PHX Sky Train Positioned for Success

摘要

After several years of planning and design work related to a landside APM system, the City of Phoenix officially began construction of the Sky Harbor International Airport PHX Sky Train project facilities in April 2009 and awarded the train system supplier contract in June 2009. The first stage of the PHX Sky Train system will replace the existing bus connection between the Metro Light Rail station at 44th Street and Washington, the East Economy Parking structure and Terminal 4. Future stages will connect to existing and planned terminals to the west, a planned ground transportation center and the new Rental Car Center. Under an accelerated schedule, the first stage of the PHX Sky Train is scheduled to begin carrying passengers by the spring of 2013. Central to the planning process for PHX Sky Train was the City's goal to provide a state of the art transportation system that would link all of the airport facilities to regional transit to help reduce traffic congestion within the terminal core. The PHX Sky Train project is timely in accomplishing this goal given that the first segment of the METRO light rail system that links downtown Phoenix, the airport and Tempe began operation in December 2008. Upon completion of the entire system, the PHX Sky Train system length will be about 8 km (5 miles) with up to seven stations. The system will serve a total daily ridership of 96,000 passengers and a total annual ridership of 35 million passengers and will operate 24 hours a day with peak headways of less than three minutes. This paper focuses on the unique challenges and opportunities related to the PHX Sky Train system planning and procurement activities, as well as provides an overview of the progress of the system implementation and construction activities.