A Day on the Pittsburgh Light Rail System

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

3 Transit Systems to Get Federal Station Improvement Grants

Public transit systems in Cleveland, Pittsburgh and Philadelphia are among the recipients of grants from the Federal Transit Administration to be used to modernize stations and improve their accessibility.

The agencies are sharing in $686 million being awarded to 15 projects. The grant funding is coming from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.

Greater Cleveland Transit Authority will receive $8 million to rebuild its East 79^th Street rapid station to make it more accessible.

The 1920s era station will receive new ramps, concrete platforms, rail crossings, warning panels, canopy-covered concrete stairs, upgraded emergency call boxes, and slip-resistant walking surfaces.

Pittsburgh Regional Transit will receive $24.4 million to make the Bethel Village, Westfield, St. Anne’s, and Shiras stations on the Red Line ADA accessible. Station improvements will include installing a high platform for level boarding, shelters on the boarding platform, ramps, accessible signage and auditory support.

The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority will receive $56 million to make its 11th Street subway station on the Market-Frankford Subway Line and the Chinatown, Erie, Fairmount Upper Level, Fairmount Lower Level and Snyder stations on the Broad Street Subway Line accessible.

The stations were built in the early 20^th century. Work will include installing elevators, general station upgrades, ramps, and making path of travel improvements.

Pittsburgh Tunnel Reopened to Transit Rail Vehicles

A Pittsburgh light rail car emerges from the Mt. Washington transit tunnel in July 2011.

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.

No Injuries in Pittsburgh Transit Derailment

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.

Agency Renamed Pittsburgh Regional Transit

The Pittsburgh public transit agency has rebranded itself as Pittsburgh Regional Transit.

Formerly known as the Port Authority of Allegheny County, the agency said the name change better reflects what it does.

“For decades, the name Port Authority has led people to jokingly ask where the boats are, so to have a name and brand that reflects the agency and its work is significant,” said Jeffrey W. Letwin, Chair of the 11-member PRT governing board.

“Our new name acknowledges that we’re not just part of the community; the community is a part of us,” said PRT CEO Katharine Kelleman.

Officials said they intend for the acronym to be pronounced not by its letters but as “part.”

The Port Authority established a unified public transit system in March 1964 through the consolidation of 33 private transit carriers, many of which had been in were in dire financial straits since 1959.

The new identity will be phased in over the next year with schedules, brochures, the website and signs redesigned in stages. Transit vehicle will receive decals and a wholly new design as they are purchased.

PRT officials said there will be no changes in fares or services.

The agency has 2,600 employees and operates light rail, bus, incline (Monongahela and Duquesne) and paratransit services serving 60 million riders a year.

The 26.2-mile light rail network serves 27 stations from downtown Pittsburgh.

Heading for Downtown Pittsburgh

Port Authority of Allegheny County transit car No. 4011 is bound for Pittsburgh in this photo taken in Castle Shannon, Pennsylvania, in April 1990. PAT 4008 is waiting beside the Castle Shannon Administrative Building.

Photograph by Robert Farkas

Turning on the Loop

Port Authority of Allegheny County (Pittsburgh) public transit car 4009 is rounding the PCC turn back loop in Castle Shannon, Pennsylvania, in the summer of 1999. Note the more modern transit car behind it.

Photograph by Robert Farkas

Pittsburgh Transit Stations Getting Renovations

The Port Authority of Allegheny County has stepped up the rehabilitation of stations along its Red Line rail line in Pittsburgh.

The agency began the project at the Fallowfield Station in the Beechview neighborhood.

A temporary closure of the rail line enabled the port authority to speed up its schedule of station repairs, agency officials said.

The work includes repairing concrete platforms and metal railings, replacing tactile pads, refurbishing overhead canopies, and painting.

Station repair is expected to cost $10.8 million and includes work at 18 high-platform stations.

Until the Red Line was knocked out of service by a bridge closure, the port authority had been planning to launch the station rehabilitation project in the spring.

A shift in the deck of a bridge over Saw Mill Run Boulevard led the port authority to close the Red Line on Feb. 4.

Engineers determined the bridge shifted after water penetrated a concrete portion of the bridge and froze during a winter storm.

Port authority officials have not said when the bridge will be repaired and reopened.

Pittsburgh Transit Agency Gets FTA Grant

The Port Authority of Allegheny County in Pittsburgh will receive a $216.9 million grant from the Federal Transit Administration through its American Rescue Plan program.

The grant is part of more than $30 billion for public transportation in the American Rescue Plan Act, signed into law last March. No local share is required for this funding.

Pa. Transit Agencies to Increase Capacity

Public transit agencies in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia are increasing the capacity of trains and buses at the end of this month.

Pittsburgh’s Port Authority of Allegheny County said it will increase light rail and bus capacity on May 31 and lift all limits on June 20.

Limits will rise from 25 to 35 at the end of May. “What we’ve heard is some businesses may be starting to have workers come back to their offices,” a Port Authority spokesman said. “We want to be prepared for that when it occurs.”

The Philadelphia-based Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority will lift capacity limits on its trains and buses on June 1.

In a statement the agency said removing vehicle capacity limits to meet increased ridership demand is a major step in the region’s recovery.

The statement said that a mask requirement will remain in place.