On Friday Dec. 30 I went to Pittsburgh to ride the streetcar system. I got a few photos including some street trackage running.
The first two photographs feature street running in the Beechview area. That is followed by a
a Silver line train, but I forgot the name of the station
Finally, we see a restored PCC at the Heinz History Museum It was a fun day trip.
Photographs by Todd Dillon
Light rail vehicles have resumed operation through the Mt. Washington Transit Tunnel in Pittsburgh.
Pittsburgh Regional Transit said it has completed a two-year project to install a $14.1 million electrical system upgrade project.
Light rail vehiicles have been unable to use the tunnel during that work.
The 3,500-foot tunnel was built in 1904 beneath Mt. Washington and Beltzhoover. It has been closed nearly every night since the project began in July 2020.
It is the only tunnel in the United States shared by light-rail and bus service.
A Pittsburgh light rail system train derailed on Wednesday in Dormont.
Pittsburgh Regional Transit officials said there were no injuries in the mishap, which disrupted service on the Red Line for more than three hours.
The derailment occurred at about 10 a.m. near Kelton Avenue southwest of downtown Pittsburgh.
Officials did not give a cause of the derailment, saying it remains under investigation.
The Port Authority of Allegheny County has released a 25-year plan calling for improvements in Pittsburgh’s light rail system by reopening a now-closed rail line.
The plan also envisions reducing service on the lightly used Library line.
Although the Port Authority wants to create a route to the Pittsburgh International Airport the plan did not say what mode of transportation will be used to do that.
The plan also calls for increased service in a number of areas but did not list many specifics.
Portions of the Mount Washington Transit Tunnel in Pittsburgh were closed this week after storms led to runoffs that created landslides.
Officials with the Port Authority of Allegheny County, which operates the city’s light rail network, said they expect the tunnel to reopen in both directions on Monday morning.
The tunnel is used by light rail trains and Port Authority buses.
Since Tuesday only outbound trains and buses have been able to use the tunnel and they were confined to the inbound lanes.
During the closure trains have been rerouted to the dormant Allentown Line while buses have been detoured around the tunnel.
Officials said the landslides have blocked the exits from the tunnel of the outbound lanes.
The landslides occurred below Paul Street.
Port Authority spokesman Adam Brandolph said on Friday that workers are removing trees and vegetation from the hillside and rocks and dirt from the landslide site.
Workers from the Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority will need to repair a sewer damaged by the landslide, but buses and trains can use the tunnel during that work.
Officials have said a faulty sewer drain was the cause of the landslides because storm water was unable to drain into the sewer system and instead cascades down the hillside.
“There’s an ongoing problem with drainage from Paul Street on Mount Washington,” Brandolph said. “We will not be fully reopening the tunnel until our engineers can review the hillside and we are sure it is safe to do so.”
Because trains on the Allentown line don’t stop at Station Square, the Port Authority is running shuttle buses from Station Square to the First Avenue station for riders who normally ride inbound from there.
A Pittsburgh light rail station damaged by a Norfolk Southern derailment has reopened.
The derailment on Aug. 5 forced the closing of the Station Square station.
On Thursday, the Port Authority of Allegheny County reopened the station for outbound riders.
Inbound passengers will continue to be detoured through the Allentown neighborhood until tests are completed of the new track.
The Port Authority hopes to restore full service this weekend.
The NS derailment sent containers from a Chicago-bound double-stack train down an embankment and into the station, damaging 1,600 feet of track and 4,000 feet of power lines.
Sections of sidewalk, drainage inlets and a concrete wall also had to be repaired.
A Pittsburgh light rail line station knocked out of service by a Norfolk Southern derailment is not expected to reopen for another three to four weeks.
The Port Authority of Allegheny County said on Monday it has hired consultants and contractors to repair track and equipment damaged by the Aug. 5 derailment of an NS stack train on the Mon Line at the Station Square light rail station.
The T stop at Station Square has been closed since the derailment.
Inspectors found that 1,600 feet of track sustained extensive damage and will need to be replaced.
Also needing replacement is about 4,000 feet of overhead electrical line and the supports for the overhead.
The derailment also shut down the NS Mon Line for three days. The derailment occurred a few minutes after a light-rail train had passed.
One lane of East Carson Street remains closed to allow workers access to the light rail tracks.
A Port Authority spokesman said a cost estimate to repair the damages has not yet been calculated but the agency will seek reimbursement from NS or through insurance.
Although not directly connected to the NS derailment, the Port Authority said hiring contractors to repair the Station Square damage will enable workers to continue to work on the Blue Line in Library where flooding earlier this summer caused significant damage.
That route was expected to open on Sept. 1, but now authorities say that will likely be pushed back because of the NS derailment.
The Port Authority said it will review the NS accident after track and infrastructure repairs are complete to determine if additional safety measures are needed to protect the T station and system in the event of a future freight train derailment.
Implementation of a new fare collection system on the light rail network in Pittsburgh has been delayed.
The Port Authority of Allegheny County had planned to implement a cashless, proof-of-payment system but has put that off because, among reasons, it has not yet received all of its ConnectCard machines that dispense the new fare cards and tickets at stations.
Once the system is operational, PAT trains will no longer accept cash payments. Passengers will instead use pre-purchased ConnectCards that are validated on the platform before boarding.
The transit agency said the new system will speed up boarding by enabling doors to be opened at more locations.
Originally expected to be in place by June, the additional card machines will not arrive until October.
Another factor has been software performance problems on existing ConnectCard machines and issues with the validators that are part of the new system.
“The goal of the policy is to make the customer experience better, but in order to make that happen, all of the equipment must be available, functional and reliable,” said David Donahoe, the Port Authority’s interim chief executive officer, in a statement.
“Because these items will take time to resolve, I’m not prepared to announce a new start date until I see the results of the work now underway, including field testing.”
The light rail network in Pittsburg is getting Wi-Fi connections as a result of a recent agreement between the Port Authority of Allegheny County and Comcast.
The seven-year contract calls for Comcast to install free Wi-Fi hotspots at seven Pittsburgh region light-rail stations.
Light rail passengers will be able to go online from their smart phones or other electronic devices.
The agency said the project comes at not cost to it. Comcast currently provides Wi-Fi service for transit users in Philadelphia, Boston and southern New Jersey.
“We’re excited to be able to provide this amenity to our riders,” said Port Authority Chief Executive Officer Ellen McLean. “This is yet another step in our ongoing effort to enhance the public transit experience, and will be invaluable once we roll out real-time tracking on our light rail vehicles.”
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