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Should a mandatory emergency evacuation of Downtown Pittsburgh be declared, Port Authority has a plan in place to immediately transport thousands of people safely out of the city.
The emergency evacuation plan would be implemented only in an extreme emergency situation.
In the event of a mandatory evacuation, every available Port Authority bus and rail vehicle will be dispatched to Downtown Pittsburgh. Regular Port Authority routes will be operated and will serve downtown bus stops and subway stations.
However, buses will transport people out of the CBD traveling only on main arteries (emergency routing). Buses will discharge and pick up passengers along the emergency routes until the last passenger is discharged.
Buses will immediately return to Downtown Pittsburgh once all passengers are discharged. No service stops will be made on the return trip.
Outbound rail cars will only service the high-platform T stations and will also not pick up passengers inbound to Downtown Pittsburgh.
In the event of an evacuation that prohibits buses from entering the heart of Downtown Pittsburgh, five perimeter locations will be established as emergency evacuation bus passenger boarding areas:
| Evacuation Direction |
General Direction of Travel
Outbound |
Pick-Up Location |
Drop-Off |
| East 1 |
East Busway |
Primary: East Busway (Penn Park)
Secondary: Penn Ave. @ 26th St. |
Wallace Ramp/ Wilkinsburg Park and Ride |
| East 2 |
Center, Forbes, Fifth |
Primary: Fifth & Washington Place / Secondary: Centre & Washington Place. |
CMU Campus Stadium |
| North |
All North Routes |
Primary: Ft. Duquesne and 7th
Secondary: N. Shore Dr. & Reedsdale |
Camp Horne Giant Eagle |
| South |
All South Routes /Second Ave. |
Primary Ft. Pitt and Wood
Secondary: Carson St. & Smithfield |
South Busway @ Whited |
| West |
Ft. Pitt Bridge and or West End Bridge |
Primary: New Liberty @Stanwix
Secondary: Stanwix & Blvd Of The Allies. |
Crafton Ingram Shopping Center |
| Rails |
Keep CBD & System open as long as possible. |
Primary: CBD System
Secondary: SHJN |
High Platform Stations Only |
Rail service will be provided to all three subway stations and high-platform stations along the T as long as possible. Should the downtown subway be inaccessible or closed, all outbound T service will originate at South Hills Junction, where patrons can transfer from downtown buses.
Buses will operate express to five remote locations where all passengers will be discharged (see chart). Buses will not discharge passengers en route.
Light rail vehicles will only service high-platform stations. Buses and rail vehicles will immediately return to Downtown Pittsburgh to continue the evacuation as soon as all passengers are discharged. No bus or rail stops will be served on inbound routing.
Once Downtown Pittsburgh has been cleared, Port Authority will dispatch the buses to all remote locations to transport persons as close as possible to their desired destinations.
In the event of an emergency evacuation of Downtown Pittsburgh, persons are advised to tune into any local television or radio station for the most up to date evacuation procedure information. Port Authority Police and Operations personnel will direct individuals to bus stop and rail station locations.
Should a voluntary evacuation of Downtown Pittsburgh be in order, Port Authority will attempt to provide the highest level of regularly scheduled bus and rail service possible.