Crystal Mover. The Crystal Mover is a rubber-tired automated people mover (APM) system for airport and urban rail transit applications manufactured at Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) Mihara Machinery Works in Mihara, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. The Crystal Mover, initially based on the Japanese APM standard, is used in automated guideway transit (AGT) systems in China, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, the United Arab Emirates and the United States.

Since 2010s MHI has been building and delivering a new family of AGT systems branded Urbanismo as the successor to the Crystal Mover. The Urbanismo family consists of a higher-speed model called "Urbanismo Super AGT" with a top speed of 120 km/h and three customizable models called "Urbanismo-22", "Urbanismo-18", and "Urbanismo-16" with a gross weight of over 22, 18, and 16 tonnes, respectively.

Urban rail systems

Japan 

Between 2014 and 2016, Yurikamome, Inc., which operates the Yurikamome line in Tokyo, purchased a fleet of 18 six-car 7300 series trainsets based on the Urbanismo-18 class to replace all of the 18 six-car 7000 series trainsets. Between June 2018 and June 2020, MHI also delivered 8 six-car 7500 series (upgraded version of 7300 series) trainsets to replace the fleet of 7200 series trainsets.

Saitama New Urban Transit Co., Ltd., which operates the New Shuttle in Saitama Prefecture, purchased a fleet of 5 six-car 2020 series trainsets based on the Urbanismo-16 class to replace the fleet of 3 six-car 1010 series trainsets and 2 six-car 1050 series trainsets from 2015 to 2020. 

In Hiroshima, Hiroshima Rapid Transit purchased 24 six-car 7000 series trainsets based on the Urbanismo class to replace the existing fleet of 23 six-car 6000 series trainsets and 1 six-car 1000 series trainset running on the Astram Line. The 7000 series entered service on 26 March 2020.

The Tokyo Metropolitan Bureau of Transportation purchased a fleet of 12 five-car 330 series trainsets, which are similar in design to the Yurikamome 7300 series trainsets, to replace the fleet of 300 series trainsets running on the Nippori-Toneri Liner from fiscal 2022 to 2024.

Singapore 
In Singapore, Crystal Movers operate on the Sengkang LRT line and the Punggol LRT line, both managed by SBS Transit Ltd. These cars have been operating since 2003 on the Sengkang LRT and on the Punggol LRT since its opening in 2005. There is a fleet of 41 cars of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Crystal Mover C810 in total for the two LRT lines. An additional order was placed for 16 more cars (Contract 810A) with identical specifications to increase capacity on both LRT lines, and had been fully delivered as of 2016. On 5 February 2021, the Land Transport Authority announced that it has purchased 17 two-car C810D trains for the Sengkang and Punggol LRT systems, which will replace the 25 existing one-car trains. In May 2023, the LTA ordered an additional 8 C810D trains, bringing the total number of C810D trains ordered to 25. These 8 two-car trains will replace half of the existing fleet of 16 two-car trains, bringing the total fleet to 33 two-car trains with the first batch of 25 new C810D trains arriving in Singapore on 23 November 2024. They will undergo testing and commissioning works before entering passenger service in the third quarter of 2025.

Macau 

On 31 December 2010, Macau placed a MOP 4.688 billion order for Urbanismo-22 vehicles nicknamed "Ocean Cruiser" for the Macau Light Transit System, which started commercial operation on 10 December 2019. It was free of charge until 31 January 2020.

Airport connections 

Crystal Movers are currently in operation in the following airports, with most applications being in the United States:

Hong Kong 
 HKIA Automated People Mover, Hong Kong International Airport

Singapore 
 Changi Airport Skytrain, Singapore Changi Airport

South Korea 
 Incheon Airport Shuttle Train, Incheon International Airport

United Arab Emirates 
 Dubai International Airport Terminal 3 APM, Dubai International Airport, UAE

United States 
 AeroTrain, Washington Dulles International Airport, United States
 ATL Skytrain, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, United States
 MIA Mover and Skytrain, Miami International Airport, United States
 Orlando International Airport People Movers, Orlando International Airport, United States
 SkyConnect, Tampa International Airport, United States

Specifications 

 Configuration: Single- or double-car
 Capacity (passengers): 105 (including 18 seats) or 210 (including 36 seats)
 Vehicle mass:  per vehicle
 Vehicle dimensions:  (length) ×  (width) ×  (height)
 Guide system: Side guide two-axis four-wheel steering system
 Electric system: Third rail at 750 volts direct current
 Gauge: ; guide rail span: 
 Maximum speed:
 Vehicle performance: 
 Operation: 
 Service acceleration and braking:  (3.6 km/h/s)
 Emergency braking:  (4.68 km/h/s)
 Car body structure: Aluminum alloy welded structure
 Traction motor: Two 3-phase alternating current induction motors each with a continuous rating of 
 Propulsion control system: IGBT–VVVF inverter vector control (individual control of each axis with variable load control)
 Brake system: Electric command pneumatic brake with regenerative brake (with stand-by brake, parking brake, variable load control and wheel slide prevention control)

See also 

 Automated guideway transit
 Rubber-tyred tram and Rubber-tyred metro
Competing systems:
 Bombardier Innovia APM 
 Véhicule Automatique Léger (VAL)

Notes

References

External links 

 
Light Rail Transit (Singapore) rolling stock
Airport people mover systems
Crystal Mover people movers
Crystal Mover
Electric multiple units of Hong Kong
Electric multiple units of the United States
Rolling stock of the United Arab Emirates
Electric multiple units of Malaysia
Electric multiple units of South Korea
Electric multiple units of Japan
Rail transport in Macau