IU Health People Mover to shut down in February
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) – A modern transportation option, the IU Health elevated tram, will soon stop operating, the hospital provider announced Wednesday.
The dual-track People Mover opened in June 2003 will shut down in February. The tram covers 1.4 miles and connects Methodist, Indiana University and Riley Children’s Health hospitals in downtown Indianapolis. The tram is free for people traveling between the hospitals.
Dr. Ryan Nagy, president of the Methodist and IU hospitals, said in a statement that the cost of maintaining the tram “requires significant investments to maintain.”
Instead, IU Health said in a news release, it will rely on an expanded, free bus shuttle service to provide more convenient, reliable and cheaper transportation for employees, patients, students and the public around its downtown Indianapolis campus.
The buses in the expanded service will hold about 30 people each and run on low-emission propane fuel or natural gas. The buses will provide stops at Methodist and University hospitals, Riley Children’s Health, Simon Family Tower, the pathology lab and Fairbanks Hall.
The buses also could be monitored using a tracker app. The release said a local vendor, which was not named, will operate the buses.
The elevated tram tracks, which also hold a pneumatic tube system and cables serving IU Health, will be kept and maintained after People Mover service is suspended.