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Recommended Public Transit Projects for the Eastern Corridor
Click here to view a list of recommended public transit investments that are being recommended to meet many of the public transit needs of the eastern corridor.

View additional information, such as the number of stations and estimated construction costs, for each proposed alternative.

When A Station Is More Than Just A Station
Click here to learn more about transit station planning and view a variety of different conceptual station designs. This information was shared with the public at a series of Eastern Corridor Transit Study Station Design Workshops in February 2003.

Have We Heard From You?
The Eastern Corridor Transit Study Project Team wants to hear from you or your organization.
Learn more about community involvement opportunities by
clicking here.


View the Purpose and Needs Report
The ECTS will ultimately identify transit alternatives that address transportation and development needs within the corridor.
The first step in this process was to identify the purpose and needs of the study.
This is conducted by gathering public input and analyzing existing demographic and transportation data.
The report offers this information along with the corridor's community and transportation needs.

Pages: 1-8 9-17 18-25 26-33 34-41 42-49 50-59 60-69 70-79 80-89 90-100

What We Heard From You
View a summary of public comments from round II public meetings, community meetings and the project's corridor working groups.

Corridor

Mode

Alignment

Advantages

Allegheny Valley

Commuter Rail

Begins at 16th Street in the Strip District, travels to 21st Street, and uses the Allegheny Valley Railroad right-of-way to Lower Burrell.

  • Good potential to attract ridership
  • Considerable public interest
  • Available right-of-way

Allegheny Valley

Light Rail

Begins in Downtown at the Convention Center, travels to 21st Street and connects the Allegheny Valley Railroad right-of-way to Lower Burrell.

  • Good potential for increased transit ridership
  • Good potential for reducing congestion in Downtown
  • Available right-of-way

Martin Luther King, Jr. East Busway

Light Rail

Converts the entire East Busway to light rail transit, including the connection to Oakland via the Neville Ramp. The alignment would continue from Swissvale along the Norfolk Southern and Union Railroad rights-of-way to Monroeville and Plum.

  • Good access to key activity centers
  • Good potential to attract ridership
  • Supports Transit Oriented Development

Martin Luther King, Jr. East Busway

Busway

Extends the existing East Busway, which has a connection to Oakland via the Neville Ramp, from Swissvale along the Norfolk Southern Railroad and Union Railroad rights-of-way to Monroeville and Plum.

  • Good access to key activity centers
  • Good potential to attract ridership
  • Extends existing transit guideway
  • Supports Transit Oriented Development

Martin Luther King, Jr. East Busway

(Parkway East)

Light Rail

Converts the East Busway to light rail with an extension to Murrysville along I-376 and Business Route 22.

  • Good potential to attract ridership
  • Good access to key activity centers
  • Supports Transit Oriented Development
  • Utilizes existing right-of-way

Martin Luther King, Jr. East Busway

(Parkway East)

Busway

Extends the East Busway to Murrysville along I-376 and Business Route 22.

  • Good potential to attract ridership
  • Good access to key activity centers
  • Supports Transit Oriented Development
  • Utilizes existing right-of-way

Spine Line

Light Rail

Begins in Downtown at the Steel Plaza Subway Station and travels along Centre Avenue through the Hill District. Via 5th Avenue or Forbes Avenue, the alignment would travel through Oakland to Squirrel Hill and to Wilkinsburg via Forbes Avenue.

  • Significantly improves access to key activity centers
  • Strong potential to attract ridership
  • Provides a direct rapid transit connection between Downtown and Central Oakland
  • High potential to improve transit travel time
  • Good potential for reducing congestion in Downtown

Spine Line

Light Rail

Begins in Downtown at the Steel Plaza Subway Station and travels along Centre Avenue via fifth avenue. The alignment then extends through Oakland, to the CSX Railroad right-of-way near Neville Street then south on the CSX Railroad right-of-way through Oakland and Hazelwood to Homestead.

  • Significantly improves access to key activity centers
  • Provides a rapid transit connection between Downtown and Central Oakland
  • Strong potential to attract ridership
  • Good potential for reducing congestion in Downtown

Mon Valley

Light Rail

Begins at the Convention Center and travels to the CSX Railroad Bridge at 33rd Street where it crosses the Allegheny River and travels along the CSX right-of-way to Etna. Also at the 33rd Railroad Bridge, a southern spur would travel along the CSX right-of-way to Oakland via the Schenley Tunnel and Panther Hollow to Hazelwood, Rankinand McKeesport.

  • Good access to key activity centers
  • Provides a north to south connection
  • Good potential to attract ridership
  • Good ability to reduce congestion in Downtown

Norfolk Southern/Route 30

Commuter Rail

Begins in Downtown and travels along the Norfolk Southern Railroad right-of-way parallel to the East Busway traveling through Wilkinsburg, Braddock, North Huntington, Irwin and Jeannette to Greensburg.

  • Provides a rapid transit option from Greensburgh to Pittsburgh
  • Connects activity centers
  • Utilizes existing right-of-way

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Corridor Working Groups and Public Open Houses
September - October 2002

General Comments
· How will decisions be made regarding selecting the final alignments?

· Transportation and economic development are strongly linked.
· With any fixed guideway system, there will need to be a feeder system. The connections between feeder buses and station locations provide opportunities for support retail and services such as child care, groceries, and dry cleaning, to better serve transit-dependent communities.

· Serving existing communities to create sustainable growth of existing population centers is preferable to putting transit in low density areas because the right of way is available.

· Housing should be a key component of transit center development sprawl and encourage sustainability by encouraging development along alignments and in proximity to transit centers, park and ride lots, and stations.

· Transit planning must be part of overall land use planning and community planning.

· Explore combining some of the alternatives.

· Emphasize systems which serve city neighborhoods.

· Fast, comfortable, and safe transit is desired.


Comments Regarding Specific Alignments

  • Increase commuter service from Greensburg to Oakland and Downtown Pittsburgh
  • Provide more frequent bus service
  • Examine three key bus park and ride lot locations:
  • Downtown Greensburg
  • North Huntingdon
  • Downtown Export/Murrysville (Route 22/66 area)
  • Develop commuter rail to serve AM and PM peaks, while retaining bus service
  • Potential commuter rail station area locations: Greensburg, Jeannete and Trafford
  • Proposed commuter rail line passes through what used to be the traditional retail corridor of the area. Commuter rail could spur some smaller-scale retail that could offer something different than inexpensive goods at Walmart.
  • High demand for special events bus service from Greensburg to Pittsburgh to serve events such as Steelers games
  • The Mon Valley has an extremely transit-dependent community. Special attention needs to be paid to developing schedules that work for employees of key businesses, such as McKeesport's Echostar or the Walmart on Route 30.

  • Many Mon Valley housing projects are remotely located and, therefore, any fixed guideway alternative will still depend on feeder buses to access relatively remote locations.

  • Carrie Furnace site charette identified that location for a transportation center that could both spur supporting retail and services and act as a transfer point for a collector system serving isolated communities.

  • Strong support for commuter rail along Allegheny Valley alignment.

  • Although the station in Oakmont seems ideal, there is concern that merchants would experience parking problems from commuters taking up spaces in the commercial district. Verona, rather than Oakmont, is seen as a better location in terms of minimizing impacts.

  • Proposed mixed-use development at former Edgewater steel facility could be good transit center.

  • Inbound route should access Sandy Creek, the Zoo, 62nd Street, and Downtown, preferably the Strip District. Outbound, the route should extend to New Kensington.

  • Different views were discussed reguarding the Martin Luther King Jr. East Busway Conversion: converting the busway to light rail was critical for some, while others said that converting the busway was an unnecessary expense and inconvenient to those who would have to ride two modes of transit rather than one.

  • Edgewood Town Center could afford a development opportunity for a mixed-use development, including residential.

This Study must look at employment centers. After Downtown, Oakland is the key employment center. Meaningful access to Oakland requires bringing transit to the heart of Oakland. Oakland is saturated with cars. Growth will require substantial transit access.

The Hill District's Center Avenue revitalization and economic development plans would be enhanced by an at-grade transit alignment along Center Avenue.
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FEEDBACK WANTED

Port Authority of Allegheny County and the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission in cooperation with the Westmoreland County Transit Authority are concluding a year- long planning effort, the Eastern Corridor Transit Study, that will identify and recommend a variety of public transit improvements and projects for several communities east of Downtown Pittsburgh. These improvements include pedestrian improvements, park and ride lot expansion and enhancements, and the potential expansion or implementation of light rail transit, bus rapid transit or commuter rail.

The study area extends from Downtown Pittsburgh to the City of Greensburg in Westmoreland County–from the north shore of the Allegheny River northeast to the City of New Kensington and to the south shore of the Monogahela River southeast to the City of Clairton.

The public is invited to share their ideas and offer input at the third and final round of public open houses for the Eastern Corridor Study. These open houses will offer an opportunity for the public to ask questions, obtain vital information regarding the study’s proposed outcomes, highlight the recommended public transit alignments and
improvements proposed for the communities in the study area. Please join us at one of the following open houses:

MONROEVILLE Monday, June 16, 2003 5:00 – 8:00 PM
CCAC Boyce Campus (Auditorium Lobby)
595 Beatty Road
By public transit: Port Authority bus route 67A Monroeville

GREENSBURG Tuesday, June 17, 2003 5:00 – 8:00 PM
Westmoreland Mall (Center Court)
Route 30 East
By public transit: Westmoreland County Transit Authority bus route 9 Greensburg-Latrobe Shopper

DOWNTOWN PITTSBURGH Wednesday, June 18, 2003 11:00 AM – 2:00 PM
YWCA (First Floor Meeting Room)
305 Wood Street
By public transit: All Port Authority bus and light rail transit service
to Downtown Pittsburgh

OAKLAND Wednesday, June 18, 2003 5:00 – 8:00 PM
University of Pittsburgh / William Pitt Student Union (Kurtzman Room)
3959 Fifth Avenue
By public transit: All Port Authority bus service to Oakland

OAKMONT Thursday, June 19, 2003 5:00 – 8:00 PM
Riverview High School (Cafeteria)
100 Hulton Road
By public transit: Port Authority bus routes 77A Oakmont or 78A Oakmont Express

These meetings will be conducted in an open house format. Visitors may attend anytime during the hours specified.

For scheduling details and additional information regarding transit service to the public meetings, please call Port Authority Customer Service at 412 442 2000 or Westmoreland County Transit Authority Schedule Information at 1 800 221 WCTA. Persons with hearing or speech impairments may call TTY at 412 231 7007. These meeting locations are accessible to persons with disabilities. For more information regarding this study, please call 412 244 3445 or obtain information online at www.ridegold.com, www.spcregion.org,
or www.westmorelandtransit.com.

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Recommended Public Transit Projects for the Eastern Corridor
Port Authority of Allegheny County and the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission, in cooperation with the Westmoreland County Transit Authority, are concluding the Eastern Corridor Transit Study, which has identified and is evaluating a variety of public transit improvements and projects for several communities east of Downtown Pittsburgh. These improvements include pedestrian amenities, park and ride lot expansion and enhancements, and the potential expansion or implementation of light rail transit, bus rapid transit or commuter rail.
After a detailed review and analysis of several public transit alternatives and key corridors within the Eastern Corridor, the study recommends the following pubic transit alignments for the corridor. Construction and operating costs, ridership, community and leadership support, constructiblity, will play an essential role in which of the recommended projects move forward into the next phase of environmental evaluation. To access a MAP of the alternatives, Click the name of the Alternative which is highlighted in red.

Allegheny Valley Commuter Rail 860 kb
The Allegheny Valley Commuter Rail alternative proposes a commuter rail service that would operate in the Allegheny Valley Railroad (AVR) right-of-way between 16th Street in the Strip District and Arnold in Westmoreland County. Nine stations are proposed along the 18-mile alignment.

Allegheny Valley Light Rail 870 kb
This light rail alternative would begin at the North Shore Connector Convention Center station (as subway) and transition to at-grade light rail beneath or east of the Veterans Bridge. It would then extend from the Strip District to Arnold in Westmoreland County. It would include 12 stations beyond the Convention Center station.

East Busway Extension to Monroeville 900 kb
This alternative, one of three in the Martin Luther King, Jr. East Busway corridor, proposes a 6.6-mile extension of the existing East Busway from the Swissvale Station to Monroeville Mall. The extension would add stations in Braddock, at Keystone Commons in East Pittsburgh, and at the Monroeville Mall. Along the existing busway, stations would be added at UPMC in Shadyside and at the Edgewood Towne Centre Shopping Center.

East Busway Conversion to Light Rail and Extension to Monroeville 930 kb
This alternative proposes converting the Martin Luther King, Jr. East Busway to light rail and extending the light rail to Monroeville, a distance of 16.9 miles. The light rail would connect with the existing T system at the Steel Plaza Subway Station and transition from a subway alignment to an at-grade light rail line underneath or east of the Veterans Bridge. The light rail would operate at-grade through the Strip District before entering the busway right-of-way. A final future segment could connect Monroeville Mall to Murrysville via elevated structure along Route 22.

Spine Line to Wilkinsburg 480 kb
This light rail alternative proposes a subway line from Steel Plaza Subway Station in Downtown Pittsburgh to Wilkinsburg, approximately 7.3 miles through Downtown, Oakland, Squirrel Hill, and Wilkinsburg. The light rail line would include 10 new stations.

Spine Line to Homestead 475 kb
This light rail alternative would originate from Steel Plaza and would serve Oakland, Hazelwood, and Homestead. The alternative proposes a subway alignment between Steel Plaza and Craig Street in Oakland. From that point, it would access railroad right-of-way and operate at-grade through Panther Hollow and Hazelwood and terminate in Homestead. The route length is 10 miles.

Mon Valley and Etna Light Rail 1 mb
The Mon Valley and Etna LRT alternative would include an at-grade light rail line from the Convention Center station through the Strip District where it would separate into two branches—a line to Etna (approximately 5.2 miles) and a line to McKeesport (approximately 17.3 miles). Each line would have a 10 minute-headway in the peak period and a 20-minute headway in the off-peak period. In the future, the branches of this alternative could be built separately or the entire alternative could be built in phases.

Norfolk Southern Commuter Rail 1.2 mb
This alternative proposes a 31-mile commuter rail service between Greensburg in Westmoreland County and Downtown Pittsburgh. Proposed station locations include Greensburg, Jeannette, Irwin, East Pittsburgh, Wilkinsburg and Downtown Pittsburgh.

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Station Design Workshops
A series of public workshops were held in February 2003 to obtain and offer information to the public regarding transit stations and improvements and transit oriented development initiatives. Various case studies were used to identify the unique mix of communities within the eastern corridor communities. The case studies from these communities can be applied to station planning initiatives in any municipality or community across Southwestern Pennsylvania. Click here to view the renderings and maps of transit station design. 2.4mb.

Case Study #1 Urban Centers
Community examples: East Liberty, Downtown Pittsburgh, Oakland or Strip District
Characteristics: densely built area within a city; location for major commercial, civic and institutional activities

Case Study #2 Neighborhoods & Brownfield Developments
Community examples (neighborhoods): Rankin or Braddock
Characteristics: Distinct ethnic character or geographic boundaries; densely built residential areas; small neighborhood oriented commercial district

Community examples (brownfield developments): Carrie Furnace, Waterfront in Homestead or the South Side Works
Characteristics: former industrial areas and good potential for redevelopment

Case Study #3 Post World War II Suburb
Community examples: Monroeville, Murrysville, Penn Hills, Plum or Versailles
Characteristics: located on the outskirts of a major city; large areas with dispersed development; contains residential and commercial development; and automotive oriented

Case Study #4 Towns and Cities
Community examples: Greensburg, McKeesport or New Kensington
Characteristics: communities have distinct boundaries; and comprise of commercial, civic and residential district
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Eastern Corridor Transit Study - Alternative Attributes Summary
 
Alternative
Mode
Total Route Length (miles)
Number of Stations
Service Peak / Off-Peak (minutes)
Travel Times (minutes)
Daily Boardings on New Investment (2025)
Annual Incremental O&M Costs (2002 millions)
Capital Costs (2002 millions)
Capital Cost Per New Route Mile (2002 millions)
1a
Allegheny Valley Corridor - Strip District to Arnold (Build Out)
Commuter Rail
18.4
9 (New)
30 / 90
Strip to Arnold-34
6,700
$8.8
257.8
$14.0
1b
Allegheny Valley Corridor - Strip District to Arnold (Low Investment Starter System)
Commuter Rail
18.4
9 (New)
60 / 90
Strip to Arnold-34
$7.6
142.6
$7.8
1c

Allegheny Valley Corridor - Strip District to Arnold (Limited Service, Minimal Investment System)
Commuter Rail
18.4
9 (New)
Two - AM Trains Two - PM Trains
90.3
$4.9
2
Allegheny Valley - Downtown to Arnold
Light Rail
19.3 (18.9 New)

14 (12 New)
10 / 20
S.Plaza to Arnold-37
18,200
$16.3
803.6
$42.6
3
East Busway Corridor - Downtown to Monroeville
Busway
15.6 (6.6 New)
15 (5 New)
5 / 7.5
Penn Station to M.Mall-42 Penn Station to Centre-8 Centre to M.Mall-38
41,500
$10.9
$368 ($230 to Keystone Commons)
$55.7
4
East Busway Corridor - Downtown to Monroeville
Light Rail

17.4 (16.9 New)
19 (17 New)
5 / 7.5
S.Plaza to M.Mall-39 S.Plaza to CMU-13 CMU to M.Mall-32
42,900
$25.0
$1,273 ($1,040 to Keystone Commons)
$75.2
4a
East Busway Corridor - Monroeville to Murrysville
Light Rail
6.2
4
10/15
S.Plaza to Mville-54 S.Plaza to CMU-13 CMU to Mville-47
3,800 (additional)
$8.3 (additional)
$881 (additional)
$142.1
5
Spine Line Corridor- Downtown to Wilkinsburg
Light Rail
8.8 (7.3 New)
15 (10 New)
5 / 7.5
S.Plaza to Wilk.-23 S.Plaza to Okld.-12 Okld. To Wilk-11
39,400
$12.3
2496.7
(Only to Oakland $1,470) (At-Grade to Oakland $590)
$341.9
6
Spine Line Corridor - Downtown to Homestead
Light Rail
10.3 (8.8 New)
15 (10 New)
5 / 7.5
S.Plaza to Homstd-24 S.Plaza to Okld.-12 Okld. To Hstd.-12
35,700
$23.0
1892.5
(Only to Oakland $1,430) (At-Grade to Oakland $590)
$299.0
7
Mon Valley Corridor - Downtown to Etna & McKeesport
Light Rail
21.0 (20.7 New)
16 (14 New)
5 / 10 (combined)
S. Plaza to Etna-14 S.Plaza to Mkpt.-36 S.Plaza to Okld.-13 Okld to Mkpt.-23
34,700
$20.6
1061.8
$51.4
7a

Downtown to Etna
Light Rail
5.6 (5.2 New)
7 (5 New)
10 / 20
S. Plaza to Etna-14 Etna to Okld.-13
14,900
$4.0
368.9
#REF!
7b
Downtown to McKeesport
Light Rail
17.7 (17.3 New)
14 (12 New)
10 / 20
S. Plaza to Mkpt.-36 S.Plaza to Okld.-13 Okld to Mkpt.-23
19,800
$16.5
804.7
#REF!
8
Norfolk Southern - Downtown to Greensburg
Commuter Rail
#REF!
7 (6 New)
30 / 90
Penn Station to Greensburg-49
8,800
$16.5
232.8 (w/o third track $178)
$7.5

Figures include add-on non home based trips. Further development and refinement is needed in future AA/DEIS phases of project development to better access the ridership potential of the alternatives. Potential for additional ridership may exist with changes in Land-Use and Development Patterns in the corridors served by the alternatives.

Spine Alternatives include costs for new tunnel connection for access to North Shore and a CBTC signal system.


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