Blue Line (Pittsburgh)


The Blue Line is a Pittsburgh Light Rail line that runs between Downtown Pittsburgh via the Overbrook neighborhood to Library and South Hills Village.

History

The line from South Hills Junction to Castle Shannon was first constructed by the Pittsburgh and Castle Shannon Railroad between 1872 and 1874. In 1905 Pittsburgh Railways leased the route and between 1909 and 1910 converted it from narrow gauge to dual gauge and installed overhead power for trolleys.
Mid-20th century PCC streetcars continued to operate on the Overbrook Line until 1993, when concerns about the safety of the line led PAT to suspend service there pending reconstruction. This former Pittsburgh Railways trolley line had never been updated to current light rail system requirements. After receiving federal funding for Stage Two of the light rail system development, the Overbrook line was reconstructed as a fully rebuilt double-tracked line served by modern light rail vehicles, making this line a considerably faster commute.
The line was reopened on June 2, 2004 following major work which included doubling of the track and elimination of 22 traditional street level trolley stops in favor of eight new LRV style stations with platforms.

Route

The line starts at Allegheny station on the North Shore, makes an additional stop at North Side, then proceeds under the Allegheny River and continues underground to Gateway Center, Wood Street and Steel Plaza. The line then surfaces at First Avenue. Leaving downtown, it crosses the Monongahela River on the Panhandle Bridge, stopping at Station Square before running through the Mount Washington Transit Tunnel. At South Hills Junction the Library branch rejoins the Beechview line and the former Brown Line, which ran over Mount Washington through the Allentown neighborhood. The Blue Line continues south through Beltzhoover, Bon Air, Carrick, Brookline, and Overbrook. At Bethel Park a transfer is provided to the Red Line, which reaches the same location via Beechview. Beyond Washington Junction the line splits.
The South Hills Village branch was created in 1987 to complement the Red Line, which runs through Beechview before reaching the same terminus. This line was originally operated using PCCs, most notably the 4000 series, because the new light rail cars were incompatible with the Overbrook line due to its age and condition. Service was suspended when the Overbrook Line closed in 1993, but was reinstated after that line was rebuilt and reopened in 2004.
On June 25, 2012, the Port Authority closed two stations on the South Hills Village Branch as part of a system-wide consolidation: Santa Barbara and Martin Villa.

Station list

The Pittsburgh Light Rail has three types of stations. They are low platform, high platform, and underground. High platform and underground stations are wheelchair accessible as the train doors are level with the platform. Low platform stations are not wheelchair accessible as they require passengers to climb stairs to board the light rail vehicle.
NameMilesStation TypeOther servicesMunicipality
Allegheny 0.00high platform, Pittsburgh / Chateau
North Side 0.51underground, Pittsburgh / North Shore
Gateway Center 1.00underground, Pittsburgh / Central Business District
Wood Street 1.26underground, Pittsburgh / Central Business District
Steel Plaza 1.55underground, Pittsburgh / Central Business District
First Avenue 1.88high platform, Pittsburgh / Central Business District
Station Square 2.41high platform,,, Pittsburgh / South Shore
South Hills Junction 3.25high platform,, Pittsburgh / Mt. Washington
Boggs 3.66high platformPittsburgh / Beltzhoover
Bon Air 4.30high platformPittsburgh / Bon Air
Denise 5.09high platformPittsburgh / Carrick
South Bank 5.49high platform, Pittsburgh / Overbrook
McNeilly 6.73high platformPittsburgh / Overbrook
Killarney 7.06high platformCastle Shannon
Memorial Hall 7.76high platformCastle Shannon
Willow 8.31high platformCastle Shannon
St. Anne's8.69low platform, Castle Shannon
Smith Road8.97low platform, Castle Shannon
Washington Junction 9.21high platform, Bethel Park
Casswell9.69low platform Bethel Park
Highland9.98low platform Bethel Park
Bethel Village10.46low platform Bethel Park
Dorchester10.75low platform Bethel Park
South Hills Village 11.02high platform Upper St. Clair