Open for business: North Shore Connector takes inaugural run

PITTSBURGH — Port Authority of Allegheny County officials estimated 80 to 90 people boarded a Red Line train early Sunday morning for the inaugural run of the North Shore Connector.

The crowd included sightseers, curiosity seekers and people on their way to work.

"I didn't even know this was happening," said Brandon Randall, 28, of the Hill District, who usually takes the light rail on Sunday mornings to work at a Mt. Lebanon assisted living center. Randall rode to the North Shore so he could backtrack on the same train. "I shouldn't be on here if it's going to take very long."

The first trip open to the public from Downtown to Heinz Field was several minutes late, but otherwise went off without a glitch, said Winston Simmonds, Port Authority rail operations engineering officer.

"I think it was just because of the extra customers who were out here today," Simmonds said of the delay. "Plus it was the first run, so the operator wanted to be a little extra careful."

The two-car train with a maximum capacity of about 340 driven by veteran rail operator Pat Roth left the Gateway station for Heinz Field just before 5 a.m.

Andrew Grahl and Raymond Mercado drove six hours and 30 minutes from New York City to Pittsburgh to experience the 1.2 mile trip, which took less than two minutes.

"We travel all over the country to document the changing industry of transportation," said Grahl, 36, of Bronx, a rail enthusiast who was taking still photographs and video in the North Shore Station. "It's nice to see it."

The $517 million connector was one of the most expensive and controversial projects in Pittsburgh transportation history. Riders on Sunday were mostly complimentary, but several said the money would have been better spend on rail to Pittsburgh's East End or the North Hills.

"It would have been nice if they could have taken it to the residential sections of the North Side," said Jake Young, 55, of the Mexican War Streets. "It's not really convenient to North Side residents. Delivering people to parking lots and stadiums has never made much sense to me."

This article was written by Channel 11's news exchange partners at TribLIVE

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