Port Authority gets sponsors for free North Shore subway rides
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Rides on at least part of the Port Authority's new North Shore Connector subway extension will be free, under a deal announced today.
The Stadium Authority and Alco Parking, which controls or manages most of the North Shore parking, would pay the transit agency an annual lump sum to underwrite free service between Downtown and the new North Side station, situated next to PNC Park.
The three-year deal, first reported in today's electronic edition of The Pittsburgh Press, calls for a $160,000 payment in the first year, increasing by $5,000 per year.
The agreement requires approval from the Stadium Authority board, which is expected to vote Wednesday, and the Port Authority board, which next meets in January.
Transit rides -- buses and subway -- currently are free in the Golden Triangle. Crossing the river to the North Shore or Station Square costs $2.25.
The $523.4 million North Shore Connector project extends the Light Rail Transit system by 1.2 miles from a new station in Gateway Center to new stations at PNC Park and Heinz Field. Test trains are expected to start operating this month and passenger service is scheduled to debut in late March.
For now, rides to the Heinz Field station won't be free, but the authority and Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership are seeking sponsors to extend free rides to there and to Station Square.
Port Authority CEO Steve Bland called the agreement "a win-win, offering both cost savings to the participating agencies and a host of benefits to Port Authority riders and the community as a whole. Free T rides between North Side Station and Downtown will encourage more people to use public transit, provide a convenient link between these two areas and contribute to the continuing development on the North Shore."
First Published December 20, 2011 12:00 am
