Allentown T Line Back In Operation For Commuters After Station Square Train Derailment
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PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- The news is good Monday night for people in the South Hills whose morning commute into Pittsburgh was delayed, in some cases for several hours.
Sunday afternoon, seven rail cars on a Norfolk Southern train derailed, and at least one tumbled onto the Light Rail tracks near the Station Square T stop.
Light rail vehicles are unable to serve the Station Square stop while crews work to remove the rail cars.
The Port Authority says the T Line is now up and running through the Allentown section, so that means there will be no need to get off the T and onto a bus before commuters reach their final destination.
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Monday morning, in the middle of rush hour, bus shuttles had to be rushed into service.
The reason was because a worker on a backhoe pulled live electrical lines off one of the derailed freight train cars on the South Side and that caused the power lines to be deactivated.
That forced hundreds of commuters to wait in long lines to catch shuttle buses. The Port Authority pressed more buses into service, but the delays were definitely an inconvenience for many.
Carmella Harris was one of many commuters who was inconvenienced by the T problems.
"I'm already an hour and a half waiting to get to work, and I still got to get to another shuttle to get to the North Shore. I know it's not their fault, but they should have more shuttle buses," Harris said.
The Port Authority hopes the Allentown line will remain in service for both Tuesday's commute and Tuesday night's Taylor Swift concert on the North Shore.
UPDATE: The @PGHtransit Light Rail will be operational for tomorrow's Taylor Swift #reptourPittsburgh. However, riders will not be able to get on/off at the Station Square exit. Please plan your trip to the North Shore accordingly.
For more info, visit https://t.co/oZLbzqZwRR pic.twitter.com/FZ3EymjQrU
— Heinz Field (@heinzfield) August 6, 2018
Buses and motorists are also affected by the derailment.
West Carson Street from the Smithfield Street Bridge to Arlington Avenue remains closed. The Smithfield Street Bridge is also closed. Multiple bus routes that travel along West Carson Street and the Smithfield Street Bridge are being detoured.
More information on the detours can be found at PortAuthority.org.
