Project News / Transportation
DFW Installs All Six Skylink Station Modules at $4B Terminal F
The station modules are in place after overnight lifts beside the operating train system. Structural connections and integration are next, with Terminal F’s first 15 gates targeted for 2027.
Dallas Fort Worth International Airport has installed all six prefabricated modules for the Skylink station serving its future Terminal F. DFW confirmed the milestone on November 3, following overnight lifting operations along the active train guideway.
The installation advances a key passenger connection for the approximately $4 billion terminal expansion. Crews will now join the modules structurally and integrate the station; completion of the lifts does not mean the station is open.
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Overnight lifts beside an operating train system
Crews assembled the station sections at ground level, then transported them to the guideway for placement. Each weighed between 210 and 310 tons. The crawler crane arrived in approximately 60 truckloads and took nearly two weeks to assemble.
Each overnight lift lasted about eight hours, including the alignment needed to position a module against the existing Skylink infrastructure. DFW says ground-level assembly and controlled placement windows avoided the extended train shutdowns that conventional construction would have required.
With the heavy lifting complete, the next work is to connect the six sections into one station and integrate it with Skylink. The November announcement did not identify the specialist lifting firms.
Part of the wider Terminal F build
Innovation Next+ of Irving holds the design-build contract for Terminal F and its Skylink station. DFW board records identify contract 9500834, also referenced as PA1032, as awarded in February 2024.
The station modules are a separate installation from the six much larger concourse modules moved across the airfield in August 2025. That earlier operation assembled the terminal building’s main sections and should not be confused with the latest Skylink milestone.
Fifteen gates first, 31 at full buildout
Terminal F will be DFW’s sixth terminal. Its first 15 gates are anticipated to open in 2027, with 31 gates ultimately planned for American Airlines. The expanded program provides for international flights and widebody aircraft, alongside parking, ticketing, check-in, security screening and baggage facilities.
The final configuration includes a walking connection to Terminal D as well as the Skylink station. American’s 2026 project update identifies 2030 as the target for the final phase. Those later facilities are distinct from the first gate opening.
