Denver International Airport Automated Guideway Transit System
Encyclopedia
The Denver International Airport Automated Guideway Transit System is a people mover
system operating at Denver International Airport
in Denver, Colorado
. The system opened along with the airport itself in 1995, and was conceived as a means to connect all of the midfield concourses with the south terminal and quickly transport passengers between them because of the longer distances between each building, especially when compared to Stapleton International Airport
, Denver's former airport.
Six more vehicles were added to the system by 1995, and an additional five were added in 2001. Today, the fleet consists of 31 Bombardier Innovia APM 100 vehicles, which have a maximum capacity of 100 passengers. Trains generally run at 1.5 minute intervals during peak times resulting in an 11 minute travel time from end to end.
Located within the secure areas of the airport, the AGTS utilizes two mile-long tunnels traveling underneath the aircraft taxiways. Four stations exist, serving each airside concourse (Concourses A, B, and C) and the Terminal (which serves Ground Transportation and Baggage Claim). While it is possible to walk from the main terminal to Concourse A via a pedestrian bridge over the taxiway, the train is the only way for the public to access Concourses B and C.
Each station features an island platform
configuration, and is equipped with platform screen doors
. The Terminal station, the southernmost station, also features additional outboard platforms at each track. In accordance with the Spanish solution
, when a train arrives at the Terminal, the outboard doors open first to allow arriving passengers to exit. The inboard doors then open, allowing departing passengers to board. Currently, all trains use the west platform in the Terminal station, and the east platform is not used for passenger service, and is only occasionally used to store non-operating trains. At the Terminal station, trains reverse direction, and use a switch at a crossover located just north of the station to switch into the northbound tunnel.
The system also includes a maintenance facility, which is located just beyond the Concourse C station.
Since Denver International Airport
was designed based upon the layout of Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport
, the AGTS's layout is nearly identical to the layout of The Plane Train.
The AGTS features an audio system which deliver station information, as well as arrival and departure information to passengers on the trains and platforms. The audio utilizes pre-recorded messages that are delivered by well known voice talent from the Denver area, and are each preceded by a variety of short musical sound effects. The voices and sound effects were recorded by Denver sound artist Jim Green, and they make up one of the airport's public art installations known as "Train Call." Jim Green is also known for recording the audio for the singing sinks in the restrooms at the Denver Art Museum
and the "Laughing Escalators" at the Denver Convention Center.
The recordings currently feature the voices of former Coors Field
announcer Alan Roach
, and local KUSA-TV
anchor Adele Arakawa
. Denver Mayor Michael Hancock
delivers a "Welcome to Denver" greeting that plays prior to arriving at the Terminal and Baggage Claim station. His welcome includes portions in both Spanish and English. The current sound effects feature a contemporary music theme, and include sounds from pianos, synthesizers, and electric guitars. The current audio debuted in June of 2007.
With two separate voices, the stations are configured so that one voice delivers information for trains on one side of the platform, while the other voice delivers information for the other side. The trains are configured so that the voice alternates between each of the train's four cars, so that one voice is installed on the first and third cars, while the other voice is installed on the second and fourth cars. Mayor Vidal's voice delivers the "Welcome to Denver" greeting regardless of which voice is installed on the individual car. Each of the announcements is preceded by its own individual sound effect. There are even separate sound effects for the same message, depending on which voice delivers it. The exception to this is the message that announces that the doors are closing, which always has the same sound effect since it is a warning message.
Originally, the audio featured the voices of local radio broadcaster Pete Smythe and former KCNC-TV
anchor Reynelda Muse, who was also the first African-American woman to anchor a local news program in Denver. The original sound effects featured a more whimsical circus-like theme, and some of them were based on western folk songs, such as "She'll Be Coming 'Round the Mountain
" and "Home on the Range
." The original audio had been used on the system since the airport's opening in 1995 and remained unchanged for 12 years, primarily due to the status of being a public art installation. The original audio was ultimately replaced due to various changes made at the airport since its opening. The most noticeable change made to the messages themselves was the reference to the concourse stations. The original audio announced "Please hold on. This train is approaching Concourse A," where it now says "Hold on please. We are approaching the station for all 'A' Gates." Station signage was also changed to reflect this. This change was made since some people found the term "concourse" confusing. Some information regarding Baggage Claim monitors in the Terminal station also caused confusion and needed to be removed from the messages, since the monitors themselves were removed from the station years prior. The "Welcome to Denver" greeting as added to the audio along with the current audio in 2007. Although, it originally featured the voice of then-Mayor John Hickenlooper
. In January of 2011, the recording was updated to include current Mayor Bill Vidal
, who replaced Hickenlooper after he was elected Governor of Colorado
. Vidal's version of the spiel is identical to the original, except that he also says the Spanish translation of the phrase, "Bienvenidos a Denver," before giving the information about how to get to baggage claim and ground tranportation (which does not get repeated in Spanish). After Michael Hancock
was inaugurated as Denver's Mayor his voice replaced Vidal's. Hancock's greeting is "Welcome to Denver, the Mile High City."
was dedicated to artwork. The artwork interacts with the passing trains and can be viewed through the train's windows as they travel through the tunnels.
, Mount Elbert
, which is 14,440 feet tall. Contrary to common belief, the propellers do not generate any electricity for the trains or any part of the airport, and are strictly decorative.
, DIA's largest airline (who operates out of Concourse B), reported that about 30 percent of their flights and about 5,000 passengers were affected by the failure. The day of the failure is now referred to as "Black Sunday" by airport personnel.
novel Bad Luck and Trouble
. The novel's antagonist, who flies into DIA, enjoys the musical sound effects that precede the announcements as he travels from his arrival gate to the terminal on the train. The novel states that the antagonist was "smiling all the same at the crazy bursts of jug-band music that preceded the station announcements." The novel references the original sound effects which accompanied the original Pete Smythe and Reynelda Muse announcements.
People mover
A people mover or automated people mover is a fully automated, grade-separated mass transit system.The term is generally used only to describe systems serving relatively small areas such as airports, downtown districts or theme parks, but is sometimes applied to considerably more complex automated...
system operating at Denver International Airport
Denver International Airport
Denver International Airport , often referred to as DIA, is an airport in Denver, Colorado. By land size, at , it is the largest international airport in the United States, and the third largest international airport in the world after King Fahd International Airport and Montréal-Mirabel...
in Denver, Colorado
Denver, Colorado
The City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
. The system opened along with the airport itself in 1995, and was conceived as a means to connect all of the midfield concourses with the south terminal and quickly transport passengers between them because of the longer distances between each building, especially when compared to Stapleton International Airport
Stapleton International Airport
Stapleton International Airport was Denver, Colorado's primary airport from 1929 to 1995. At different times it served as a hub for TWA, People Express, Frontier Airlines and Western Airlines as well as a hub for Continental Airlines and United Airlines at the time of its closure.In 1995 Stapleton...
, Denver's former airport.
History
The AGTS project was announced publicly in October 1992 at a cost of $84 million. The initial system consisted of 16 cars that were paired together in groups of four to traverse the length of the tunnel. The cars themselves ride on rubber wheels and roll along a concrete track. Additionally, crossover tracks exist between each station, so traffic can be routed around stalled or disabled trains if necessary.Six more vehicles were added to the system by 1995, and an additional five were added in 2001. Today, the fleet consists of 31 Bombardier Innovia APM 100 vehicles, which have a maximum capacity of 100 passengers. Trains generally run at 1.5 minute intervals during peak times resulting in an 11 minute travel time from end to end.
Layout and Operation
Each station features an island platform
Island platform
An island platform is a station layout arrangement where a single platform is positioned between two tracks within a railway station, tram stop or transitway interchange...
configuration, and is equipped with platform screen doors
Platform screen doors
Platform screen doors and platform edge doors at train or subway stations screen the platform from the train. They are a relatively new addition to many metro systems around the world, with some platform doors retrofitted rather than installed with the metro system itself. They are widely used in...
. The Terminal station, the southernmost station, also features additional outboard platforms at each track. In accordance with the Spanish solution
Spanish solution
The Spanish solution is a method of using two railway platforms, one on each side of the track, in order to speed up boarding and alighting from trains. Alighting passengers get off the train on one side and boarding passengers get on from the other...
, when a train arrives at the Terminal, the outboard doors open first to allow arriving passengers to exit. The inboard doors then open, allowing departing passengers to board. Currently, all trains use the west platform in the Terminal station, and the east platform is not used for passenger service, and is only occasionally used to store non-operating trains. At the Terminal station, trains reverse direction, and use a switch at a crossover located just north of the station to switch into the northbound tunnel.
The system also includes a maintenance facility, which is located just beyond the Concourse C station.
Since Denver International Airport
Denver International Airport
Denver International Airport , often referred to as DIA, is an airport in Denver, Colorado. By land size, at , it is the largest international airport in the United States, and the third largest international airport in the world after King Fahd International Airport and Montréal-Mirabel...
was designed based upon the layout of Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport
Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport , known locally as Atlanta Airport, Hartsfield Airport, and Hartsfield–Jackson, is located seven miles south of the central business district of Atlanta, Georgia, United States...
, the AGTS's layout is nearly identical to the layout of The Plane Train.
Audio
Denver Art Museum
The Denver Art Museum is an art museum in Denver, Colorado located in Denver's Civic Center.It is known for its collection of American Indian art,and has a comprehensive collection numbering more than 68,000 works from across the world....
and the "Laughing Escalators" at the Denver Convention Center.
The recordings currently feature the voices of former Coors Field
Coors Field
Coors Field, located in Denver, Colorado, is the home field of Major League Baseball's Colorado Rockies. It is named for the Coors Brewing Company of Golden, Colorado, which purchased the naming rights to the park prior to its completion in 1995...
announcer Alan Roach
Alan Roach
Alan Roach is an American sports announcer and radio personality. He currently broadcasts as a sports commentator on KOA in Denver, Colorado.Roach has been a sports announcer since 1990. While working for a radio station in Colorado Springs, he told a Sky Sox official that if they ever needed a...
, and local KUSA-TV
KUSA-TV
KUSA, channel 9, is an NBC-affiliated television station in Denver, Colorado. KUSA is owned by the Gannett Company, and is a sister station to MyNetworkTV affiliate KTVD...
anchor Adele Arakawa
Adele Arakawa
Adele Arakawa is an American evening news anchor for NBC affiliate station KUSA-TV of Denver, Colorado. She was the first female radio disc jockey in Knoxville, Tennessee...
. Denver Mayor Michael Hancock
Michael Hancock
Michael Hancock or Mike Hancock may refer to:* Mike Hancock , mayor of the city of Brantford, Ontario* Mike Hancock , American football player...
delivers a "Welcome to Denver" greeting that plays prior to arriving at the Terminal and Baggage Claim station. His welcome includes portions in both Spanish and English. The current sound effects feature a contemporary music theme, and include sounds from pianos, synthesizers, and electric guitars. The current audio debuted in June of 2007.
With two separate voices, the stations are configured so that one voice delivers information for trains on one side of the platform, while the other voice delivers information for the other side. The trains are configured so that the voice alternates between each of the train's four cars, so that one voice is installed on the first and third cars, while the other voice is installed on the second and fourth cars. Mayor Vidal's voice delivers the "Welcome to Denver" greeting regardless of which voice is installed on the individual car. Each of the announcements is preceded by its own individual sound effect. There are even separate sound effects for the same message, depending on which voice delivers it. The exception to this is the message that announces that the doors are closing, which always has the same sound effect since it is a warning message.
Originally, the audio featured the voices of local radio broadcaster Pete Smythe and former KCNC-TV
KCNC-TV
KCNC-TV, virtual channel 4, is a CBS owned-and-operated station television station in Denver, Colorado, owned by CBS Television Stations, Inc. KCNC broadcasts on UHF channel 35 from Lookout Mountain near Golden, Colorado.- Digital programming :...
anchor Reynelda Muse, who was also the first African-American woman to anchor a local news program in Denver. The original sound effects featured a more whimsical circus-like theme, and some of them were based on western folk songs, such as "She'll Be Coming 'Round the Mountain
She'll Be Coming 'Round the Mountain
"She'll Be Coming 'Round the Mountain" is an American folk song often categorized as children's music. It is a derivation of a Negro spiritual known as "When the Chariot Comes"....
" and "Home on the Range
Home on the Range
"Home on the Range" is the state song of Kansas, U.S.Home on the Range may also refer to:* Home on the Range , a drama directed by Arthur Jacobson* Home on the Range , a Disney animated feature film...
." The original audio had been used on the system since the airport's opening in 1995 and remained unchanged for 12 years, primarily due to the status of being a public art installation. The original audio was ultimately replaced due to various changes made at the airport since its opening. The most noticeable change made to the messages themselves was the reference to the concourse stations. The original audio announced "Please hold on. This train is approaching Concourse A," where it now says "Hold on please. We are approaching the station for all 'A' Gates." Station signage was also changed to reflect this. This change was made since some people found the term "concourse" confusing. Some information regarding Baggage Claim monitors in the Terminal station also caused confusion and needed to be removed from the messages, since the monitors themselves were removed from the station years prior. The "Welcome to Denver" greeting as added to the audio along with the current audio in 2007. Although, it originally featured the voice of then-Mayor John Hickenlooper
John Hickenlooper
John Wright Hickenlooper is an American politician and current Governor of Colorado. A Democrat, he was previously the Mayor of Denver, Colorado from 2003 to 2011.-Early life, education and career:...
. In January of 2011, the recording was updated to include current Mayor Bill Vidal
Bill Vidal
Guillermo "Bill" Vidal is an author, career civil servant, and a former mayor of Denver, Colorado.Vidal served as deputy mayor under John Hickenlooper until Hickenlooper resigned his position as mayor in order to serve as the governor of Colorado...
, who replaced Hickenlooper after he was elected Governor of Colorado
Governor of Colorado
The Governor of Colorado is the head of the executive branch of Colorado's government and the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The governor has a duty to enforce state laws, and the power to either approve or veto bills passed by the Colorado General Assembly, to convene the...
. Vidal's version of the spiel is identical to the original, except that he also says the Spanish translation of the phrase, "Bienvenidos a Denver," before giving the information about how to get to baggage claim and ground tranportation (which does not get repeated in Spanish). After Michael Hancock
Michael Hancock
Michael Hancock or Mike Hancock may refer to:* Mike Hancock , mayor of the city of Brantford, Ontario* Mike Hancock , American football player...
was inaugurated as Denver's Mayor his voice replaced Vidal's. Hancock's greeting is "Welcome to Denver, the Mile High City."
Tunnel Artwork
The train system's tunnels are home to two of the airport's visual art exhibits. These art installations were created since nearly one percent of the total budget for the construction of Denver International AirportDenver International Airport
Denver International Airport , often referred to as DIA, is an airport in Denver, Colorado. By land size, at , it is the largest international airport in the United States, and the third largest international airport in the world after King Fahd International Airport and Montréal-Mirabel...
was dedicated to artwork. The artwork interacts with the passing trains and can be viewed through the train's windows as they travel through the tunnels.
Kinetic Light Air Curtain
The northbound tunnel features an art exhibit known as the "Kinetic Light Air Curtain." Designed by Antonette Rosato and William Maxwell, the exhibit includes 5,280 propellers mounted on the wall. The propellers are accented with blue fluorescent light, and wind from the trains causes some of them to spin as they pass by. The number of propellers represents the number of feet Denver (the mile-high city) is located above sea level. Also, the total number of blades of all of the propellers combined represents the height of Colorado's tallest fourteenerFourteener
In mountaineering terminology in the United States, a fourteener is a mountain that exceeds 14,000 feet above mean sea level. There are 547 fourteeners in the world. The importance of fourteeners is greatest in Colorado, which has the majority of such peaks in North America...
, Mount Elbert
Mount Elbert
Mount Elbert is the highest peak in the Rocky Mountains of North America, at , the highest of the fourteeners in Colorado, and the high point of the Sawatch Range. It is located in Lake County, approximately southwest of Leadville...
, which is 14,440 feet tall. Contrary to common belief, the propellers do not generate any electricity for the trains or any part of the airport, and are strictly decorative.
Deep Time/Deep Space, a Subterranean Journey
The southbound tunnel contains the exhibit "Deep Time, Deep Space: A Subterranean Journey." Designed by Leni Schwendinger, this art display primarily consists of over 5,000 feet of colored reflective metal strips arranged into a variety of images. Various other items, sheet metal cut-outs of pick axes and hammers stand out from the tunnel walls to accent the scenes. The exhibit gradually transitions from displaying examples of older technology to newer space-age technology. The art is lighted by an advanced lighting system, which is activated by photoelectric sensors which detect passing trains. The overall work is inspired by Colorado's industrial and mining history.Failure
While the AGTS is a highly reliable system, one major system failure took place on April 26, 1998. A routing cable in the train tunnel was damaged by a loose wheel on one of the trains, cutting the entire system's power and shutting it down. The entire system was out of service for about seven hours, so a fleet of thirty shuttle buses had to be deployed to transport passengers between the concourses since there are no pedestrian walkways connecting to Concourses B and C. United AirlinesUnited Airlines
United Air Lines, Inc., is the world's largest airline with 86,852 employees United Air Lines, Inc., is the world's largest airline with 86,852 employees United Air Lines, Inc., is the world's largest airline with 86,852 employees (which includes the entire holding company United Continental...
, DIA's largest airline (who operates out of Concourse B), reported that about 30 percent of their flights and about 5,000 passengers were affected by the failure. The day of the failure is now referred to as "Black Sunday" by airport personnel.
In popular culture
The train system is also mentioned in Lee Child'sLee Child
Jim Grant , better known by his pen name Lee Child, is a British thriller writer. His wife Jane is a New Yorker, and they currently live in New York state. His first novel, Killing Floor, won the Anthony Award for Best First Novel....
novel Bad Luck and Trouble
Bad Luck and Trouble
Bad Luck and Trouble is the eleventh book in the Jack Reacher series written by Lee Child.The title is derived from the song lyrics by singer Albert King "Born Under a Bad Sign".-Plot summary:...
. The novel's antagonist, who flies into DIA, enjoys the musical sound effects that precede the announcements as he travels from his arrival gate to the terminal on the train. The novel states that the antagonist was "smiling all the same at the crazy bursts of jug-band music that preceded the station announcements." The novel references the original sound effects which accompanied the original Pete Smythe and Reynelda Muse announcements.