Bombardier Innovia APM

Innovia APM (stylized as INNOVIA APM) is a rubber-tired automated people mover system (APM) manufactured by Bombardier Transportation. The APM technology was originally developed by Westinghouse, then owned by Adtranz, and most recently acquired by Bombardier in 2001. Since its market debut in 1971, there have been three generations – Innovia APM 100 (known originally as C-100 and CX-100), Innovia APM 200 (originally known as just Innovia people mover) and the latest Innovia APM 300.

Development began in the 1960s when Westinghouse (bought by AEG in 1988, later Adtranz in 1996) first engineered the South Park APM demonstration project in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1963. The technology came to be known as the Skybus, because it was a rubber-tired vehicle, similar to a bus that operated on a designated elevated roadway. From the very beginning, it was designed to be an automated rapid transit system. Engineers believed that it would be able to move 5,000 to 14,000 per hour per direction, and could offer around-the-clock service every two minutes. The first attempts to bring the Skybus technology to market were controversial, with political leaders holding opposing views on the prospects of a rubber-tired mass transit system. Eventually plans to implement a Skybus system in Pennsylvania were rejected. Despite this, work continued on the technology.

In 1971, the first airport people mover system was opened at Tampa International Airport – beginning a new chapter in transportation history. After Westinghouse was acquired by Adtranz, the technology was marketed as the Adtranz C-100 automated people mover system. The C-100 system (and the newer CX-100 system) was relatively successful in the 1980s and 1990s with 14 new systems delivered. As the competing Mitsubishi Crystal Mover technology grew in popularity, Adtranz began developing a new, more aerodynamic model known as Innovia, which started testing in 1999. In addition to its sleeker appearance, the new Innovia people mover also offered greater speeds, tighter turns, full composite construction and a choice in end caps. The first Innovia people mover system delivered opened in 2005 at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. Despite the development of this newer model, Bombardier continued to sell the CX-100 technology under then name Innovia APM 100 while it also marketed the new Innovia people mover technology (last Innovia APM 100 system delivered in 2010). However, after the development of a third generation model and a rebranding strategy by Bombardier to label its entire automated transit system portfolio as ‘INNOVIA’, the two previous models became legacy systems and are no longer marketed to new customers. Although, existing customers can and do still order more vehicles as needed. The third and latest model is called the Innovia APM 300 system. It looks very similar to the original Innovia people mover (now called the Innovia APM 200 system), but is longer, more energy efficient and capable of 6-car train configurations.

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