Larger, modernized Plane Train fleet unveiled for Atlanta's airport

MARTA isn’t the only rail system in Atlanta planning to welcome a fleet of sleeker new vehicles soon. 

Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, the world’s busiest airline hub, has unveiled modernized train cars bound for its Automated People Mover system—colloquially called the Plane Train—that airport officials say will cut back passenger wait times and boost efficiency. 

ATL’s latest generation of vehicles, Innovia 300R models, are designed to increase transport capacity from 10,000 to 12,000 passengers per hour, in each direction, for airport guests accessing plane terminals or the city. They will also reduce Plane Train passenger wait times from 108 seconds today to 90 seconds, per airport officials. 

The Plane Train began operations in 1980 with 17 Innovia CX100 vehicles but more recently expanded the fleet to 59 cars. 

The airport plans to add 14 Innovia 300R vehicles to its fleet by the end of March 2026—bumping the total number of vehicles to 73—as part of the ongoing Plane Train Tunnel West Extension project, a move that airport heads called “a significant milestone” this week. 

ATL plans to phase out the aging, older train models in coming years and fully switch to a 300R fleet. The newer trains are capable of both driverless operation and manual override, which airport leaders are calling an improvement in technology, flexibility, and safety for an airport that logged more than 108 million passengers last year. 

“These new vehicles are not only energy-efficient and sustainable,” said Ana Maria Taroco, ATL’s assistant general manager for planning and development, in the announcement, “[they’re] also a testament to our dedication to meeting and exceeding the evolving needs of our passengers and the aviation industry.”

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