Station Square station

This article is about the current PRT light rail station. For the Pittsburgh & Lake Erie Railroad Station, see Pittsburgh & Lake Erie Railroad Station.

For other uses, see Station Square (disambiguation).

Station Square station is an intermodal transit station in the South Shore neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, located at the Station Square shopping and entertainment complex. It is served by the Red Line, Blue Line, and Silver Line of the Pittsburgh Light Rail network, and is the northern terminus of the South Busway. The station is near the Monongahela Incline and the Gateway Clipper Fleet.

Station Square
Pittsburgh Light Rail station
General information
Location	Smithfield Street Bridge at Carson Street Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Coordinates	40.4317°N 80.0033°W / 40.4317; -80.0033
Owned by	Pittsburgh Regional Transit
Platforms	2 side platforms
Tracks	2
Construction
Structure type	At-grade
Parking	160 spaces
Accessible	Yes
History
Opened	1985
Passengers
2018	1,304[1] (weekday boardings)
Services
Preceding station Pittsburgh Regional Transit Following station First Avenue toward Allegheny Blue Line South Hills Junction toward South Hills Village Red Line Silver Line South Hills Junction toward Library Terminus South Busway South Hills Junction toward Glenbury or Dawn
Former services Preceding station Port Authority of Allegheny County Following station Steel Plaza toward Gateway 47D Drake 1984–1993 South Hills Junction toward Drake
Location

History

This station is named after the nearby Station Square shopping and entertainment complex. The station was not originally planned to be built; instead, the light rail system was to bypass the newly created development because officials felt that there would not be enough ridership demand to justify the station. Active lobbying by Arthur P. Ziegler, Jr., President of Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation, and developer of Station Square ensured that the station was constructed. Over three million tourists visit Station Square each year.

Originally designed and built by Daniel Sifer, the station encompasses railings rescued by Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation from the Brady Street Bridge, which was demolished in 1978. In the late 1990s, DRS Architects renovated the station and provided architectural details in glass that reflected the design in the Brady Street Bridge railings.

On August 5, 2018, a Norfolk Southern freight train running on the Mon Line derailed east of Station Square station and blocked the freight tracks, forcing service to be suspended.^[2] The derailed cars fell down the hillside and onto the light rail tracks and damaged 1,600 feet (490 m) of light rail tracks; 4,000 feet (1,200 m) of overhead electrical wires; and some concrete on the Panhandle Bridge.^[3] The derailment caused no injuries, as it occurred 2 minutes after a T light rail train departed the station.^[4] During cleanup and inspections of the area, the Mount Washington Transit Tunnel was closed and trains were rerouted via the former Brown Line through Allentown.^[5] The outbound tracks were opened on August 23,^[6] while inbound service resumed on August 25 after repairs were completed.^[7] A preliminary report by the Federal Railroad Administration's investigation team found that a fractured track caused the derailment.^[8] Norfolk Southern filed a lawsuit in December 2018 seeking $1.1 million in reimbursements from the city for the incident, claiming that they had neglected to maintain the hillside.^[9]

Connecting services

• Y45 Baldwin Manor Flyer
• Y47 Curry Flyer
• Y49 Prospect Park Flyer
• Y46 Elizabeth Flyer
• 39 Brookline
• 41 Bower Hill
• 44 Knoxville
• 48 Arlington Heights
• 51 Carrick
• 51L Carrick Limited
• Y1 Large Flyer
• MMVTA Route A
• FACT Commuter Route
• Monongahela Incline

See also

• Station Square
• Pittsburgh & Lake Erie Railroad Station
• Monongahela Incline

References

1. "System Map Winter 2018". Port Authority.
2. Conroy, Anthony; Rotstein, Gary; Kirkland, Kevin (August 5, 2018). "'We came very close to having a tragedy:' Freight cars derail above Station Square T stop". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved August 9, 2018.
3. Blazina, Ed (August 9, 2018). "Port Authority finds 'extensive damage' to its tracks after Norfolk Southern derailment". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved August 9, 2018.
4. Bradbury, Shelly; Smeltz, Adam (August 6, 2018). "How close is close? Derailed freight train was minutes from striking Port Authority T, agency says". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved August 9, 2018.
5. Lindstrom, Natasha (August 6, 2018). "Train derailment slows commute via Pittsburgh's rails, roads: 5 things to know Tuesday". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Retrieved August 9, 2018.
6. "Port Authority To Resume Inbound T Service Through Station Square Saturday". KDKA. August 24, 2018. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
7. "Station Square T stop reopens after freight train derailment". Almanac. August 27, 2018. Retrieved January 8, 2019.
8. Blazina, Ed (November 21, 2018). "Broken track caused Norfolk Southern freight train derailment at Station Square". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved January 8, 2019.
9. Blazina, Ed (December 20, 2018). "Norfolk Southern sues Pittsburgh seeking $1.1M in costs from 2016 landslide above Station Square". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved January 8, 2019.

External links

• Station from Google Maps Street View