Pittsburgh Regional Transit to start two rail projects January 2

Pittsburgh Regional Transit announced plans to start in January two major light-rail projects aimed at increasing reliability and improving safety. 

Plinth project 

Starting Jan. 2, 2025, portions of the light-rail system in downtown Pittsburgh will be closed for about two months while crews repair and replace the plinth — the concrete beam that supports the tracks. This work is a continuation of a project PRT began in 2022. 

The project will be completed in two sections:

• From Jan. 2 to early February: Rail service from the South Hills will temporarily end at First Avenue Station. Shuttle buses will operate every 10 minutes between First Avenue and Steel Plaza while a subway local rail car will operate every 15 minutes between Steel Plaza and Allegheny stations. PRT’s contractor will halt work to accommodate any yet-to-be scheduled Steelers games at Acrisure Stadium.
• From early February to early March: The light-rail system will be closed between Steel Plaza and Gateway stations. Wood Street Station will not be in service. Service from the South Hills will end at Penn Station, the normally inactive light-rail station along the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. East Busway near The Pennsylvanian. Shuttle buses will operate every 10 minutes between Penn Station and Gateway Station while a subway local rail car operates every 10 minutes between Gateway and Allegheny stations.

Rail grinding project 

Also starting in early January, crews will be grinding the rail in the South Hills. This critical maintenance work restores the profile of the rail by removing defects using a special machine to bring the rail to a uniform standard. A fundamental part of rail maintenance programs, rail grinding not only extends rail life but also reduces wear on the rail car wheels and improves ride quality.

This three-year $1.5 million project will run from January to March each year until 2027. The work is being performed by RailWorks. Rail grinding will start the first or second week of the year. The work will be conducted on weekdays during the day, although some overnight and weekend work will be required.

Rail grinding will occur in sections: from South Hills Village to Washington Junction; from Washington Junction to Willow; from Willow to South Hills Junction; and, if time permits, from Washington Junction to Library Station.

Rail cars will be single-tracking through those areas so no station will be taken out of service completely.