Pittsburgh Regional Transit's Red Line light rail to reopen on Sept. 1
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Pittsburgh Regional Transit's Red Line light rail will open back up on Sept. 1 after it's been closed for more than two months.
The Red Line closed on June 16 so Pittsburgh Regional Transit could work on a handful of maintenance projects.
Contractors replaced several thousand feet of track, reconstructed four grade crossings and tackled some "non-safety-critical" projects to cut back on potential future closures, PRT said.
Starting Saturday, several test trips will run between Dormont Junction and South Hills Junction. The test cars won't pick riders up.
For some riders, the T is their only method of transportation, so the construction wasn't ideal for them.
"Pretty inconvenient, to be honest. It's been very inconvenient," rider Drew Kaska said.
It's not just T riders who are happy. Bus riders said it has gotten busier with some T riders needing to take the bus.
"Better because the buses wouldn't be overcrowded," bus rider Chardonnay Wilson said while waiting for her bus.
The transit agency says it has more than $150 million in infrastructure improvements planned for the light rail over the next few years. Next year, PRT will finish restoring the concrete rail foundations inside the subway tunnels Downtown. Crews will also start replacing the tracks inside the Mt. Washington Transit Tunnel next year.
"I want to thank our riders for their patience during this project," said Pittsburgh Regional Transit CEO Katharine Kelleman. "I also want to thank Amalgamated Transit Union Local No. 85 for working with us to ensure riders had several alternate options during this closure."