USA: Bombardier Transportation has signed a contract with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ) to provide operations and maintenance (O&M) services for a further 10 years of AirTrain and a capital asset upgrade programme to ensure the system continues to perform optimally. The contract is valued at approximately $243 million US (197 million euro) and will start on August 3, 2012.

The AirTrain system at Newark Liberty International Airport first opened in 1996 - the world's first fully automated monorail system at an international airport. A fleet of 12 six-car BOMBARDIER INNOVIA Monorail 100 trains originally served three airport terminals, three stations at remote parking lots and a rental car centre via a 3 km dedicated, dual-lane elevated guideway. Since then, the system has been extended to the North East Corridor (NEC) rail line, increasing its length to 4.7 km, and the fleet expanded to 18 six-car trains.

With more than 100 operations and maintenance specialists on site, Bombardier has provided O&M services on the system since it opened. More than 33 million passengers travelled through the airport last year. To accommodate the high passenger volumes, the system operates 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Bombardier is now addressing the challenge of improving the performance and extending the life of the system beyond 2020. The asset upgrade works will involve the overhaul of key sub-systems including the vehicles, track work, communications, power distribution systems and the maintenance recovery vehicle.

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