Alle-Kiski commuter rail plan chugs along

Web Extras: Marketplace, Bridal, Headlines by Email, Postcards

Alle-Kiski commuter rail plan chugs along

Thursday, July 13, 2000

By Joe Grata, Post-Gazette Staff Writer

Would New Kensington area commuters hop a train instead of taking an agonizing drive by car if they could get to Downtown Pittsburgh in 45 minutes in comfort?

Would Penn Hills residents use a park-n-ride lot at the foot of Sandy Creek Road for a 20-minute train ride to the city and a moderate walk to the office?

A feasibility study of passenger railroad service in the Allegheny Valley predicts up to 1,200 people a day -- accounting for 2,400 trips -- would opt for commuter trains for rush-hour trips rather than drive congested Routes 28, 56 and 130, Allegheny River Boulevard and Butler Street.

This region has been without commuter train service since PATrain ended its Mon Valley run in 1989.

The $100,000 study, sponsored through Westmoreland County government, was released by officials yesterday along Allegheny Valley Railroad tracks in Oakmont at a restored, gazebo-style train platform that would serve as one of the stations.

"The Alle-Kiski Valley has always been underserved by mass transit," said state Rep. Frank Dermody, D-Oakmont. "This [commuter rail] makes sense for the environment, because of all the traffic and because of all the construction about to take place on Route 28."

A colleague, Rep. Terry Van Horne, D-Lower Burrell, said the study, headed by consultant Don Matzzie for Wilbur Smith Associates, a national engineering firm, "contains no fatal flaws. It will answer cynics and skeptics who have said commuter rail won't work."

The Alle-Kiski commuter line would operate on 23 miles of a freight line once owned by Conrail but privately owned by the Allegheny Valley Railroad since 1995. The AVRR freight trains, serving 28 industries between Arnold and the Strip District, run at night, leaving the tracks available for passenger service during the day.

Approaching the city, the commuter line would either use the Norfolk Southern Railway mainline to the former Pennsylvania Railroad station at Grant Street and Liberty Avenue or continue on AVRR rights of way to 16th Street in the Strip.

"Maybe we've begun to see the light as other cities have by utilizing rail lines for transit," said Tom Balya, chairman of the Westmoreland County commissioners and Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission, which does transportation planning for the eight-county region. "We need to stay diligent to see that this plan becomes a reality."

The consultants determined it would cost $7.5 million to $17 million for capital improvements and equipment to start a commuter rail line. Fares and the same type of operating subsidies the Port Authority receives for buses and trolleys would provide revenue for operations and maintenance.

Here are some highlights from the Wilbur Smith Associates study:

Initially, service would consist of two trains during the morning rush hour and two trains during the afternoon rush. There also would be two midday trains.

Trains would consist of a diesel-powered locomotive pulling four passenger cars -- possible bi-level cars where passengers can occupy a lower level or take steps to an upper level.

Fares would be zoned, similar to the Port Authority's fare structure. Riders could expect one-way cash fares about 50 percent higher than Port Authority bus fares.

The line would operate excursion tours along the scenic Allegheny riverfront on weekends, during Downtown conventions and for special events such as Steelers games, Fourth of July fireworks and Light Up Night. One route starting at the Senator John Heinz Pittsburgh Regional History Center would stop at the Pittsburgh Zoo and in Oakmont for shopping.

Stations would tentatively be located at Arnold, New Kensington, Parnassus, Oakmont, Verona, Sandy Creek Road, Washington Boulevard, 62nd Street, 40th Street, 16th Street and 11th Street (and East Liberty if the Norfolk Southern option is chosen).

If the Strip alternative is used, shuttle buses would be waiting for arriving passengers for a quick transfer to Golden Triangle destinations.

Some AVRR track would have to be rehabilitated for passenger trains to operate at speeds up to 45 mph.

Fifteen of 60 grade crossings -- nine for pedestrians only and some a century old -- would have to be closed. Others would require protective devices, probably gates and lights.

The track would have to be extended to 16th Street in the Strip. AVRR owns the right of way but its tracks only go to 21st Street.

Officials said they need to take several steps to sustain an initiative that began in earnest with a September 1998 train ride on the AVRR tracks. Steps include more detailed ridership forecasts, operating cost projections, meetings with community officials and engineering assessments of tracks, crossings and potential stations.

The first step will be to meet with the Port Authority board and Chief Executive Officer Paul Skoutelas to seek input and cooperation.

When could Alle-Kiski residents expect to take an inaugural ride?

"As of yet, we have no timetable," Dermody said. "When you look at what they're spending to establish rail transit and build new highways elsewhere, what we're asking for isn't even a blip on the money radar screen."