The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ) awarded a joint venture of Tutor Perini and O&G Industries a USD 1.18 billion design-build contract for the construction of a new modern AirTrain Newark system.
The contract covers the construction of a new 4 km elevated rail structure and three new stations to replace the existing on-airport mass transit system. PANYNJ has now completed 80% of the procurement process needed to deliver a new modern, reliable automated people mover train system with this latest contract award in the agency’s multi-phase procurement process to replace the current outmoded AirTrain system at Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR), in New Jersey.
The joint venture will be the lead contractor for the project and will work with joint and several liabilities.
The PANYNJ agency recently announced details of its EWR Vision Plan, aimed at accommodating increasing demand and evolving changes in the air travel industry, as well as enhancing the overall passenger experience. Under the agency’s guidance and in line with the world-class standards set by the new award-winning Terminal A, the entire Newark Liberty will be reimagined with modern terminals and infrastructure, a more intuitive roadway network, and a redesigned taxi network to accommodate more aircraft and reduce delays.
The contract “marks the next chapter in the effort to completely transform Newark Liberty International Airport into a world-class gateway worthy of our region. As we work on a modern new airport in Newark that will include new or expanded airport facilities, a reliable on-airport mass transit system will ensure that passengers and airport workers can get to where they need to go on a new state-of-the-art AirTrain system,” the Chairman of the Port Authority, Kevin O’Toole, said.
The agency is delivering the new AirTrain Newark system through a multi-phase procurement process, separated into procurement phases for the building, manufacturing, delivery and installation of the system technology; early works; guideway and stations; a maintenance and control facility for the system equipment; pedestrian connections between new stations and existing airport facilities; and for the demolition of the existing AirTrain.
In December 2023 after a rigorous review process, the Port Authority selected Doppelmayr for the design, construction, operation and maintenance of the automated people mover system and its vehicles. In summer 2024, engineering firm Stantec was selected to design the new maintenance and control facility and the pedestrian connectors, and to decommission the existing AirTrain.
Of the remaining procurement phases that have yet to be completed, the agency expects to award smaller packages related to the construction of the new AirTrain’s maintenance and control facility and the pedestrian connectors, and to decommission the current system. Construction is expected to begin on the new AirTrain Newark system in 2025, with passenger service expected in 2030.
The existing AirTrain Newark system opened for service in 1996 and has become outdated and unable to accommodate growing air travel demand at the airport, where the Port Authority opened a new and much larger Terminal A in 2023 to replace the previous 50-year-old terminal.
The AirTrain Newark serves as the primary travel option for millions of Newark Liberty passengers to transfer between three airport terminals, parking and rental car facilities, and regional rail transit via the Newark Airport Rail Link station, which connects to NJ Transit and Amtrak rail service on the Northeast Corridor line. Before the Covid-19 pandemic, the AirTrain carried an average of 33,000 passengers per day, or approximately 12 million passengers per year. Year to date, AirTrain Newark served nearly 5.5 million passengers in 2024, with the vast majority using the system on-airport to transfer among airport facilities.
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