Four Teams Shortlisted for $2B Newark Airport AirTrain Replacement

The existing Newark Airtrain running on its track. Photo: Florian Pépellin via Wikimedia Commons.

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey has shortlisted four teams to design, build, operate and maintain a new AirTrain system at Newark Liberty International Airport. Envisioned as a replacement for the airport’s increasingly troublesome 25-year-old monorail, the estimated $2-billion new 2.5-mile elevated guideway system will link terminals, including the 1-million-square-sq-ft flagship Terminal One, set to open next year, parking areas, the airport Rail Link station and a new consolidated rental car facility currently under construction.

According to Tutor-Perini CEO Ron Tutor in announcing the company's first quarter results on May 5, LaGuardia Airport's estimated $2-billion AirTrain project linking it to Manhattan is set to bid in the fourth quarter this year, with contract award early in 2022. The project still awaits a final Record of Decision from the Federal Aviation Authority and faces local opposition.

Companies that make the final selection round.
Graphic: Scott Hilling for ENR

The shortlisted teams include:

Liberty AirTrain Partners
Skanska USA Civil Northeast, Inc.; SNC-Lavalin Project Services, Inc.; COWI North America, Inc.; and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries America, Inc.

Liberty Integrated Connectors
Dragados USA, Inc.; Halmar International LLC; Schiavone Construction Co. LLC; HDR Engineering, Inc.; and BYD Transit Solutions LLC

Liberty Mobility Express
Kiewit Infrastructure Co.; Tully Construction Co., Inc.; AECOM USA, Inc.; and Alstom Bombardier Transportation (Holdings) USA Inc.

Tutor Perini/Parsons JV
Tutor-Perini Corp.; Parsons Construction Group, Inc.; and Doppelmayr Cable Car America, Inc.

While the Port Authority has not set dates for the remainder of the selection process, plans call for the Newark AirTrain to break ground in mid-2022, and begin serving passengers in 2026.

In addition to the guideway and stations, the project also includes construction of a 55,900-sq-ft maintenance and control facility, a 13,000-sq-ft expansion of the Rail Link station, pedestrian connectors and demolition of the existing monorail.

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