This is Pittsburgh Pennsylvania. Home to 1.2 million people,
this US city is connected by a network of busways and light rail lines, which service 74 stations in
twelve townships and boroughs. Consisting of three light rail lines and three busways,
the system connects various neighborhoods across Pittsburgh, with trains and buses
running frequently from downtown to the suburbs. But how did the system grow from its original
stations to the network it is today? My name’s Zach, and this is the Evolution of the Network.
The Port Authority was founded in March 1964, and began taking over operations of Pittsburgh’s
transit services. In May of that year, operations of the city’s three incline railways at Castle
Shannon, Monongahela, and Duquesne, were transferred under their control. However
only one month later, the Castle Shannon incline was closed, with service ending in June 1964.
In February 1975, the Port Authority took over operations from the B&O Railroad of
their Mon Valley Commuter Rail Line. The route travelled from Versailles to Grant
Street Station in downtown, making intermediate stops in McKeesport, Braddock, and Hazelwood.
Pittsburgh’s first busway opened in December 1977, with the south busway running south
from the Mount Washington Tunnel. Ten stations were serviced along the route,
with buses running between downtown Pittsburgh and Glenbury, before continuing in mixed
traffic into the southern suburbs. A temporary commuter rail line began operations
in March 1981, with the Parkway Limited running from Greensburg to Pittsburgh’s Penn Station.
Funded by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, the train was put in place
during the reconstruction of the Parkway East, and serviced five intermediate stops along the route.
Service on the PA Train was revised in July 1981, with a new station at Port Vue/Liberty opening on
the south end of the line. At the same time, the Hazelwood stop was closed, having seen very low
ridership in the years prior. In August, the Parkway Limited service was revised,
with the stop at Manor being closed, and a new station opening in its place at Irwin.
In November 1981, service ended on the Parkway Limited, with lower-than-expected ridership
along the route, and traffic congestion on parallel routes being less than anticipated.
In February 1983, Pittsburgh’s second busway opened, with the East Busway running east from
downtown to Wilkinsburg. This new route serviced four intermediate stations,
with buses continuing past the busway to various suburban destinations.
In January 1984, the East Busway was renamed in honor of Martin Luther King Junior.
Light rail service in Pittsburgh began in April 1984, when trains began running between South
Hills Village and Castle Shannon along a rebuilt streetcar line. Streetcar service supplemented
the light rail system, with other routes linking the newly opened line into downtown Pittsburgh.
In July 1985, Pittsburgh’s downtown subway was opened, with three underground stations at
Gateway Centre, Wood Street, and Steel Plaza. The subway was initially serviced only by streetcars,
with light rail vehicles beginning to run through the tunnel in November.
Light Rail service extended south of the river to Station Square,
which offered an interchange with the South Busway and nearby Monongahela incline.
May 1987 saw the two segments of light rail joined to form the Beechview line,
which ran along a converted streetcar right of way. This light rail linked various neighborhoods
along the streetcar route, travelling over a mix of terrain, and serving street level, low level,
and high-level platforms. In June 1988,
an LRT shuttle was launched in downtown, linking Steel Plaza with Penn Station on the East Busway.
Additionally, limited trips on the Beechview line were also extended north to Penn, providing direct
trips to South Hills Village. In December, a second branch of the Beechview line opened, adding
sixteen new stops south from Washington Junction to Library. This line also ran along a converted
streetcar right of way, with the line having been closed to streetcars only two months prior.
Commuter rail service in Pittsburgh ended in April 1989, when the PA Train ceased operations.
The five stations along the route were also closed at this time, with many of the original
platforms remaining abandoned to this day. In June 1993, the LRT shuttle between Steel Plaza
and Penn Station also ended, although limited service on the Beechview line to Penn was retained.
In October, light rail vehicles began operating on the 52 Allentown route,
running between South Hills Junction and Gateway Centre, serving 10 street-level stops.
Pittsburgh’s third busway opened in September 2000, with the west busway beginning service. The
roadway serviced six new stations along a former railway, and includes a 2100-foot-long tunnel
between Sheraden and Ingram. A new light rail station opened in downtown Pittsburgh in November
2001, with First Avenue station servicing trains on the Beechview and Allentown routes.
In June 2003, a three-stop extension of the east busway opened, adding service to Swissvale.
Another light rail line was launched in June 2004, with the Overbrook line beginning operations.
Starting from downtown, the line followed the Beechview route to South Hills Junction,
before servicing eight new stations along a former streetcar right-of way. The line
then continues south on the existing tracks to Washington Junction, before taking over the Beechview
line service to Library. A new station on the Beechview line also opened at Overbrook Junction,
offering a walking connection to the new Overbrook line station at Willow. In September of that year,
a rush hour branch of the Overbrook line began, adding limited service to South Hills Village.
Light rail service to Penn Station ended in September 2007, with only two weekday trips
remaining at that time. Additionally, rush hour service on the Beechview line was cut
back to Overbrook Junction, with only Overbrook line service being offered. In October 2009,
construction of a light rail extension forced the closure of Gateway Centre station in downtown,
with all trains now ending at Wood Street. Branding on the light rail system was simplified
in April 2010, with the route numbers being dropped, and the lines now being referred
to by their colors. At the same time, Overbrook line service to South Hills Village was improved,
with trains now running daily along the branch. However, this arrangement was short lived, with
weekend service on this branch being discontinued in March 2011. At the same time, a 15% service cut
saw the cancellation of the Brown Line, with the remaining trips on the route being cut. Today,
the tracks on this route are still in place, and continue to be used during service disruptions.
In March 2012, construction of the light rail extension concluded, with downtown service
being extended to the north shore. Trains resumed to a relocated Gateway station,
as well as servicing two new stops at North Side and Allegheny. In June of that year,
11 lightly used light rail stops were closed, in order to make service more efficient.
In June 2014, weekend service on the Blue line resumed in South Hills Village, with most red line
trains now ending at Overbrook Junction. Service on the network was further changed in March 2020,
with stops on the Library branch of the Blue line being rebranded to the Silver line.
Finally in November 2020, the Red line was extended back to South Hills Village at all times.
This brings us to the Pittsburgh light rail and busway map that we know today.
That was the evolution of Pittsburgh’s light rail and busway network, giving us the three lines and
three busways that we know today. If you haven’t already, be sure to watch our Evolution of the
Network videos on other American cities, which you can access by clicking the button in the
top right corner. Don’t forget to leave a like if you enjoyed this video, and comment down below to
join in the discussion. My name’s Zach, and I’ll be Vanishing Underground, until the next one.