The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey voted to replace the aging monorail used to shuttle passengers from terminal to terminal at Newark Airport.
The monorail is now 27 years old. What might have looked sleek in 1995 is now older and prone to breakdowns. It will be replaced by a cable car system.
The Port Authority last week approved two contracts worth $950 million toward the project.
“It is drawn by a cable from a wheelhouse, but it is very reliable as a result, through all sorts of weather because it doesn’t have to get any kind of traction from self-propelled wheels,” said Jim Heitmann, Port Authority chief operating officer.
The cable cars will not be single trolleys in the style similar to the streets of San Francisco. Instead, the cable cars will be five cars similar to the ones used at airports in Mexico City and Las Vegas.
Construction on the new cable car system will not begin until 2025, however. Officials said it is not expected to be completed until 2029.
The project was introduced by then Governor Phil Murphy.
“By advancing the replacement of AirTrain Newark, we further build upon Newark Liberty’s transformation into the modern, world-class airport our region deserves,” Murphy said in a statement.
But the project has been delayed for almost a decade by COVID and what the Port Authority felt was inflated cost estimates. The current monorail was built for $354 million in 1996.
“A tremendous amount of work has been going on for a long time,” said Kevin O’Toole, Port Authority board chairman. “It’s a huge deal for the airport and the AirTrain project.”
source: travelpulse.com