Hartsfield extending plane train (Atlanta, Riverdale: hotels, maintenance, buses)

[ATLTJL]

Atlanta airport’s Plane Train tunnel to be extended | AJC@ATL

That's great, but they really need to work out some system to get arriving passengers from the international terminal back to the main concourse. The plane train will get you there, but it won't bring you back.

We encountered this problem a few months ago. After arriving in the international terminal, we needed to get back to the main concourse so we could pick up MARTA. You have to wait in a long line for some ridiculous tiny shuttle bus to cram on with tons of other people and then ride for what seemed like at least 10 minutes, but probably more like 15.

Terrible impression to make on international travelers visiting our city who want to pick up MARTA to their hotels or whatever. And super annoying for residents like me. This needs to be addressed.

[cqholt]

Originally Posted by ATLTJL

Atlanta airport’s Plane Train tunnel to be extended | AJC@ATL

That's great, but they really need to work out some system to get arriving passengers from the international terminal back to the main concourse. The plane train will get you there, but it won't bring you back.

We encountered this problem a few months ago. After arriving in the international terminal, we needed to get back to the main concourse so we could pick up MARTA. You have to wait in a long line for some ridiculous tiny shuttle bus to cram on with tons of other people and then ride for what seemed like at least 10 minutes, but probably more like 15.

Terrible impression to make on international travelers visiting our city who want to pick up MARTA to their hotels or whatever. And super annoying for residents like me. This needs to be addressed.

That is not what this plan is doing, but I have visited the secure zone of Concourse F and board the Plane Train to return to the other concourses. I just boarded the at the same doors and round around the turn back, thru the maintenance area.

The tunnel will be extended about 600 feet underneath the airport MARTA station and SkyTrain airport station, allowing more room for trains to turn back to go in the other direction while another train arrives. That is expected to reduce wait times for the train and increase capacity.

[ATLTJL]

I have visited the secure zone of Concourse F and board the Plane Train to return to the other concourses. I just boarded the at the same doors and round around the turn back, thru the maintenance area.

But you have to exit the secure area to go to baggage claim. And then you can't get back into it.

[cqholt]

Originally Posted by ATLTJL

But you have to exit the secure area to go to baggage claim. And then you can't get back into it.

I never said I was going to baggage claim, just that I was able to access WB Plane Train towards Domestic Terminal from Concourse F.

[evannole]

Originally Posted by ATLTJL

Atlanta airport’s Plane Train tunnel to be extended | AJC@ATL

That's great, but they really need to work out some system to get arriving passengers from the international terminal back to the main concourse. The plane train will get you there, but it won't bring you back.

We encountered this problem a few months ago. After arriving in the international terminal, we needed to get back to the main concourse so we could pick up MARTA. You have to wait in a long line for some ridiculous tiny shuttle bus to cram on with tons of other people and then ride for what seemed like at least 10 minutes, but probably more like 15.

Terrible impression to make on international travelers visiting our city who want to pick up MARTA to their hotels or whatever. And super annoying for residents like me. This needs to be addressed.

Agree that this would be nice, but holy smokes, it would be an expensive investment. You'd need an entirely separate line, because the Plane Train is in the sterile area (i.e., past security). Anyone riding it needs to have been screened, and once you enter customs and have access to checked baggage, by definition, you no longer qualify as "screened." So, your alternatives are to go through security again so you can ride the plane train to the main terminal, or exit into the International Terminal and ride the bus, as you said. There's no way to have the current train get international arriving passengers from F to the main terminal without rescreening them... They can't mingle with domestic passengers until they've been cleared through passport control and customs, and once they enter customs, they'd need to be rescreened.

So, the only solutions to the present situation are 1) build an dedicated line from F to the main terminal to the tune of who knows how many hundred million dollars, or 2) work with MARTA to develop a separate line off the Red line that stops in F. Given that MARTA rail will eventually serve Clayton County and that when it does so it would likely pass right through here, that seems the more likely solution.

[cqholt]

Originally Posted by evannole

Agree that this would be nice, but holy smokes, it would be an expensive investment. You'd need an entirely separate line, because the Plane Train is in the sterile area (i.e., past security). Anyone riding it needs to have been screened, and once you enter customs and have access to checked baggage, by definition, you no longer qualify as "screened." So, your alternatives are to go through security again so you can ride the plane train to the main terminal, or exit into the International Terminal and ride the bus, as you said. There's no way to have the current train get international arriving passengers from F to the main terminal without rescreening them... They can't mingle with domestic passengers until they've been cleared through passport control and customs, and once they enter customs, they'd need to be rescreened.

So, the only solutions to the present situation are 1) build an dedicated line from F to the main terminal to the tune of who knows how many hundred million dollars, or 2) work with MARTA to develop a separate line off the Red line that stops in F. Given that MARTA rail will eventually serve Clayton County and that when it does so it would likely pass right through here, that seems the more likely solution.

Or run a shuttle to a future Clayton Commuter Rail line station
https://www.google.com/maps/@33.6140...W1tRAuq4?hl=en

[primaltech]

Ideal scenario would be for the Clayton County MARTA line to be a heavy rail, or at least a rapid, frequent, HRT-like commuter rail, with that line having a station at Mountain View/ Airport International Terminal. And the plane train would run east-west between the 2 MARTA stations, via all the existing and future concourses, and customs and such. Eliminating the need for any shuttle services.

And meanwhile the SkyTrain could be extended to serve the Riverdale Rd/ Airport South area, with all the various hotels around there.

[ATLTJL]

So, the only solutions to the present situation are 1) build an dedicated line from F to the main terminal to the tune of who knows how many hundred million dollars, or 2) work with MARTA to develop a separate line off the Red line that stops in F. Given that MARTA rail will eventually serve Clayton County and that when it does so it would likely pass right through here, that seems the more likely solution.

I can think of a lot more solutions.

1) Allow people showing international boarding passes that landed recently to pass through security again after picking up their bags. Have a dedicated line for this so the lines would be short and easy.

2) Allow passengers to elect to have their checked bags sent to domestic baggage claim. That way they can go to the plane train without having to exit the secure area and they can pick up their bags once they get there.

3) Have an actual decent shuttle bus with a system where one pulls up the moment another one leaves. And make them full sized buses that are actually able to handle the luggage people have (international travelers have a lot!).

Don't you think it's ridiculous that a city that wants to call itself "international" has no way for international travelers to directly access its mass transit system?

[alco89]

Originally Posted by ATLTJL

Don't you think it's ridiculous that a city that wants to call itself "international" has no way for international travelers to directly access its mass transit system?

Funny enough, this is the norm and not the exception across the country.

[J2rescue]

Originally Posted by cqholt

Or run a shuttle to a future Clayton Commuter Rail line station
https://www.google.com/maps/@33.6140...W1tRAuq4?hl=en

Off topic but is there a plan to FINALLY do something with those routes?