Tampa International Airport has placed new Blue shuttle cars into service at Airsides A and C, replacing vehicles that have operated on the system since the 1990s.
The automated trains began carrying passengers Friday, March 13, after airport officials previewed the system with members of the media a day earlier. The shuttle system carries travelers between the Main Terminal and the airport’s airsides.
Passengers will notice updated interiors and information screens, though the ride itself remains the short trip that has defined the airport’s layout for decades.
New shuttle cars replace aging system
The new vehicles are Innovia APM R automated people movers manufactured by Alstom at its production facility near Pittsburgh. Two mated Blue cars operate at each airside.
The upgrade includes new operating software, electrical running systems and rebuilt concrete guideways. The cars also feature improved lighting, video information screens and doors equipped with obstacle detection systems.
“TPA’s signature shuttles go back to our opening in 1971, and were the first of their kind at any airport in the world when they debuted,” Tampa International Airport CEO Michael Stephens said. “Now we are proud to offer another first, with TPA being the first airport in the world to offer these brand-new shuttles coupled with the new technology and operating system that will be guiding them.”
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The previous cars serving Airsides A and C were installed in the 1990s and logged more than 1 million miles each during their time in service, according to the airport.
The current project replaces both the vehicles and the infrastructure that supports them, including guideways, control systems and signaling equipment.
Alstom also built the earlier cars.
“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,” said Michael Keroullé, president and CEO of Alstom Americas.
Airport officials said the new system completed reliability and safety testing before entering service.
Red shuttles to phase out after spring break
The transition to the new cars will take place in phases. The older Red shuttles at Airsides A and C will continue operating alongside the Blue cars through early April to accommodate the spring break travel surge, typically the airport’s busiest period of the year.
After that, the Red shuttles will be removed from service.
The work at Airsides A and C is part of a broader modernization of TPA’s airside shuttle system. A similar replacement is underway at Airside E on a separate timeline, and the airport expects all shuttle cars at those three airsides to be replaced later this year.
$91 million modernization effort
TPA has budgeted $61 million for the Airsides A and C guideway rehabilitation and shuttle car replacement, which includes design work, running surfaces and eight cars along with their control and signaling systems.
The Airside E replacement project includes four additional cars, plus guideways and switchgear, at a cost of $30 million.
Airport officials said the projects are funded through bonds and state grants.
Additional shuttle cars have been ordered for the future Airside D terminal. Airside F, which currently operates the newest vehicles in the system, is expected to receive replacement shuttles in a future phase of the program.
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