1994: The Start of Operations for an Automated People Mover at a Kentucky Airport

June 9, 1994

Operations formally began that afternoon at Cincinnati/Norther Kentucky International Airport (CVG) for an automated people mover. This underground train service was originally run by Delta Air Lines to help more quickly transport large numbers of passengers to the concourses where they would need to catch their flights within that Kentucky-based airport.

Judy Ingram, a spokesperson for CVG, highlighted the overall significance of the new service.at the time of its debut. She stated, “It symbolizes that we’ve really arrived as an airport.” The Cincinnati Enquirer reported that this transit system – initially 800 feet (243.9 meters) in length and ultimately extended to cover 1,549 feet (472 meters) – would save “passengers’ time and tired feet.”

The Cincinnati Enquirer also provided details on the red-and-white train cars for this service, which has become known as the Cincinnati Airport People Mover. “Forty feet [12.2 meters] below the airport tarmac, the train cars will go 26 miles [41.8 kilometers] per hour and take passengers the distance in a little more than two minutes,” noted the article. “The trains are pulled by steel cables and glide on a thin pocket of air.”

The technology for the Cincinnati Airport People Mover was developed and installed by the Connecticut-based Otis Worldwide Corporation (branded as the Otis Elevator Company). When that system at CVG was inaugurated, it was only the sixth of its kind to be constructed by Otis.

Photo Credit: Stinger20 (licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license at https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.en)

For more information on the Cincinnati Airport People Mover, please check out https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cincinnati_Airport_People_Mover