TPA starts up new Blue Shuttles at Airsides A and C

Tampa International Airport's latest big update is really on the move this week, as the Airport unveiled new Blue Shuttles being commissioned for travelers to use at Airsides A and C.

Airport officials introduced the sleek, automated cars Thursday by taking a few rides with members of the news media before the new Blue Shuttles were put into public service on Friday, March 13.

Passengers heading to and from the Airsides will notice the same familiar and smooth shuttle rides as always, but with a thoroughly modernized experience.

"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."

The next-generation Innovia APM R shuttle cars - a pair of mated Blue cars at both Airsides - are manufactured by Alstom in its Pittsburgh-area production facility. Alstom is the same company that manufactured the old cars.

These new shuttles not only use Alstom's new proprietary software, but also have entirely new electrical running systems and concrete guideways to make their journey back and forth. The cars feature improved lighting, video information screens and doors with obstacle-detection systems.

"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," Alstom Americas President and CEO Michael Keroullé said. "This is an important part of our broader commitment to support the improvement of airport's shuttle system."

The shuttle systems have been thoroughly tested for operational reliability and safety and now are ready for use. The prior cars were installed in the 1990s and ran for well over 1 million miles each.

The old Red Shuttles at Airsides A and C will continue to operate alongside the Blue Shuttles until early April to help with the extra traffic during the busy spring break travel period, the busiest time of year at TPA. Then the Red Shuttles will be shut down and replaced just like the Blue Side.

A similar update is also taking place at Airside E on a slightly different timeline. All the shuttles at the three Airsides are scheduled to be replaced by later this year.

The guideway rehabilitation and shuttle car replacement for Airsides A and C, which includes design and running surfaces, plus eight cars with their controls and signaling systems, is budgeted to cost $61 million. The Airside E replacement project requires four more cars - the Red Shuttle cars were delivered earlier this year and are currently being installed - plus guideways and switchgear and costs an additional $30 million. The projects are funded with bonds and state grants.

New cars also have been ordered for the forthcoming Airside D. Airside F, which has the newest cars of all the Airsides, is due to get new shuttles in the future.

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