northeaster Back in the early 90's, my wife and I were on a trip to Florence, Italy on Alitlia Airlines, but the flight did not go to Florence, it landed in Rome and when we got off the plane we were directed to another part of the large concourse where an Italia train was parked at a high level platform for the remaining trip segment. On board the train were Alitalia stewardesses: very seamless travel.
Back in the early 90's, my wife and I were on a trip to Florence, Italy on Alitlia Airlines, but the flight did not go to Florence, it landed in Rome and when we got off the plane we were directed to another part of the large concourse where an Italia train was parked at a high level platform for the remaining trip segment. On board the train were Alitalia stewardesses: very seamless travel.
How about save all the time, tax money, and effort?
Passengers can get off the plane and walk to the airport entrance, call Uber, and take a ride directly from the airport to their home, hotel, or train station.
York1 John
Train has to do two very disparate things to be built out at all: get passengers QUICKLY from well-chosen satellites to terminal last-mile, AND transport airport workers from satellite locations or remote car-pool sites to their entrances.
Assume passengers may have luggage. Perhaps lots and lots of luggage.
The train should make the trip faster than an express bus. If it can't, run the service with express buses -- custom-built for the service.
The train will NOT come into the aircraft security zone. The passengers will transfer to shuttles (again, custom-built) that will go to the terminals by road, in preferred or counterflow lanes if need be. The employees will have their own shuttles, traversing a very different but just as quick and appropriate route. No billion-dollar boondoggle monorail or track inserted into terminal architecture that didn't call for it... and sensible rescheduling of any existing terminal rail system for Toonerville meeting of all the trains.
Frankly I think that one of the potential 'draws' for an airport system is to use the same carrot many commuter systems do: free or reduced-rate secure parking, far away from the terminal sprawl.
Gramp Is that what Brightline is doing at the Orlando airport?
Is that what Brightline is doing at the Orlando airport?
While I have to admit, getting to the point of U.S. Transportation planners and Amtrak finally recognizing the convienence and utility of intermodal stations that combine rail with bus, light rail, etc. It took how many decades before this happened in the United States after the Europeans started to build intermodally?
Anyways, I really think the next step is to finally bite the bullet on capital costs and integrate our airport rail stations more with the airport terminals. There are several options here that would boost ridership or make the decision to use rail as an alternative from the airport terminal more palitable for most passengers.
1. Bring the railroad onto airport property and just make the rail station an adjunct of an existing airport terminal or add a new rail terminal.
2. Integrate the rail terminal into an all weather transit system where the passengers are exchanged from climate controlled terminal to climate controlled terminal without having to step outside and wait to catch a bus.
For both of the above Design the rail terminal to match the airport terminals in appearance and presentation of arrivals and departures so that tranferring passengers do not get a stepping into a new world type experience.
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