Siemens SD-400 4251

Location: Station Square, Pittsburgh, PA
Operator of Vehicle: Port Authority of Allegheny County
Date of Photo: November 29, 2019

There are a number of noteworthy items of interest for a transit enthusiast in Pittsburgh, one of which is the Mount Washington Transit Tunnel.  Following the removal of buses from the Downtown Seattle Transit Tunnel, the Mount Washington Transit Tunnel became the only transit tunnel in the United States to serve both buses and light rail trains, though the Mount Washington Transit Tunnel does not have any intermediate stations (whereas the Seattle tunnel did).  The tunnel opened in 1904, significantly improving access from the south to Downtown Pittsburgh by allowing transit vehicles to avoid the hilly topography on Mount Washington.  The natural geography and convergence of several transit lines made South Hills Junction a logical point for a tunnel to Downtown to be built.  In 1977, the South Busway, the first of Pittsburgh’s three busways, opened; this bus corridor ends at South Hills Junction and then the buses continue through the tunnel to Downtown.  At the north end, the tunnel originally allowed streetcars to proceed in to downtown via the Smithfield Street Bridge, and buses still do this today.  PCC Streetcars have solely used the Panhandle Bridge to cross the Monongahela River since 1985 (the PCC streetcars were mostly replaced by modern light rail vehicles in 1987).

Needless to say, it is quite fascinating merely to watch the buses and trains enter and leave the transit tunnel at either end, and riding through the tunnel is quite the experience as well! 

For more photos of the Pittsburgh Light Rail, please click here.