Alstom to provide new signaling technology, other upgrades for Miami’s Metromover system

June 24, 2021
Alstom will also introduce new features that will increase reliability and availability, lower maintenance costs and enable more efficient operation while maximizing passenger safety.

The Miami-Dade County Department of Transportation and Public Works (DTPW) has selected Alstom to provide its Cityflo 650 Communications-Based Train Control (CBTC) solution for the Miami-Dade Metromover system.  

Under the contract, Alstom will also replace or refurbish the power distribution system, the Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) System, guideway switches and other elements that make up the Metromover system. Alstom will also introduce new features that will increase reliability and availability, lower maintenance costs and enable more efficient operation while maximizing passenger safety. 

Opened in 1986, the Miami-Dade Metromover system was the first urban application of the Westinghouse Automated People Mover (APM) technology, which is now part of the Alstom product portfolio. Over the years, the system has been expanded and the vehicle fleet has been replaced but some of the major subsystems are reaching the end of their design life. 

“We are pleased to be supporting Miami-Dade County in modernizing the iconic Metromover system, which has been serving area residents and visitors for 35 years, and to be helping the county meet its future mobility requirements,” said Jérôme Wallut, president, Alstom Americas. “This contract reinforces Alstom’s position as one of the world’s leading suppliers of CBTC technology.” 

The Cityflo 650 solution has been designed to meet safety, reliability, maintainability and availability requirements. The technology also allows a high degree of operating flexibility to accommodate peak passenger demands and will be able to connect with future mobility projects in Miami. Cityflo 650 was first installed in 2003 on the APM system at San Francisco International Airport. Today, the Cityflo 650 solution has been adopted on more than 30 rail lines worldwide, with nearly another 30 under implementation. 

The Metromover signaling upgrade will be led out of Pittsburgh, Penn., with many of the CBTC developers participating, supported by a local team that will manage the project execution phase. Alstom’s Miami-Dade local partners and subcontractors, including nearly a dozen Disadvantaged Business Enterprise firms, will round out the team. 

Alstom says it will bring and leverage its turnkey approach to the project to ensure the system’s signaling, communications and wayside elements are fully integrated and that the delivery schedule is optimized.