
| Number of Passengers in 2024 | 108 million+ |
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What You'll Learn
- The Plane Train runs 24/7 with departures every 2 minutes
- The Plane Train connects all terminals and concourses
- ATL Skytrain is another train at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport
- The Plane Train operates in the secure area of the airport
- The Plane Train is an automated people mover system
The Plane Train runs 24/7 with departures every 2 minutes
Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) is the busiest airport in the world, transporting over 108 million passengers in 2024. The Plane Train, an automated people mover system, is located within the airport's Transportation Mall, which consists of three underground tunnels running through the centre of the airport. The system has eight stations: one at each of Concourses A, B, C, D, E, and F (International Terminal), and two in the Domestic Terminal. The Plane Train operates in the secure area of the airport, connecting the two landside terminals with its seven airside concourses.
The Plane Train was built by Westinghouse Electric Corporation and is currently operated and maintained by Alstom, which acquired the system's previous operator, Bombardier Transportation, in 2021. The system is the world's most heavily travelled airport people mover. In 1994, the airport opened Concourse E for international flights in preparation for the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta. As part of the expansion, the system was extended with a station for Concourse E. The extension also included a new maintenance facility to replace the original, which had to be relocated to make room for the new concourse.
In 2009, a second people mover, the ATL Skytrain, opened on the landside of the airport, connecting the Domestic Terminal with the rental car centre and the Georgia International Convention Centre. The ATL Skytrain is free and accessible at any time of the day or night, with trains arriving every two minutes. It takes passengers on a swift five-minute loop, providing access to 12 rental car brands and vehicles.
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The Plane Train connects all terminals and concourses
Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) is one of the world's busiest airports, transporting over 100 million passengers in 2024. The Plane Train is an automated people mover system located at the airport, connecting all terminals and concourses. The system is currently operated and maintained by Alstom and runs 24/7 with departures every 2 minutes, making transfers quick and easy for passengers.
The Plane Train operates in the secure area of the airport, connecting the two landside terminals with its seven airside concourses. It runs in two outer tunnels of the airport's Transportation Mall, which consists of three underground tunnels running through the center of the airport. The middle tunnel contains a pedestrian pathway with moving walkways. The Plane Train has eight stations: one at each of Concourses A, B, C, D, E, and F (International Terminal), and two in the Domestic Terminal—one at Concourse T.
The Plane Train allows passengers to get to their gates swiftly, especially for first-time visitors or those with tight connections. It is easily accessible from the Main terminal, where the escalator to the Plane Train is directly ahead of the Security Checkpoint as you exit the terminal. The airport signs indicate that it takes 5 minutes to walk between concourses, except from E to F, which takes 10 minutes. In contrast, the Plane Train takes just a few minutes to get from Concourse A to F.
In 2009, a second people mover, the ATL Skytrain, was opened on the landside of the airport, connecting the Domestic Terminal with the rental car center and the Georgia International Convention Center. The ATL Skytrain is free of charge and accessible from the domestic baggage claim area of the airport, operating 24/7 with arrivals every 2 minutes.
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ATL Skytrain is another train at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) is the busiest airport in the world, transporting over 108 million passengers in 2024. The airport is large and extremely busy, but its straightforward and functional layout is easy to navigate. The Plane Train is an automated people mover system located at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, connecting all of its terminals and concourses. The ATL Skytrain is another train at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. It is a people mover that opened in 2009 to connect the Domestic Terminal with the rental car centre and the Georgia International Convention Centre. The ATL Skytrain is located outside the airport's secure zone and is elevated, unlike The Plane Train, which is underground inside the secure zone of the airport. The ride between the terminal and the rental car centre takes 5 minutes, with a 2.5-minute wait at each station. The ATL Skytrain provides complementary transportation between the Domestic Terminal and the Rental Car Centre and operates 24 hours a day. The system's announcements are voiced by professional voice talent Sharon Feingold.
The Plane Train operates in the secure area of the airport, connecting the two landside terminals with its seven airside concourses. It exists within the airport's Transportation Mall, which consists of three underground tunnels running through the centre of the airport. The trains operate in the two outer tunnels, while the middle tunnel contains an alternative pedestrian pathway with moving walkways. The Plane Train connects all terminals and concourses, running 24/7 with departures every 2 minutes. This makes transfers quick and easy for passengers. The Plane Train is one of the easiest ways to get around the post-security (boarding) areas of the terminals and concourses for free. It is an automated subway (people mover) train that runs a 3-mile loop between the Domestic Terminal (baggage claim area) and Concourse F (International Terminal), stopping at concourses T, A, B, C, D, and E along the way.
The ATL Skytrain never stops, but check the Airport Metro Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) hours before you go, because those trains take a break overnight. The MARTA station is right next to the doors leading to the ATL Skytrain station at the baggage terminal, so once you reach the airport, the transition is easy. The ATL Skytrain connects the airport's Domestic Terminal with the Gateway Center of the Georgia International Convention Centre. The shuttle bus also connects the International Terminal to the lower level of the Rental Car Centre and operates approximately every 15 minutes. Passengers have mentioned that while the shuttle itself is reliable, the connections between these services can be time-consuming, particularly if you're in a rush.
The Plane Train is located on Level 0. Reviews on platforms such as Reddit and Google Reviews frequently praise the Plane Train for its efficiency, with many users mentioning that it greatly reduces the time needed to move between concourses, especially in a large and busy airport like ATL. The current announcements on the Plane Train are the first to no longer use the word "Concourse", instead referring to the concourse stations with the word "Gates". For example, the Concourse F station is now referred to as the "F Gates".
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The Plane Train operates in the secure area of the airport
Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) is the busiest airport in the world, transporting over 108 million passengers in 2024. The Plane Train is an automated people mover system located at Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport. It connects all of its terminals and concourses, running 24/7 with departures every 2 minutes. This makes transfers quick and easy for passengers. The Plane Train operates in the secure area of the airport, connecting the two landside terminals with its seven airside concourses. It exists within the airport's Transportation Mall, which consists of three underground tunnels running through the centre of the airport. The trains operate in the two outer tunnels, while the middle tunnel contains an alternative pedestrian pathway with moving walkways.
The Plane Train is located within the airport's Transportation Mall, which consists of three underground tunnels running through the centre of the airport. The trains operate in the two outer tunnels, while the middle tunnel serves as a pedestrian pathway with moving walkways. The Plane Train system has eight stations: one at each of Concourses A, B, C, D, E, and F (International Terminal), and two in the Domestic Terminal—one at Concourse T and the other at Concourse F.
The Plane Train is accessible from the Main Terminal, where the escalator leading to it is directly ahead of the Security Checkpoint as you exit the terminal. It is also easily accessible from the other terminals by following the appropriate directions. Once you arrive at your departing concourse via the Plane Train, you can take the escalator or elevator to Departures (Level 2) to proceed to your gate.
The Plane Train is currently undergoing a minor expansion, and the airport's communications team previously held a "Name the Train" contest to officially name the airside people mover. The contest was held on Facebook and YouTube, with the winning entry announced on April 30, 2010, as a comment on the video.
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The Plane Train is an automated people mover system
Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport is one of the world's busiest airports, transporting over 108 million passengers in 2024. The Plane Train is an automated people mover system located within the airport, connecting all its terminals and concourses. It is the world's most heavily travelled airport people mover system. The system is currently operated and maintained by Alstom, which acquired the system's previous operator, Bombardier Transportation, in 2021. The Plane Train operates in the secure area of the airport, connecting the two landside terminals with its seven airside concourses. It exists within the airport's Transportation Mall, which consists of three underground tunnels running through the centre of the airport. The trains operate in the two outer tunnels, while the middle tunnel contains a pedestrian pathway with moving walkways.
The Plane Train was built by Westinghouse Electric Corporation and initially operated with six trains in both two and three-car configurations. By 1983, all trains were operating with three cars. The Westinghouse Electric Corporation also supplied the system's initial fleet of C-100 vehicles. In 1996, the trains were lengthened from three cars to four, and large LED displays capable of showing eastern Asian CJK characters were added inside the vehicles to complement the original English text-only dot-matrix red-LED displays. This was done in preparation for more international flights. In 2012, the Maynard Holbrook Jackson, Jr. International Terminal and Concourse F opened, along with another extension of the Plane Train. Ten additional vehicles were added to the system to accommodate this expansion, bringing the total number of Innovia APM 100 vehicles in the system's fleet to 59.
The Plane Train connects all terminals and concourses, running 24/7 with departures every 2 minutes. This makes transfers quick and easy for passengers. The presecurity shuttle service links the domestic and international terminals, taking approximately 12 minutes. Walking between concourses is also possible via the mall, which features moving sidewalks and art exhibits. Walking from Concourse A to F takes approximately 35 minutes, while the Plane Train takes just a few minutes. The Plane Train is accessible from the Main terminal, where the escalator to the Plane Train is directly ahead of the Security Checkpoint as you exit the terminal.
The trains are fully automated and are managed from a central control centre. While the trains are self-driving, there are always two control operators on duty. The system began operating overnight in 2018, having previously shut down completely each night. From July 2025, the system will likely end the "shuttle mode" during late nights and provide a full 24/7 service. The airport says it takes three shifts with 123 employees to keep the Plane Train running 24 hours a day.
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Frequently asked questions
The Plane Train is an automated people mover system located at Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport. It connects all terminals and concourses, running 24/7 with departures every 2 minutes.
The Plane Train is accessible from the Main terminal, where the escalator to the Plane Train is directly ahead of the Security Checkpoint as you exit the terminal. You can also ask airport workers to help you locate your gate and the Plane Train.
The ATL Skytrain is a second people mover system at Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport. It connects the Domestic Terminal with the rental car centre and the Georgia International Convention Centre. The ATL Skytrain operates 24/7 and is free to use.
