Trump Administration Plans to Rebuild Dulles Airport Transit System

This article summarizes reporting by AP News and Seung Min Kim. Read the original reporting for full context.

Trump Administration Announces Plans to “Rebuild” Dulles Airports and Overhaul People Movers

On Tuesday, December 2, President Donald Trump announced a new initiative to “rebuild” Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD), characterizing the facility as “incorrectly designed” despite its architectural significance. During a Cabinet meeting, the administration highlighted the airport’s aging infrastructure, with a specific focus on the controversial “people mover” system that transports passengers between terminals.

According to reporting by AP News, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy confirmed that the Department of Transportation is moving immediately to address the airport’s transit issues. The announcement follows a serious Safety incident in November 2025 involving one of the airport’s mobile lounges, which brought renewed scrutiny to the decades-old transport system.

Targeting the “Mobile Lounges”

The primary focus of the administration’s immediate criticism appears to be the fleet of mobile lounges, large, bus-like vehicles that have been a fixture at Dulles since its opening in 1962. While originally designed to ferry passengers directly from the terminal to Commercial-Aircraft, they now primarily serve as shuttles between the main terminal and concourses not fully served by the underground train system.

Secretary Duffy stated that the department is issuing a request for bids to either repair or overhaul these vehicles. This federal intervention comes shortly after a crash involving a mobile lounge in November left 18 people injured, an event that The Washington Post reported has intensified calls for safety upgrades.

In his remarks, President Trump distinguished between the airport’s operational layout and its aesthetic value. As quoted in the AP News report:

“They have a great building [the main terminal] and a bad airport.”

The President further criticized the overall functionality of the hub, stating that while the Eero Saarinen-designed main terminal is architecturally significant, the airport itself is “terrible” and “not a good airport at all.”

Infrastructure Context and Challenges

The “people movers” remain a critical, albeit criticized, component of Dulles operations. While the underground AeroTrain system opened in 2010, it does not connect to Concourse D, where many international and United Airlines flights operate. Consequently, the mobile lounges are the only mass-transit option for thousands of daily passengers traveling to that specific concourse.

The Refurbishment vs. Replacement Debate

Prior to the President’s announcement, the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA) had already initiated plans to address the aging fleet. Public records indicate that MWAA approved a $160 million program to refurbish the vehicles, intending to extend their service life by another 15 to 20 years. The authority has previously argued that expanding the AeroTrain to Concourse D is currently cost-prohibitive.

It remains unclear how the Trump administration’s new “rebuild” directive will interact with MWAA’s existing Contracts. However, the administration’s rhetoric suggests a desire for a more comprehensive overhaul than the current refurbishment plans imply.

AirPro News Analysis

The tension between federal ambitions and local authority planning highlights a recurring challenge in U.S. airport infrastructure. While the “mobile lounges” are frequently cited by passengers as a pain point due to crowding and slow transfer times, replacing them entirely would likely require a massive capital investment to extend the AeroTrain system, a project estimated to cost billions and take years to complete.

By focusing on “bids to repair or overhaul,” the Department of Transportation may be seeking to accelerate improvements without committing immediately to the long-term construction of new tunnels. However, the President’s broader promise to “rebuild” the airport suggests that larger structural changes could be proposed in the future, potentially targeting the “temporary” Concourses C and D, which have been in use since the 1980s.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does Dulles still use mobile lounges?

The underground AeroTrain system, completed in 2010, does not reach Concourse D or the International Arrivals Building. The mobile lounges are required to transport passengers to these locations.

What happened in November 2025?

A mobile lounge crashed into a dock at the airport, injuring 18 people. This incident has been cited as a catalyst for the administration’s renewed focus on airport safety.

Are the mobile lounges being replaced?

The MWAA originally planned to refurbish them. The Trump administration has announced it is requesting bids to “repair or overhaul” them, though it is not yet clear if this will lead to a full replacement or a different technological solution.

Sources

• AP News
• The Washington Post
• Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority