Downtown ‘T’ line between Gateway Station, Steel Plaza shut down for next 2 months

PITTSBURGH — Downtown subway service has come to a halt on Pittsburgh Regional Transit’s “T” line.

A temporary closure went into effect Friday at 10 p.m.

“I was well prepared for it,” said rider Jeanette Williams.

She and many other riders knew this day was coming.

PRT says the closure of the Downtown subway line between Gateway Station and Steel Plaza will allow construction crews to replace the concrete pedestals that hold the rail lines.

It’s phase one of a multi-part $150 million light rail improvement project.

“I like it especially if they’re making investments to improve the line as it is. It’s always great to have the city spend the money toward the right things,” said rider Mike Pink.

Throughout the closure, PRT will be utilizing the usually inactive Penn Station along the Martin Luther King Jr. East Busway as a detour.

The transit company will be running light rail and shuttle bus alternatives for riders to get around the downtown closure.

PRT asks riders to allow an extra 30 minutes as a precaution.

“It could be worse, right? They could be forced to walk from point A to point B. At least they have shuttle buses,” said Pink.

Despite the disruption, riders we spoke to were happy to see the company is investing in its infrastructure.

“[It’ll be a ] much better system, we’ll be able to ride and be nice and comfortable riding on the T,” Williams said.

The work on the downtown subway line is set to wrap up by May 31.

For detour route info and more details on construction, click here: https://rideprt.org/plinth

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