Airport Authority Hong Kong (AAHK) will begin developing an autonomous associated transportation system to carry visitors between the Hong Kong Port of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge (HZMB) and Skycity at Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA). It is said it will be the first autonomous mass transportation system in Hong Kong.
Autonomous mass transportation system
The autonomous transportation system will operate on Airportcity Link, a dedicated vehicular bridge integrated with a pedestrian walkway. Built by AAHK, Airportcity Link will connect the Hong Kong Port of HZMB and Skycity, a commercial development on the airport island that provides a wide array of dining, shopping and entertainment offerings.
Visitors riding the autonomous vehicles from the Hong Kong Port will reach Skycity in three minutes, and vice versa. Each autonomous vehicle will carry a maximum of 16 passengers. The entire system can carry 500 passengers per hour, per direction at the initial stage, with a target to increase the throughput to 2,000 passengers per hour, per direction.
In the next phase of the development, the autonomous transportation system will be extended from Skycity to the nearby Tung Chung town center, providing a convenient connection with the MTR and bus services.
Airport Authority Hong Kong’s partners
AAHK has awarded the tender to develop the autonomous vehicles and the associated transportation system to a joint venture formed by KC Smart Mobility and Prime Motors, named KCM – PML Joint Venture. The joint venture has also joined forces with Xiamen King Long as the vehicle supplier and autonomous driving technology provider Baidu, which will provide the technology for the intelligent transportation integrated system.
An agreement was signed today between Vivian Cheung, acting CEO of AAHK, and James Wong, director of KC Smart Mobility. At the signing ceremony, Cheung said, “HKIA has been pioneering the application of autonomous driving technology. We are the world’s first and only airport to put autonomous vehicles into live airport operations on a large scale, with autonomous electric tractors for baggage and cargo delivery, autonomous patrol cars to enhance airport security, and autonomous buses to shuttle airport staff on the apron.
“The seamless connection between Skycity and the Hong Kong Port of the HZMB brought by the new system, along with the numerous attractions at Skycity, will certainly create an exceptional experience and lure visitors, especially those from the Greater Bay Area, to the new landmark.”
In related news, the Airport Authority Hong Kong (AA) recently launched HK$5bn (US$640m) Hong Kong International Airport retail bonds. Click here to read the full story.