TerminaLink is a people mover

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 George Bush Intercontinental Airport

George Bush Intercontinental Airport

George Bush Intercontinental Airport, is a Class B international airport in Houston, Texas, serving the Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown metropolitan area, the sixth-largest metropolitan area in the United States. Located north of Downtown Houston between Interstate 45 and U.S. Highway 59...

 in Houston, Texas

Houston, Texas

Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...

. The system is 0.7 miles (1.1 km) long, and runs along the north side of the airport, beyond airport security

Airport security

Airport security refers to the techniques and methods used in protecting airports and aircraft from crime.Large numbers of people pass through airports. This presents potential targets for terrorism and other forms of crime due to the number of people located in a particular location...

. The system serves all of the airport's five terminals, with four stations at Terminal A, Terminal B, Terminal C, and International Terminal D/E, respectively. TerminaLink is one of two people movers currently operating at Bush Intercontinental Airport. The other people mover, known as the inter-terminal train

Inter-terminal train (IAH)

The inter-terminal train at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, Texas, is the older of the two separate inter-terminal people movers currently operating at the airport...

, opened in 1969

1969 in rail transport

-January events:* January – The PATCO Hi-Speedline, in southeastern Pennsylvania, opens.* January 5 – Last trains over the Waverley Route from Edinburgh in Scotland to Carlisle in England.- February events :...

.

The system uses Bombardier

Bombardier Transportation

Bombardier Transportation is the rail equipment division of the Canadian firm, Bombardier Inc. Bombardier Transportation is one of the world's largest companies in the rail-equipment manufacturing and servicing industry. Its headquarters are in Berlin, Germany....

 Innovia APM 100 people mover

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...

 vehicles, which are powered from a 600-volt

Volt

The volt is the SI derived unit for electric potential, electric potential difference, and electromotive force. The volt is named in honor of the Italian physicist Alessandro Volta , who invented the voltaic pile, possibly the first chemical battery.- Definition :A single volt is defined as the...

 third rail

Third rail

A third rail is a method of providing electric power to a railway train, through a semi-continuous rigid conductor placed alongside or between the rails of a railway track. It is used typically in a mass transit or rapid transit system, which has alignments in its own corridors, fully or almost...

. There are a total of 12 vehicles in the system, and each vehicle travels at 30 mph (50 km/h) and can hold up to 80 passengers. The same type of vehicles are also found 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...

 (Automated Guideway Transit System

Denver International Airport Automated Guideway Transit System

The Denver International Airport Automated Guideway Transit System is a people mover system operating at Denver International Airport in Denver, Colorado...

), 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 Plane Train), San Francisco International Airport

San Francisco International Airport

San Francisco International Airport is a major international airport located south of downtown San Francisco, California, United States, near the cities of Millbrae and San Bruno in unincorporated San Mateo County. It is often referred to as SFO...

 (AirTrain

AirTrain (SFO)

AirTrain is a fully automated people mover at San Francisco International Airport . The system was built by Bombardier at a cost of US $430 million, and opened on February 24, 2003. The trains operate 24 hours a day on two separate lines, covering a total of six miles .The entire AirTrain fleet is...

), and Tampa International Airport

Tampa International Airport

Tampa International Airport is a major public airport located six nautical miles west of the central business district of Tampa, in Hillsborough County, Florida, United States. This airport is publicly owned by Hillsborough County Aviation Authority...

.

History

The TerminaLink system opened on May 24, 1999 as a 0.1 mile (0.2 km) line with two stations, connecting Terminal C and Terminal B with a maintenance building for the rail vehicles between the two terminals. The system was funded by Continental Airlines

Continental Airlines

Continental Airlines was a major American airline now merged with United Airlines. On May 3, 2010, Continental Airlines, Inc. and UAL, Inc. announced a merger via a stock swap, and on October 1, 2010, the merger closed and UAL changed its name to United Continental Holdings, Inc...

 at a cost of US $

United States dollar

The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....

58 million, and was built to provide easy access between the airline's two airport terminal

Airport terminal

An airport terminal is a building at an airport where passengers transfer between ground transportation and the facilities that allow them to board and disembark from aircraft....

s. Construction was completed in a total of 30 months and was the last phase of Continental's US $200 million airport expansion project.

In 2001

2001 in rail transport

-January events:* January 17 – Groundbreaking ceremonies are held for the Hiawatha Line in Minneapolis, Minnesota.* January 27 – The Gerogery level crossing accident occurred in Gerogery, New South Wales, Australia and killed five people in a car....

, the system was expanded 0.6 mile (0.9 km) from Terminal C to Terminal D. The electrical work

Electricity

Electricity is a general term encompassing a variety of phenomena resulting from the presence and flow of electric charge. These include many easily recognizable phenomena, such as lightning, static electricity, and the flow of electrical current in an electrical wire...

 for the expansion was supervised by TAG Electric Company who installed over 71 miles (114 km) of cables and wires for the project.

The airport has expanded the line to Terminal A at a cost of US $100 million, and construction began in early 2008 and was completed in 2010.