The Satellite Transit System (STS) is an automated people mover

People mover

A people mover or automated people mover is a fully automated, grade-separated mass transit system.The term is generally used only to describe systems serving relatively small areas such as airports, downtown districts or theme parks, but is sometimes applied to considerably more complex automated...

 (APM) system operating in the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport

Seattle-Tacoma International Airport

The Seattle–Tacoma International Airport , also known as Sea–Tac Airport or Sea–Tac , is an American airport located in SeaTac, Washington, at the intersections of State Routes 99 and 509 and 518, about west of Interstate 5...

. Originally opening in 1969, the STS system is the second oldest airport people mover system in the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. The APM was designed to quickly transport passengers between SeaTac Airport's Main Terminal and the North and South Satellites.

History

The system opened in 1969 at a total cost of $14 million. The original system consisted of nine vehicles; an additional three were added in the mid-1970s. The system was designed to have a capacity of 14,400 passengers per hour and travel at a maximum speed of 27 miles per hour (12.1 m/s).

The original STS vehicles were built by Westinghouse and had a maximum capacity of 102 passengers. The average travel time for the two loops was 3.3 minutes, and 1.8 minutes on the shuttle, and each vehicle was estimated to amass 47000 miles (75,639 km) annually.

In 1999, the Port of Seattle

Port of Seattle

The Port of Seattle is a port district that runs Seattle's seaport and airport. Its creation was approved by the voters of King County, Washington, on September 5, 1911, authorized by the Port District Act. It is run by a five-member commission. The commissioners' terms run four years...

 authorized $142 million to completely overhaul the entire STS system. The overhaul included all aspects of the system including trains, controls, power supplies, stations, emergency ventilation systems and maintenance shops. The upgrade and modernization was completed in 2003. The 21, Bombardier Innovia APM 100 vehicles use CITYFLO 650 signaling technology and a radio Communication Based Train Control (CBTC) system for its automated operation.

Layout and operation

The STS is located within secure areas of the airport. The system consists of six stations serving each of the four gate concourses extending from the main terminal (Concourses A, B, C and D), and the North and South Satellite terminals. Each station is equipped with platform edge doors

Platform screen doors

Platform screen doors and platform edge doors at train or subway stations screen the platform from the train. They are a relatively new addition to many metro systems around the world, with some platform doors retrofitted rather than installed with the metro system itself. They are widely used in...

. The system consists of two loops serving the satellite terminals and a third line connecting the two loops in the main terminal.

• The North Train Loop is 4100 feet (1,249.7 m) in length and has stations in the D Concourse, the C Concourse and the N Concourse.
• The South Train Loop is 3700 feet (1,127.8 m) in length and has stations in the A Concourse, the B Concourse and the S Concourse.
• The Shuttle Train is 1000 feet (304.8 m) in length and has stations in the A Concourse and D Concourse, and serves as a connection between the North and South Train Loops.

Public art

As part of its 2003 renovation, public art projects were included in the scope of the project. The Main terminal's south station features a series of 56-plus flowers cast of aluminum and aluminum/resin mix created by Nancy Blum. In the Main Terminal's north station is a series of nine paintings created by Karen Ganz representing various travelers.

External links

• Satellite Transit System on the official Seattle-Tacoma International Airport website