Design and Procurement Challenges New APM Charles de Gaulle Airport

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The planning, design, and procurement of the replacement of the failed SK automated people mover (APM) at the Charles de Gaulle Airport presented significant challenges for Aéroports de Paris (ADP) and Kimley-Horn and Associates, Inc. personnel. The different approaches and solutions will be discussed given the existing infrastructure that needed to be reused and considering the number, disbursement, and function of the various facilities that needed to be served by the APM. In 1992 Soulé SA was selected by ADP to build, install, operate, and maintain two separate automated people movers at Charles de Gaulle airport. Line 1 at a length of 3,500 meters was to connect Terminal 1 to Terminal 2 with three intermediate stations, two serving parking facilities and one serving an intermodal center for regional rail and buses. Line 2 at a length of 825 meters was to serve six concourses within Terminal 2. The initial phase for line 1 was scheduled to be completed in 1996 and for line 2 in 1997. Both systems were to utilize cable-propelled technology. In addition to Soule as the system supplier, RATP, the Paris Transport Authority, was to be the operator of the system after it was completed and accepted by ADP. ADP wanted to keep technical and architectural oversight for the system's infrastructure within its own organization and therefore elected to assume the responsibilities of prime contractor for all the corresponding design and construction activities. In the summer of 1999 because of the failure of the Soulé system (SK) to meet the required availability during testing, ADP decided to select an engineering company to assist them in developing plans for a system to replace the SK system that could utilize the existing infrastructure as much as possible, that could provide high reliability, and that would use proven technology. Kimley-Horn and Associates, Inc. was the chosen engineering firm and subsequently ADP decided to abandon the SK systems. The paper will discuss the problems and solutions in attempting to utilize infrastructure designed and built for small cars (27 pax) operating in a circulating mode for large car (60-70 pax) trains operating in a pinched-loop mode. In addition the approach and solutions to having the APM service different facilities over a circuitous route will be presented.

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Fletcher, J., & Legendre, T. (2004). Design and procurement challenges new APM Charles de Gaulle Airport. 8th International Conference on Automated People Movers: Moving Through the Millennium, APM 2001.

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