The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey has announced the start of the next major phase of construction on the new AirTrain Newark system, with work beginning on the guideway and track structure between the Newark Liberty International Airport Train Station and the P4 station.
This phase of construction will require ongoing weekday service outages between the P4 station and the Airport Train Station that links to Northeast Corridor (NEC) services for NJ TRANSIT and Amtrak. To maintain connectivity during the outage, the Port Authority will operate a robust shuttle bus system serving all airport terminals, rental car facilities, and parking locations.
The new US$3.5 billion automated system will replace the existing AirTrain, which opened in 1996 and has become outdated, over capacity, and unable to accommodate Newark Liberty’s rapid growth.
The new AirTrain system will allow for expanded passenger capacity, greater reliability, and flexible connectivity in conjunction with the airport’s redevelopment plan. It is expected to begin first passenger service in 2030.
Port Authority Chairman Kevin O’Toole, stated, the next phase of construction moves that work from planning to visible progress, while ensuring travelers continue to have reliable ways to reach terminals, parking, and transit connections during construction.
Beginning Thursday, January 15, AirTrain Newark service to and from the Airport Train Station will be replaced by shuttle buses on weekdays from 5 a.m. to 3 p.m. due to construction activity.
Bus shuttles will run every four to five minutes. Passengers should allow up to 15 minutes of additional travel time during the AirTrain outages. AirTrain Newark will continue operating between the P4, Terminal C, Terminal B, P3, and Terminal A stations.
AirTrain Newark will operate normally on weekends.
Outages will pause again during the holiday travel season between October 30, 2026, and January 15, 2027.
Additional AirTrain outages are planned in 2027 and 2028 as work progresses, with details of those impacts shared at a future date.
AirTrain ridership is forecasted to grow by 50 percent by 2040, exceeding the capacity of the existing system.
The current system is unable to be expanded or upgraded to newer technology, and its route will hinder future airport growth, while the new system is designed to be expandable.
The system will offer greater reliability and capacity, with the ability to handle 50,000 passengers per day, up from the current system’s 33,000-passenger capacity.
