New AeroTrain Makes Dulles International Airport Debut Today

Okay, so it's perhaps not transit in the purest sense, but today the Associated Press reports (via the Washington Examiner) that after nearly eight years of digging and more than a decade of planning, that the Washington Dulles International Airport unveiled a $1.5 billion train system designed to help travelers reach their gates more quickly.

"The new underground train system, called AeroTrain, made its debut early Tuesday morning and replaces the airport's unique, bulky 'mobile lounges' that have shuttled passengers from the terminal to the gates since the airport opened in 1962. While the use of the mobile lounges will be curtailed, they will remain in use for international arrivals and at the airport's "D" gates for the foreseeable future.

"The new train system is designed in anticipation of expanding traffic at Dulles, a United hub and the largest of the three airports that serve the greater Washington region."

WTOP Radio reports that "the ride on the mobile lounges can take up to 15 minutes in some instances to get from gate to gate. During peak hours, the underground AeroTrain will run every two minutes. Travel time in between stations is about a minute. Each car on the three car trains can also hold about 50 people with carry-on bags."

WTOP even has some video footage of the new train.



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