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The contract was awarded to Tutor Perini/O&G. The agency has now completed 80% of the procurement process needed to deliver a new modern, reliable AirTrain to replace the current one, which the Port Authority called "outmoded."
The existing AirTrain Newark opened for service in 1996 and has become outdated and unable to accommodate growing air travel demand at the airport, the Port Authority said.
As part of the contract, Tutor Perini/O&G has committed to making good-faith efforts to meet specific benchmarks around the hiring of minority-owned business enterprises, women-owned business enterprises, service-disabled veteran-owned business enterprises, and locally owned business enterprises, with those from the cities of Newark and Elizabeth prioritized, the Port Authority said.
The firm is also required to develop a locally based workforce development program to hire program participants for future work on the new system’s design and construction.
AirTrain carries an average of 33,000 passengers per day, or approximately 12 million passengers per year. Year to date, AirTrain Newark served nearly 5.5 million passengers in 2024, with the vast majority using the system on-airport to transfer among airport facilities, the Port Authority said.
The Port Authority Board also voted to increase the project budget to $3.5 billion, adding $1.45 billion to the previously approved amount of $2.05 billion, citing inflation.. The agency attributed the rise in cost to the following factors:
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