14 of the nation's top 25 airports have some sort of direct rail airport-to-city transit connection.

One region, one airport

The Berlin-Brandenburg International Airport (BBI), a six-level megastructure, will condense Berlin’s three regional airports (Tegel, Tempelhof, and Schönefeld) into a new, modern airport by 2011.  Promising to be functional, cosmopolitan and inexpensive, the BBI is using innovative technologies and state-of-the art features to provide a high-quality and efficient international airport in the heart of Europe. At maximum capacity, the BBI will be able to handle 40 to 45 million passengers every year. The region’s commitment to environmental concerns also are integrated in the elements of the BBI, including heat recovery systems, geothermal energy, and cooling systems using rainwater, as well as low-noise vehicles and asphalt for the construction of nearby roads.  The new airport will bring more than 40,000 new jobs to the Berlin-Brandenburg area, and provide significant purchasing power.

A six-track rail station, with three platforms directly below the main terminal, will give BBI travelers direct access to the heart of Berlin.  The new rail link at the airport, funded in part by the regional authorities and European Fund for Regional Development (EFRD), will be fully integrated with Europe’s extensive intercity and national rail network, providing a stop for the German Railways (DB) and the Intercity Express Trains (ICE). This will allow for easy connections to other destinations and provide better accessibility to cities like Prague and Warsaw.  Known as the Airport Shuttle, the regional transit agency also will operate a special express train that can get travelers to the central city in 20 minutes. It will complement existing local rail (S-Bahn and U-Bahn) and express bus services.

While O’Hare and Midway International Airports are both connected to the rail network and provide service to downtown Chicago, we can learn from the BBI’s ability to create efficient connections to a variety of local, regional, and multinational destinations.  BBI teaches us to make better use of our existing infrastructure and maximize the growth opportunities for our current system.

Photo courtesy of Marius Watz

For Additional Information:

• Summary of the airport – Berlin Brandenburg International Airport
• TransPort – Berlin-Brandenburg International Airport
• About BBI – Official Press Release

NEWS

Local News

Parking meter contractor's 'Green Team' hits streets in bid to soothe angry drivers – Chicago Sun-Times “Dozens of newly-hired employees -- all wearing green T-shirts, many of them college students -- are descending on Chicago neighborhoods where LAZ Parking has installed pay-and-display boxes.”

State budget impasse delays $9 billion road construction plan – Daily Herald “A $9 billion program of shovel-ready road construction projects that was supposed to create up to 80,000 jobs in Illinois this summer has been delayed due to the state's continuing budget impasse.”

Parking fee increases affecting entertainment choices – Chicago Tribune “Getting folks to come out to your entertainment venue involves convincing them that they're going to enjoy themselves, but no one enjoys stressing out about parking, and that stress has become increasingly difficult to escape.”

Red Scare: An analysis of Chicago's red-light cameras – Chicago Sun-Times “The newspaper analyzed data from the city of Chicago on each of the 140 red-light cameras that were in place as of April since the first of them was installed, in late 2003, and found that when a camera goes up, driving improves.”

Metra to offer credit card options for some passes – Chicago Sun-Times “Metra customers will be able to buy their monthly passes or ten-ride tickets online and pay with a credit card starting in September, Metra officials announced today.”

Residents want rail, not sure on funding – Rockford Register Star “Most Rockford-area residents support a commuter rail link to Chicago but question how to pay for it, according to a recent survey.”

IDOT revises its five-year road plan to reflect influx of new capital – Daily Herald “Although a state capital bill that will pump $29 billion into our woebegotten infrastructure passed the House and Senate, the policy is now being held hostage while Gov. Pat Quinn and the four legislative leaders wrangle over a solution to the budget deficit.”

World News

Delays ahead – Economist “Though America’s 100 biggest metropolitan areas account for 75% of the country’s economic output, transport money is seldom focused on them.”

A Short-Term Fix for Transportation – New York Times “With plans for a six-year, $450 billion transportation bill hung up over the question of how to pay for it, the Obama administration said Wednesday that it wanted to put off the thorniest questions for now.”

Some Transit Aid May Be Freed Up for Operating Costs – New York Times “A provision tucked inside the latest war spending bill would allow transit agencies to spend up to 10 percent of their stimulus money on operating expenses.”

Ray LaHood: A 'Transformational' Time for the U.S. Transit System – U.S.News “The things we have in our part of the economic recovery are not just highways and bridges. It's transit. It's airports. It's $8 billion for high-speed rail.”

A (Radical) Way to Fix Suburban Sprawl – Time “To encourage the use of mass transit, the plan envisions a Tysons Corner where 95% of its land will be within half a mile of a train station or within 600 ft. of shuttle routes designed to ferry passengers to Metro stops and neighboring suburbs.”

Getting Up to Speed – New York Times “High-speed trains are obviously about going fast, but when you think about it, they’re just as much about time as speed.”

L.A. County considers congestion pricing for 110 and 10 freeways – Los Angeles Times “Los Angeles County transportation officials are considering prices of 25 cents to $1.40 per mile for solo motorists who use the high-occupancy toll lanes that have been proposed for the 110 and 10 freeways.”

South Miami-Dade Busway may give way to cars – Miami Herald “Officials plan to vote on a controversial plan to convert South Miami-Dade's Busway into a highway with toll express lanes where private vehicles would share the road with buses.”

Poll: U.S. voters back privatized infrastructure – Reuters “U.S. voters are increasingly supportive of privatized investment in the country's infrastructure, especially in lieu of tax increases or budget cuts, according to a new poll.”

Congress Grapples, Again, With How to Pay for Transportation Projects – New York Times “The federal transportation bill could spend as much as $450 billion on road and transit projects over the next six years, after the current law expires in September.”

 

Resources

• The Surface Transportation Authorization Act of 2009: A Blueprint for Investment and Reform – U.S. House of Representatives, Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure

• High Speed Intercity Passenger Rail Interim Program Guidance – FRA

• Sustainable Transport that Works: Lessons from Germany – World Transport Policy and Practice

 

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Contact Information

For comments, suggestions or submissions, please contact Emily Tapia Lopez, Associate, at etapia@metroplanning.org or 312-863-6047.