Bih-Yuan Ku
Senior Editor
Bih-Yuan Ku,
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti joined city, federal, and airport officials to debut a critical component of the future of Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) with the unveiling of the first automated people mover (APM) train car on 2 August 2022. LAX will be the first U.S. airport to feature the INNOVIA 300 APM vehicles, which showcase the latest technology to help revolutionize how travelers get to and from the fifth-busiest airport in the world.
The centerpiece of LAX’s Landside Access Modernization Program, the APM is a 2.25-mi electric train system that will transport travelers in and out of the Central Terminal Area (CTA). Figure 1 shows a map of the entire APM system. The APM will feature six stations: three inside the CTA, which connect to the terminals via elevated pedestrian walkways, and three stations outside the CTA, which will connect to new offsite parking facilities, including LAX economy parking, regional light rail transportation, and a consolidated rent-a-car facility. Figure 2 shows the construction of the APM guideway rails and barriers that has begun over the Century Boulevard span. The APM project is a critical investment into the infrastructure of Los Angeles as the city prepares to welcome the world to the 2026 World Cup and 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Figure 1 A map of the entire LAX APM system. (Source: LAX; used with permission.)
Figure 2 The APM guideway rails and barriers over the Century Boulevard span. (Source: LAX; used with permission.)
The first train car arrived at the maintenance and storage facility site in June after a cross-country journey from the Alstom factory in Pittsburgh, PA, where the APM vehicles are fabricated and assembled. In total, 44 train cars will make the journey to LAX in addition to the APM maintenance and service vehicle, which arrived earlier this year. So far, three train cars had already arrived at the maintenance and storage facility site, with the fourth arriving later that week. Figure 3 shows a washing station at the maintenance and storage facility.
Figure 3 An APM washing station at the maintenance and storage facility. (Source: LAX; used with permission.)
The California High-Speed Rail Authority was notified that it has been awarded US${\$}$25 million in federal grant funding to advance the project beyond the 119 mi under construction into downtown Merced. This grant was awarded through the Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity discretionary grant program, and US$25 million is the maximum grant award. Figure 4 shows the construction of the Avenue 15 1/2-grade separation over the BNSF rail line in Madera County.
Figure 4 The Avenue 15 1/2-grade separation over the BNSF rail line in Madera County. (Source: California High-Speed Rail Authority; used with permission.)
This is the second grant the high-speed rail program has received under the Biden administration since November 2021. Last fall, California’s high-speed rail project was awarded US$24 million for crucial safety, efficiency, and construction projects in and around the City of Wasco and State Route 46. Construction in the region will build safe, multimodal connectivity projects around Wasco to prepare for future high-speed rail service.
The California High-Speed Rail Authority is also pursuing US$1.3 billion in federal grant funding to double-track the 119 mi currently under construction and purchase new, clean electric train sets capable of speeds in excess of 200 mi/h. The funding requested by the Authority will help accelerate construction for electrified high-speed service between Merced and Bakersfield by the end of the decade.
Transport for London announced the next stage of the transformational Elizabeth line on 23 August, with trains running directly from Reading and Heathrow to Abbey Wood and from Shenfield to Paddington set to begin this November, as shown in Figure 5. The brand-new Bond Street Elizabeth line station, at the heart of London’s West End, is also set to open by November, giving another boost to London’s recovery from the pandemic.
Figure 5 The Elizabeth line map from November 2022. (Source: Transport for London; used with permission.)
The integration of Elizabeth line services will bring a huge range of extra benefits, including reduced journey times, additional capacity, greater accessibility, and better connectivity to jobs, opportunities, and leisure for communities across London and the South East. People landing at Heathrow Airport will now be able to travel straight through central London to areas such as Farringdon and Canary Wharf in as few as 36 and 45 min, respectively, on the weekend and 40 and 51 min, respectively, during the week. Figure 6 shows an Elizabeth line train heading to Heathrow.
Figure 6 An Elizabeth line train heading to Heathrow. (Source: Transport for London; used with permission.)
Customers will be able to use the Elizabeth line seven days a week, as Sunday services through central London will also get underway for the first time on Sunday, 6 November. The frequency of services in the central section between Paddington and Whitechapel will increase from 12 trains/h to up to 22 trains/h in peak times and 16 trains/h during off-peak hours. The final timetable, which will see 24 trains/h during the peak between Paddington and Whitechapel, is on track to be in place by May 2023.
The Western Australia Government announced the opening date for the Forrestfield–Airport Link to be 10 October 2022. The METRONET Forrestfield–Airport Link, to be known as the Airport Line when it opens, was jointly funded by the Australian and Western Australian Governments and is the first passenger rail line to Perth Airport. The project has three new train stations at Redcliffe, Airport Central, and High Wycombe, increasing public transport options for Perth’s eastern suburbs and foothills area. Figure 7 shows the Airport Line route in yellow from Bayswater Junction to the three new stations.
Figure 7 The route map of the Perth Airport Line. (Source: Western Australia Government Public Transport Authority; used with permission.)
The operation of this rail line aims to support domestic and international tourism by improving access between the city and Perth Airport and to create new residential and commercial opportunities around Redcliffe and High Wycombe Stations. It is also anticipated that an average of 20,000 passenger trips will be made each day on the new rail line in its first year of service, increasing to 29,000 by 2032. The Airport Line will be supported by an enhanced bus network connecting surrounding suburbs to the new train stations, adding an additional 26 new buses to the network as well as 1.7 million annual bus service kilometers to the Transperth network.
Of special interest to IEEE Vehicular Technology Society members in the overhead contact system business are the snapshots from a video taken behind the pantograph. Figure 8 shows the snapshot taken at the Airport Central Station showing the conductor rail, while Figure 9 shows the transition from the conductor rail to a traditional catenary near High Wycombe Station. The video and other photos are available to the public on the Forrestfield–Airport Link Facebook page at https://zh-tw.facebook.com/forrestfieldairportlink.
Figure 8 A pantograph snapshot taken near Airport Central Station. (Source: Western Australia Government Public Transport Authority; used with permission.)
Figure 9 A pantograph snapshot taken near High Wycombe Station. (Source: Western Australia Government Public Transport Authority; used with permission.)
Digital Object Identifier 10.1109/MVT.2022.3203525