TPA removes Red shuttles at Airside E

Tampa International Airport has retired another set of its aging Airside shuttle system, with the Red shuttle cars at Airside E getting removed this week to prepare for all-new, upgraded models.

A crane lifted the two cars off the Airside E guideway the night of Dec. 10 into the early morning of Dec. 11, placing them both on a flatbed truck for removal. These cars were installed in 2001 and have made about 4.6 million trips across the guideway.

The operation was similar to the shuttle car removals at Airsides A and C, which were commissioned in the 1990s and have rolled between their respective Airsides and the Main Terminal for about 1 million miles.

The red shuttle cars at Airside E will be replaced next year with the next-generation APM-300R shuttle cars manufactured by Alstom in its Pittsburgh-area production facility. Alstom is the same company that manufactured the old cars.

TPA will be the first Airport in the country to use the sleek, modern automated cars in conjunction with the new, proprietary software from Alstom to run them. This will thoroughly modernize the passenger journey aboard the shuttles while maintaining the familiar and efficient experience TPA travelers have had since the modern Airport opened in 1971.

The work involves removing the old cars, replacing the electrical running system and concrete guideways on which they run, and then installing and testing the new cars to ensure they are working smoothly. Since the software and shuttle cars are new, the testing phase has been proceeding carefully to optimize their operation.

That has left three of TPA's Airsides with only one pair of shuttle cars in service instead of the usual two pairs. Once the modern cars are ready for passengers, they will go into operation and the alternate set of older shuttle cars will go through the same process. All the shuttles are scheduled to be replaced in 2026.

Blue shuttle cars have already been installed at both Airsides A and C for testing. The new Red shuttle cars for Airside E will be delivered in the coming weeks.

The guideway rehabilitation and shuttle car replacement for those two Airsides, 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 plus guideways and switchgear and costs an additional $30 million. The projects are being 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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