As the busiest airport in the world, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) continually seeks innovative solutions to accommodate its growing number of travelers. In support of these efforts, STV recently celebrated the completion of a crucial expansion project that enhances the airport’s automated people mover (APM) service, known as the Plane Train.

The Plane Train system, essential for moving passengers across the vast seven-concourse airport, has faced increasing demand from the rising number of users. To address this, STV served as the lead architect as part of a progressive design-build (PDB) team, which was led by Delve Underground as the design lead and a Clark/Atkinson/Technique JV as the contractor. The PDB team extended the Plane Train’s tunnel by 700 feet, including a 133-foot spur at the system’s terminus. This extension streamlines train turnaround operations and significantly reduces train headway, thereby boosting the system’s capacity.

STV’s team planned and designed improvements for 35,500 square feet of space at multiple levels of the main terminal (Terminal T), including the domestic baggage claim station, which experiences peak traffic of about 4,500 travelers per hour. Our team also designed reconfigurations for this station’s vertical transportation core to facilitate smoother transitions between the Plane Train platform and the main terminal, which serves various ground transportation options.

Using pedestrian simulation models to develop the optimal station design, the team designed four new escalators and two ADA-compliant elevators to increase circulation and ease passenger flows, all while maintaining passenger movement and safety during the construction phase. The redesign features a dramatic multi-level escalator structure that extends from the APM platform, through the station mezzanine and terminal apron, up to a post-security exit lobby, where it connects to the baggage claim and ground transportation access level and the retail and concessions atrium. STV’s architects prepared the designs for the floors, walls, ceilings, parapets, escalators, elevators and stairs.

STV also developed the lighting scheme for the new spaces in coordination with other members of the PDB team, ensuring the illumination meets the needs of travelers while enhancing the overall ambiance and visibility of signage. The final signage design, based on airport standards, is the result of iterative working sessions with ATL’s management team. The most significant enhancement to wayfinding at the terminal level is the addition of a large, real-time LED projection screen showing arriving passengers as they emerge from the domestic baggage claim station escalators. This screen allows individuals meeting and greeting travelers to easily locate the correct portal where their party will exit the secure zone.

STV also designed two structures to house the expanded tunnel’s ventilation system and emergency egress facilities. The new egress building features a clean, concrete design, while the new ventilation building boasts a striking metal panel façade. Both seamlessly integrate with the airport’s landside program. Additionally, STV’s engineers developed the alignment geometry for the new tunnel and structural designs to support the load from the terminal building above the tunnel.

The project faced several challenges, including the need for complex phasing to minimize disruption in a bustling, active terminal. The interrelationship of the terminal underpinning, support of excavation, tunnel construction, evolving tunnel ventilation configurations and the need to minimize impacts on terminal operations presented a uniquely multifaceted set of challenges. STV successfully addressed these challenges in close collaboration with the PDB team.

“Our team’s ability to innovate and collaborate with our partners was crucial to the success of this expansion,” said Bob Drake, AIA, senior principal and technical architecture director at STV. “We’re proud to have contributed to enhancing the efficiency and capacity of the Plane Train system, ultimately improving the travel experience for millions of passengers at Atlanta Airport.”