Dulles Opens New AeroTrain

Yesterday, Washington Dulles Airport launched the brand new underground AeroTrain to transport passengers to and from the concourses and main terminal. If you've flown to, from, or through Dulles before, you might be hoping that the mobile lounges (which have been around since the beginning in 1962) are becoming obsolete, but unfortunately, that's not the case. (If you've never ridden on one, you can see a video of the experience here.)

The new AeroTrain only serves terminals A, B, and C.  The D concourse, which is used by United for its hub operation, will not have train service. The international arrivals terminal will not have the service, either. As a result, over 20 of the mobile lounges will be staying around.

The station for the C gates is actually intended for a future concourse - so travelers will have to walk about 500 feet to get to the concourse after getting off the train. So, it will still be awhile before the AeroTrain reaches its full potential. There's no official word on when the new concourse would be constructed, and the Washington Post reports that "airport officials are beginning talks with United Airlines, the dominant carrier at Dulles, and other airlines that lease space there about funding the project."

But, overall, the train does sound much more convenient than the mobile lounges, and it will be running very frequently, with a train arriving every two minutes during peak travel times. This is a definite improvement, though airplane geeks like myself will miss the airport views that the lounges offered.

You can find more details about the new AeroTrain here.

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