The Plane Train’s Plain Name

How Atlanta's Hartfield-Jackson International Airport Train Got Named

If you have flown through Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport since 1980, chances are you gotten to take a ride on the Plane Train.

The Plane Train did not get its name until 2010, a full 30 years after the Automated People Mover (APM) began transporting people at the airport.

The airport held a contest on social media and received over 600 entries. The Plane Train was the most submitted name, but Don Auensen of Marietta, GA won $100 gift card since he submitted the suggestion first.[i]

The Plane Train currently transports about 250,000 people every day between terminals at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport. With heavier traffic during the holidays, they move 104 million people per year.[ii]  The APM is run by Bombardier Transportation (now Alstrom) 24 hours a day and travels 4 kilometers each way between the terminals. Come by the museum to get an up-close view of a Plane Train car – it’s much cheaper than buying an airline ticket!

The Airline Geeks created an amazing behind-the-scenes look at the Plane Train operations.

——————————————————————————————————–

[i] https://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/stories/2010/08/09/daily21.html

[ii] https://rail.bombardier.com/en/about-us/worldwide-presence/united-states/en.html/bombardier/news/stories/_2019/keeping-the-us-s-busiest-airports-in-motion/en

Be the first to comment

Leave a Reply