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MANAGING AIRPORTS TODAY June/July 2015 airportbusiness 33 capable of carrying 20 to 100 passengers who are mostly standing. Traveling on guideways with an exclusive right-of-way, they are distinct from traditional heavy- and light-rail public transporta- tion in that they operate without drivers or station attendants. Typically, people movers are able to use a narrower right-of-way and smaller vehicles than traditional rail transportation services. BENEFITS OF APMS Light rail transportation alternatives, including landside people movers and intermodal transit centers, can reduce traffic congestion in the immediate airport vicinity as well as alleviate passenger congestion within the facility. Mixed- mode transit expedites passenger flows at busy airport facilities and can minimize traffic bottle- necks in and around passenger terminals. Automated people movers can solve the prob- lems of increasing transit deficits, traffic conges- tion and associated air pollution, and significantly improve the airport passenger experience. With easier boarding and capacity flexibility, global airports are embracing this transport technology. Terminal buildings are often spread out in today's airport environments, thus APMs can enable greater numbers of passengers to move more quickly over longer distances, when walk- ing or buses are not feasible. This helps passen- gers arrive at their aircraft gates faster and with less stress, especially those traveling at large airline hub operations. APM systems are now being designed to connect airport terminals with landside facili- ties such as parking, car rental services, regional transportation services, hotels and other related employment and activity centers. San Francisco International Airport's inter- modal solution is a classic example of seamless connectivity between the airport and the local metropolitan area. The airport's automated peo- ple mover—AirTrain—links directly with the Bay Area Rapid Transit System (BART), which is a heavy rail line that serves many municipalities in the San Francisco Bay Area. Passengers can travel more conveniently between their homes and the airport, leaving their cars at home. The HNTB-designed BART to San Francisco International Airport Extension and Stations project was a $500 million six-mile extension of underground subway, one mile of at-grade trackway and one mile of aerial bridge structure. The extension provides a direct train-to-plane connection that has become the No. 1 choice of air travelers taking public transportation to San Francisco International Airport. PLANNING AND INTEGRATION The planning process for an automated people mover project involves a carefully documented program, which begins with identifying airport needs and concludes with a complete project scope for optimal design, construction and implementation. It is important to note that the people mover design is a subsystem of the whole airport system. Thus it is essential to conduct all planning in close coordination with the airport's overall planning process since the APM will con- nect with and affect other major airport facilities. Implementing an advanced transit system requires significant advance planning, including environmental impact studies, passenger traffic and surface transportation congestion analysis, construction feasibility, impacts to other airport facilities, required permits and approvals, and SAN FRANCISCO'S BART STATION HNTB served as the principal designer for the Bay Area Rapid Transit's (BART) eight-mile San Francisco Airport Extension Line, Track and Systems. This project was a Federal Transit Administration-sponsored Turnkey Demonstration Design-Build Project and BART's first design-build project. The San Bruno Station and South San Francisco Station are part of the eight-mile BART exten- sion for which the project scope included architectural and structural finishes, a parking structure, on-site civil design and off-site roadway improvements. As both engineer of record and prime consultant, HNTB's work included line, trackwork and systems, the parking structures at both the San Bruno Station and the South San Francisco Station. The design includ- ed over six miles of under- ground subway, more than one mile of at-grade track- way, and over one mile of aerial bridge structures, connecting BART to the airport. Additionally, the work required structural and civil design elements, trackwork design, systems design, grading and utilities design, ventilation structures, traction power substations and train control facilities. In addition to architectural and structural finishes, underground platforms, and bus transit connections for both stations, the design involved a five-level, 1,000-space parking structure at San Bruno and a three-level, 1,200 space parking structure at South San Francisco. A combined city of San Bruno and BART Joint Police Station was also completed. The American Society of Civil Engineers awarded its prestigious 2004 Outstanding Civil Engineering Transportation Project in the State of California to the Bay Area Rapid Transit District and HNTB Corporation for the BART extension to San Francisco International Airport. Today, BART serves 91 million passengers annually and the BART/SFO extension continues to provide the greater San Francisco Bay Area with an efficient connection to the global transit network, and serves as a link to the rest of the world. The Bart to San Francisco International Airport project is a $500 million six-mile extension of underground subway, one mile of at-grade trackway and one mile of aerial bridge structure.