Alstom has announced the entry into service of a set of four Innovia R automated people mover (APM) vehicles at Tampa International Airport (TPA).
The new vehicles began service on Friday 13 March, and form part of an extensive modernisation programme of the airport as a whole.
Thus far, TPA has ordered a total of 16 of the Innovia R cars to replace the existing 30-year-old APM cars (also made by Alstom) – all of which have each logged over 1 million miles.
This latest third-generation model aims to provide quieter, more easily maintainable service, and comes equipped with updated interior features including improved lighting, updated video information screens and doors with obstacle-detection systems. Alstom is installing its Urbalis Flo automatic train control system, which allows trains to run more frequently, increasing the system’s capacity and reducing passenger wait times.
Alstom America’s President Michael Keroullé said:Since 1971 Alstom has worked with the Tampa airport to keep passengers moving swiftly and reliably; some of the cars we’ve provided have logged over 1 million miles. Today we’re proud to celebrate a new milestone in this decades-long partnership, introducing our latest and most advanced APM vehicles into service, designed and manufactured in the United States.
The achievement marks another milestone in Alstom’s 55-year-long collaboration with Tampa International Airport (TPA), which first started in 1971 when an Alstom-made APM system was used to connect travellers from its central terminal to four airside concourses – the first time a driverless transportation system was employed at an airport anywhere in the world.
Currently, the first four Innovia R vehicles are serving as the Blue shuttles to and from the A and C concourses (known as “airsides”). By the end of the year, the APM connections to three of the airport’s four airsides will be equipped with new vehicles and the new signalling system. Alstom is also building the guideways, signalling system and vehicles for the future Airside D, which is expected to open in 2028.
