AirTrain (San Francisco International Airport)


AirTrain is a fully automated people mover at San Francisco International Airport that opened on February 24, 2003. It operates 24 hours a day on two separate lines, covering a total of. The service is free of charge, funded by a $20 "airport fee" charged by rental car companies.

Lines and stations

AirTrain operates on two lines—Red Line and Blue Line—both of which run every minutes. The Red Line travels in a clockwise loop, beginning with Garage G station and ending with Garage A station, which takes about 9 minutes to complete. The Blue Line travels in a counterclockwise loop, serving the same stations in reverse order, and also proceeding to West Field Road and the Rental Car Center, which takes 19 minutes for a round trip.
AirTrain does not provide access to SFO's long-term parking garage and lots; instead, passengers must take a free airport shuttle bus between the airport terminals and the long-term parking areas. The end of the track past the Rental Car Center station is only about away from the airport's long-term parking garage; an extension to the garage is expected to be in service in 2020.
A $15 million infill station was constructed to serve the Grand Hyatt at SFO, a new airport hotel. The hotel opened on October 7, 2019.
StationLinesNotes
Grand Hyatt at SFO Red Line
Blue Line
  • Airport hotel
Garage A Red Line Blue Line
  • International parking
International Terminal A Red Line Blue Line
Terminal 1 Red Line Blue Line
  • Domestic parking
  • Boarding Area B
Terminal 2 Red Line Blue Line
  • Domestic parking
  • Boarding Area C
  • Boarding Area D
Terminal 3 Red Line Blue Line
  • Domestic parking
  • Boarding Area E
  • Boarding Area F
International Terminal G Red Line Blue Line
  • International check-in for A and G gates
  • Boarding Area G
Garage G / BART Red Line Blue Line
West Field Road Blue Line
  • West cargo area facilities
  • U.S. Post Office
    • Rental Car Center Blue Line
  • Access to most car rental companies
  • Transfer to shuttle to additional off-airport rental companies
  • Kiss & Fly
    • The AirTrain stations at the International Terminal are located one level above ticketing, at both ends of the main hall. Stations at Terminals 1, 2, and 3 are located on level 5 of the domestic parking garage and can be accessed from mezzanine level bridges located near security checkpoints B, D, and F.

    Technical details

    The AirTrain system was built by Bombardier Transportation at a cost of US $430 million and is composed of 38 Innovia APM 100 cars coupled in trains of up to three cars. The APM 100 cars can also be found at airports in Tampa, Denver, Atlanta, Seattle-Tacoma, Houston, and Madrid. They are operated automatically under Bombardier's Cityflo 650 CBTC signalling technology, making it one of the first radio-based train control systems to enter service.
    The entire AirTrain fleet is accessible and allows rented baggage carts on board.

    Future expansion and upgrades

    A Lot DD station that is under construction will serve a long-term parking garage and rental car center and would operate on the Blue Line only. The extension is expected to open in 2023-24.
    Additionally, the Airport Development Plan from 2016 forecasts that ridership on the two lines will be over capacity in the future and recommends upgrades that would increase capacity. Specific upgrades include acquiring 30 additional AirTrain cars, upgrading existing stations to accommodate 4-car trains, and upgrading the maintenance facility to accommodate additional vehicles.