Pittsburgh International Airport People Movers

Pittsburgh International Airport People Mover System
Landside Terminal station of the People Mover system
Overview
Other name(s)Pittsburgh Airport Tram
StatusActive
OwnerAllegheny County Airport Authority
Line number2 lines
Locale(PIT) Pittsburgh International Airport
Termini
  • Landside Terminal
  • Airside (Midfield Terminal)
Stations2
Websitehttps://flypittsburgh.com/
Service
TypeAutomatic Transit System
SystemPittsburgh International Airport
Services2 stops (2 trains run both directions)
Train number(s)2 trains
Operator(s)Alstom
Depot(s)1 (located at the Landside Terminal)
Rolling stock3 cars per train (2 sets each)
Daily ridership21,917.8082 (divided by passengers annually)
Ridership8 million passengers annually
History
Commenced1990
OpenedOctober 1, 1992
Closed~2025
Technical
Line length2,600 feet
Number of tracks2
CharacterUnderground guideway
Minimum radiusCurves slightly after maintenance shop and near Airside Terminal (near ends of tunnel)
ElectrificationCentral rail
Operating speed32 mph (51 km/h)
SignallingComputerized
Highest elevation1,202 airport elevation (below ground unknown)
Maximum incline

The Pittsburgh International Airport People Mover is a fully automated people mover system at the Pittsburgh International Airport serving Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Designed and installed at a cost of $14 million by AEG-Westinghouse (now Alstom), it runs in two parallel tunnels to connect the Landside Terminal with the Airside Terminal.

History

The Pittsburgh International Airport People Mover began service upon the opening of the new Midfield Terminal on October 1, 1992, using Westinghouse C-100 vehicles (now known as Alstom Innovia APM 100).

To handle increasing passenger traffic, a $9.5 million improvement project was undertaken by Adtranz in 1999.[1] A total of two cars were added to the people mover system; one was added to each train, turning each two-car train into a three-car train. The stations were then expanded to accommodate the extra cars. The project also included refurbishing of the original cars.

Beginning in 2014 and ending in 2016, the second, $11-million project to the tram system was done by Bombardier (now Alstom) as the system was beginning to age. Components like underframes, floors, climate control, and lighting were updated during this project.[2]

The proposed remodeling project for the airport, unveiled in 2017, planned to take the trams out of service permanently because the proposed Landside Terminal was slated to be connected to the existing Airside Terminal. Construction began in 2021 and is slated to be finished in 2025, which could result in the tram being decommissioned and removed around this time.

References

  1. ^ Pitz, Marylynne (1999-09-29), "Passengers take airport project in stride", Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, pp. C1, retrieved November 20, 2008
  2. ^ "Pittsburgh Int'l Rolls Out Renewed Train System | Airport Improvement Magazine". airportimprovement.com. November 2016. Retrieved 2024-02-29.