Disney's Airport Subway Celebrates 45 Years of Reliable Service

The George Bush Intercontinental Airport's PeopleMover subway system, built by Disney engineers, has reached an impressive milestone. On August 17, 1981, the IAH Subway opened its doors to the public and has been moving millions of passengers a year ever since.

The unique transportation system was a result of Walt Disney's firm, WED Enterprises, experimenting with concepts for real-world applications in the late 1960s. Their PeopleMover ride at Disneyland sparked the idea, which was later redesigned and replicated for Walt Disney World as the WEDway PeopleMover.

In 1976, the Urban Mass Transportation Administration certified the PeopleMover for urban transit use, paving the way for its implementation in airports. A Disney executive who frequently traveled through Houston saw the potential for a new transportation system at IAH and pitched the idea to airport officials.

After a competitive bid process, WED Enterprises was selected to build the transportation system in 1979. The result was a two-mile-long subway with lightweight vehicles powered by linear induction motors, making it the only Disney-designed PeopleMover outside of Disney property.