Narita Airport Terminal 2 Shuttle System
Encyclopedia
The is an automated people mover
used in Narita International Airport
, Narita
, Japan
. This system started its operation on December 6, 1992.
Narita International Airport, the international airport of the Greater Tokyo Area
, opened the current Terminal 2 in 1992, as well as the shuttle system. The shuttle links the main building of the terminal and its satellite, 279 m away. The whole ride takes a minute, and is free of charge.
The system is made by Nippon Otis
Elevator, a company specialized in elevator
s and escalator
s. As a matter of fact, it is technically (and legally) not a railway, but a horizontal elevator; cars are attached to a cable that moves them, like a funicular
. These cars do not have wheels; instead, they float on a 0.2-millimetre layer of pressured air. This was the first use of such a system to be used in an airport, as well as the first in Japan.
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...
used in Narita International Airport
Narita International Airport
is an international airport serving the Greater Tokyo Area of Japan. It is located east of Tokyo Station and east-southeast of Narita Station in the city of Narita, and the adjacent town of Shibayama....
, Narita
Narita, Chiba
is a city located in Chiba Prefecture, Japan. It is the site of Narita International Airport, the main international airport serving the Greater Tokyo Area....
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. This system started its operation on December 6, 1992.
Narita International Airport, the international airport of the Greater Tokyo Area
Greater Tokyo Area
The Greater Tokyo Area is a large metropolitan area in Kantō region, Japan, consisting of most of the prefectures of Chiba, Kanagawa, Saitama, and Tokyo . In Japanese, it is referred to by various terms, including the , , and others....
, opened the current Terminal 2 in 1992, as well as the shuttle system. The shuttle links the main building of the terminal and its satellite, 279 m away. The whole ride takes a minute, and is free of charge.
The system is made by Nippon Otis
Otis Elevator Company
The Otis Elevator Company is the world's largest manufacturer of vertical transportation systems today, principally focusing on elevators and escalators...
Elevator, a company specialized in elevator
Elevator
An elevator is a type of vertical transport equipment that efficiently moves people or goods between floors of a building, vessel or other structures...
s and escalator
Escalator
An escalator is a moving staircase – a conveyor transport device for carrying people between floors of a building. The device consists of a motor-driven chain of individual, linked steps that move up or down on tracks, allowing the step treads to remain horizontal.Escalators are used around the...
s. As a matter of fact, it is technically (and legally) not a railway, but a horizontal elevator; cars are attached to a cable that moves them, like a funicular
Funicular
A funicular, also known as an inclined plane or cliff railway, is a cable railway in which a cable attached to a pair of tram-like vehicles on rails moves them up and down a steep slope; the ascending and descending vehicles counterbalance each other.-Operation:The basic principle of funicular...
. These cars do not have wheels; instead, they float on a 0.2-millimetre layer of pressured air. This was the first use of such a system to be used in an airport, as well as the first in Japan.
See also
- List of airport people mover systems
- People moverPeople moverA 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...
- Dorfbahn SerfausDorfbahn SerfausThe Dorfbahn Serfaus is an unusual underground air cushion funicular transit system in the Tyrolian village of Serfaus in Austria. The name literally translates as Serfaus Village Railway.-Overview:...
- HovertrainHovertrainA hovertrain is a type of high-speed train that replaces conventional steel wheels with hovercraft lift pads, and the conventional railway bed with a paved road-like surface, known as the "track" or "guideway"...
- Tracked HovercraftTracked HovercraftTracked Hovercraft was an experimental high speed train developed in the United Kingdom during the 1960s. It combined two British inventions, the hovercraft and linear induction motor, in an effort to produce a train system that would provide 250 mph inter-city service with lowered capital...
- AérotrainAérotrainThe Aérotrain was a Hovertrain developed in France from 1965 to 1977. The lead engineer was Jean Bertin.The goal of the Aérotrain was similar to that of the magnetic levitation train: to suspend the train above the tracks so the only resistance is that of air resistance...