Owais Crawford
Airport rail links are a convenient way to get to and from an airport, especially for tourists who can sit back, relax, and take in the cityscape as they are transported downtown. While airport rail links have been a popular solution in Europe and Japan for decades, only recently have links been constructed in North America, South America, Africa, Oceania, and the rest of Asia. Some examples of airports with trains in the US include Seattle–Tacoma International Airport, John F. Kennedy International Airport, and LaGuardia Airport. Outside of the US, some examples include London Luton Airport, Paris Orly Airport, and Vancouver Airport.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Airport with direct train links | Berlin, Cleveland, Tokyo, Paris, Frankfurt, Trieste, Zurich, Geneva, Gatwick, Lyon, Denver, John F. Kennedy International Airport, Midway International Airport, Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport |
| Airport with indirect train links | Boston, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., Baltimore, San Francisco, LaGuardia, Newark, Logan |
| Under construction | Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport, Paris Orly Airport, Riga Airport, Stuttgart Airport, Tirana International Airport, Dallas Fort Worth International Airport, Daniel K. Inouye International Airport, Los Angeles International Airport, MidAmerica St. Louis Airport, Montreal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport, Melbourne Airport, Western Sydney Airport, São Paulo/Guarulhos International Airport, Jorge Chávez International Airport, Nanchang Changbei International Airport, Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport, Ninoy Aquino International Airport, Nursultan Nazarbayev International Airport, Shanghai Pudong International Airport, Tianjin Binhai International Airport, Xiamen Xiang'an International Airport, Bucharest Henri Coandă International Airport, Milan Bergamo Airport, Naples International Airport, Konya Airport |
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What You'll Learn
Airport rail links in the US
Airport rail links are a passenger rail transport service between an airport and a nearby city. Direct links operate straight from the airport terminal to the city, while other links may require a transfer to a people mover or shuttle bus. Airport rail links offer passengers faster travel times and easy connections with other public transport. They also benefit authorities by reducing highway congestion and pollution and boosting business opportunities. While airport rail links have long been popular in Europe and Japan, they have only recently been constructed in North America.
In the US, airport rail links are becoming increasingly common. More than a dozen US cities offer train connections to their city centres from the airport. Examples include:
- New York City – Newark Liberty International Airport is located on the Northeast Corridor and provides easy access to wider New Jersey and direct access to Newark Penn Station, from where travellers can connect to Lower Manhattan, Trenton, or Philadelphia. Travellers can also take the AirTrain from the airport to Jamaica Station or Howard Beach Station, from where they can access the Long Island Railroad and the NYC subway.
- Seattle – The Link Light Rail connects Seattle-Tacoma International Airport to the University of Washington, stopping at South Seattle neighbourhoods, the stadium district, the International District/Chinatown, and downtown locations. The train runs between 5 a.m. and 1 a.m. and takes 38 minutes.
- Portland – The MAX Light Rail Red Line connects Portland International Airport to the middle of downtown in about half an hour, with trains running almost round-the-clock.
- Denver – The airport train line opened in 2016 and covers the 23 miles to the city centre in 37 minutes, running at speeds of up to 79 miles per hour.
- Phoenix – The PHX Sky Train connects Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport to the Valley Metro at the 44th St./Washington Valley Metro Rail station. From there, travellers can ride to nearly 40 stops along the route in either direction for a single ticket price.
- San Francisco – The San Francisco International Airport station is located next to Garage G at SFO airport and is a transfer point for the airport's AirTrain. Direct regional services are available through the Bay Area Rapid Transit system, with both the Red and Yellow lines serving the airport station.
- Orlando – The Brightline inter-city service connects Orlando International Airport to Greater Orlando, West Palm Beach, and Miami Central via the Florida East Coast Railway. The station has four tracks and five platforms.
- Fort Lauderdale – A Tri-Rail commuter station in Diana Beach connects Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport to Miami, Fort Lauderdale, and West Palm Beach. A complimentary shuttle runs between the airport and the rail station every 15 to 20 minutes.
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Airport rail links in Europe
Airport rail links have been popular in Europe for decades, providing faster travel times and easy connections with other public transport. Some cities have direct connections between the airport and the train station, allowing passengers to step off the plane and straight onto a train. This integration has also produced alliances where airlines sell tickets that include the connecting rail service.
Several European cities have impressive airport rail links. For example, Amsterdam Schiphol Airport offers a smooth connection for onward train journeys, with its NS train station located directly below the terminal building. Passengers can reach Amsterdam Central Station in around 15 minutes, as well as The Hague in 50 minutes, Utrecht in 30 minutes, and Delft in 40 minutes. Zurich Flughafen station also provides direct connections to other Swiss cities, and Frankfurt Flughafen station has direct trains to most German cities, including Berlin, Cologne, Dresden, and Hamburg.
Other European cities with airport rail links include Birmingham, Bologna, Brussels, Copenhagen, Geneva, Manchester, Paris-CDG, Pisa, Stockholm-Arlanda, Vienna, and Zurich. Some airports, like London-Gatwick, London-Heathrow, Marseille, Munich, Nice, and Milan-Malpensa, have regional train services in addition to city centre links.
In some cases, airports may not have a direct rail link to the terminal, and passengers may need to use a people mover or shuttle bus to complete the journey. For instance, Lyon-St Exupéry Airport in France uses an express tram to connect to the local rail service, while Salzburg Airport in Austria is linked to the city's main rail station by trolleybus. Vienna, Austria's only airport with long-haul flights, now has direct train connections to multiple other Austrian cities.
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Airport rail links in Asia
An airport rail link is a service that provides passenger rail transport between an airport and a nearby city. Direct links operate straight from the airport terminal to the city, while other links require an intermediate use of a people mover or shuttle bus. Airport rail links have been a popular solution in Europe and Japan for decades, and they have recently been constructed in North America, South America, Africa, Oceania, and the rest of Asia.
Suvarnabhumi Airport, Bangkok
The Airport Rail Link in Bangkok, Thailand, is 28.6 km (17.8 mi) long and elevated, running above the existing eastern railway. The line has an underground terminal at the airport, and commuter trips take 27 minutes from Phaya Thai to Suvarnabhumi Airport. The top speed is 160 km/h (99 mph), but the short distances between stations prevent commuter services from reaching that speed. The Airport Rail Link uses standard-gauge railways, unlike most railways in Thailand, which use meter-gauge railways.
Haneda Airport, Tokyo
The Tokyo Monorail, which opened in 1964, was Japan's first airport rail link. The monorail's original southern terminus was located under the old domestic terminal of Haneda Airport. When Haneda Airport was expanded in the 1980s to 2010s, the monorail was extended to the new terminals, and the original southern terminus was renamed Tenkūbashi Station.
Changi Airport, Singapore
The East-West Line connects Changi Airport station and Singapore.
Soekarno–Hatta International Airport, Jakarta
The Soekarno–Hatta International Airport in Jakarta, Indonesia, is accessible via the Soekarno–Hatta Airport Skytrain to/from SHIA station.
Western Sydney Airport
The Western Sydney Airport line is currently under construction.
Shanghai Pudong International Airport
The Shanghai Pudong International Airport in Shanghai, China, is connected via the China Railway, which is also under construction.
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Airport rail links in Australia
An airport rail link is a service that provides passenger rail transport from an airport to a nearby city. Direct links operate straight to the airport terminal, while other systems require the intermediate use of people movers or shuttle buses. Airport rail links have been popular solutions in Europe and Japan for decades, but they have only recently been constructed in North America and Oceania.
In Australia, several cities have airport rail links. Sydney, for example, has the Airport Link (also known as the Airport Line or New Southern Railway), which connects Sydney Airport to the central business district and the south-western suburbs of the city. The line is served by Sydney Trains T8 Airport & South line services and includes a four-kilometre rock tunnel and a six-kilometre soft-ground tunnel. Despite the convenience of the Airport Link, it failed to meet patronage targets, with customers entering the line at Domestic and International competing for space with commuters from the East Hills line.
Brisbane also has an airport rail link, with its AirTrain line being serviced by Queensland Rail's IMU and NGR fleets. These fleets make provisions for luggage-carrying passengers and offer additional comforts such as high-backed seats, free Wi-Fi, and toilets. Additionally, the Brisbane line terminates at the airport, bypassing most suburban stations, ensuring that airport-bound passengers are not mixed with suburban commuters.
Melbourne is currently working on its own airport rail link, with the first stage of the Melbourne Airport Rail soon to be underway. This project will connect Melbourne Airport to Victoria's regional and metropolitan train network, allowing passengers to travel from the airport to the heart of the CBD. The Western Sydney Airport line is also under construction.
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Airport rail links under construction
Airport rail links have been a popular solution in Europe and Japan for decades, with some North American, South American, African, and Oceanian cities following suit in recent years.
Several airport rail links are currently under construction worldwide. For instance, in Melbourne, Australia, the Melbourne Airport Rail Link project is well underway, with early works completed in late 2022 and construction expected to be completed by late 2033. The project involves creating a Sunshine Station Superhub, building a new modern Albion Station, and constructing new dedicated tracks along the existing Albion-Jacana freight corridor. The Melbourne Airport Rail will connect the airport to Victoria's regional and metropolitan train network, providing easy access to the city center and key tourism destinations.
In the United States, the Washington Metro Silver Line is currently under construction and will serve Dulles International Airport in Virginia. This new phase of the Silver Line will provide a direct link between the airport and Washington, D.C., similar to the existing connection between Washington Dulles International Airport and the nation's capital. Additionally, the Dallas Fort Worth International Airport in Texas is also constructing a Silver Line, offering another example of airport rail development in the United States.
In Europe, there are several airport rail links in the works. Paris, France, is enhancing its airport rail connections with the CDG Express service, which will connect Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport to the city's rail network, including the M17 and M18 lines. Paris Orly Airport is also constructing its own dedicated rail link, the M18 line. Furthermore, Stuttgart Airport in Germany is constructing a high-speed railway, and Tirana International Airport in Albania is developing the Durrës–Tiranë railway.
Asia is also witnessing a boom in airport rail link construction. Montreal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport in Canada is working on the Réseau express métropolitain project. Additionally, China is actively constructing several airport rail links, including those serving Foshan Gaoming International Airport, Fuzhou Changle International Airport, Hefei Xinqiao International Airport, Jinan Yaoqiang International Airport, Nanchang Changbei International Airport, and Shanghai Pudong International Airport. Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen International Airport in Turkey is also constructing the Istanbul Metro M10 line.
These ongoing projects demonstrate the global recognition of the importance of efficient airport rail connections, providing convenient and seamless travel experiences for passengers worldwide.
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Frequently asked questions
Lambert Airport in St. Louis offers rail transportation to various points in the city from Terminal 1 or 2 via the MetroLink.
Newark Liberty International Airport Station, also known as Newark Airport Rail Station, is located on the Northeast Corridor and provides easy access to wider New Jersey and direct access to Newark Penn Station.
Fort Lauderdale Airport Station has a complementary shuttle that travels between the airport and the rail station every 15 to 20 minutes.
Yes, there are several international airports with train stations inside their terminals, including:
- Changi Airport in Singapore
- Vancouver International Airport in Canada
- Heathrow Airport in London
- Paris Orly Airport in France
