PITTSBURGH — Two major projects planned for Pittsburgh Regional Transit’s “T” line are scheduled to begin next month.
PRT said the projects are aimed at increasing reliability and improving safety.
Plinth Project
Portions of the T in Downtown Pittsburgh will be closed for about two months while crews repair and replace the plinth, which is the concrete beam that supports the tracks. The project will be completed in two sections:
From Jan. 2 to early February:
Rail service from the South Hills will temporarily end at First Avenue Station. Shuttle buses will operate every 10 minutes between First Avenue and Steel Plaza while a “Subway Local” rail car will operate every 15 minutes between Steel Plaza and Allegheny stations.
PRT’s contractor will halt work to accommodate any yet-to-be scheduled Steelers games at Acrisure Stadium. Should the contractor complete the work early or need to extend the schedule, updates will be posted at www.rideprt.org/plinth.
From early February to early March
The T will be closed between Steel Plaza and Gateway stations. The Wood Street Station will not be in service.
Service from the South Hills will end at Penn Station, the normally inactive light-rail station along the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. East Busway near The Pennsylvanian. Shuttle buses will operate every 10 minutes between Penn Station and Gateway Station while a “Subway Local” rail car operates every 10 minutes between Gateway and Allegheny stations.
Rail Grinding Project
Crews will be grinding the rail in the South Hills starting in January. PRT said this is critical maintenance work that restores the profile of the rail by removing defects using a special machine to bring the rail to a uniform standard. A fundamental part of rail maintenance programs, rail grinding not only extends rail life but also reduces wear on the rail car wheels and improves ride quality.
This three-year $1.5 million project will run from January to March each year until 2027.
Rail grinding will start the first or second week of the year. The work will be conducted on weekdays during the day, although some overnight and weekend work will be required.
Rail grinding will occur in sections: From South Hills Village to Washington Junction; from Washington Junction to Willow; from Willow to South Hills Junction; and, if time permits, from Washington Junction to Library Station.
Rail cars will be single-tracking through those areas so no station will be taken out of service completely.
Signs will be posted indicating when a platform is out of service; whenever the inbound platform is closed, riders can use the outbound platform and when the outbound platform is closed, riders can use the inbound platform. More information about the rail grinding project is available at www.rideprt.org/railgrinding.
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