Penn Station T Stop (Crafton, Liberty: crime, transferring to, live in)

[Impala26]

So, I decided to ride into Downtown along the East Busway earlier this week. Travel along the busway, for me, is generally impractical. I live in Oakland while my family and friends are generally in a large area close to Allegheny Valley. So literally going on the East Busway for me is nothing more than a "ride". I suppose the exception to this would be catching one of the rare Northeast area "express" buses that utilize the system from Penn to East Liberty, but those are few and far between.

I know that the T station at Penn has been closed for ump-teen years. However, when I arrived there from the Busway the other night I was surprised to see the good condition it is in. PAT even unwisely still leaves all the lights running there!

My simple question is why is there not even a simple "ferry/shuttle" train running the line between there and Steel Plaza? I know that this would necessitate that the driver switch cabs at each end, I suppose "driver fatigue" would be the big factor against such a proposal then. However, if the stop wasn't really billed as "Penn Station" but instead something along the lines marketing it's proximity to the East Busway, Amtrak, Greyhound, and Convention Center I think that it would undoubtedly see riders.

Just a rant of mine, so my apologies for coming off as "young and naive". Of all the immediate transit improvements I can think of *ahem* rapid bus and spine line *ahem* this seems like a simple and practical proposal.

[raubre]

I have wondereded the same thing. Why does the T not run there anymore? It would help the East End a bit by connecting the busway to the T. (Or even make the busway a light rail system.)

[ctoocheck]

I would guess there are far more people that get off at Wood St and Gateway Center than would at Penn, maybe? Where would these people be headed to? Transferring to the East Busway?

Maybe with Gateway station closed this would be a good time to divert one route to Penn, and see how that works out.

Kind of on the same idea, wouldn't it be pretty easy to kind of connect the West- and East Busway routes to make one giant route? That would make it easier to get from west to east, I guess, and maybe easier to understand the busway route as a "brand", or something. But I wonder how many people actually need to get from, for example, Crafton to East Liberty?

[WILWRadio]

Perhaps the light at the now abandoned Penn T stop is to discourage crime in the area night.

[fleetiebelle]

I'd think that the Penn Station T stop would be great for people coming to and from the Strip at the very least. It does seem strange that it's there and it's not being used.

[raubre]

Originally Posted by ctoocheck

But I wonder how many people actually need to get from, for example, Crafton to East Liberty?

I don't really think too many people would travel from Crafton to East Liberty, but I can see people go to the airport and Robinson Town Ctr, if the busway would ever go that far.

[Impala26]

Originally Posted by fleetiebelle

I'd think that the Penn Station T stop would be great for people coming to and from the Strip at the very least. It does seem strange that it's there and it's not being used.

Potentially, yes I agree with you. For the purpose of getting to the "heart" of the Strip District the T probably wouldn't be very effective. However, the East Busway isn't effective at this either.

[BrianTH]

I've heard that the fact it had to be single-track to Steel Plaza made it impossible for them to schedule decent service.

[Impala26]

Originally Posted by BrianTH

I've heard that the fact it had to be single-track to Steel Plaza made it impossible for them to schedule decent service.

That doesn't appear to make much sense. I mean, perhaps I'm understating the importance of turnarounds on the track (Penn Park doesn't have one). However, you're telling me they couldn't have some form of "shuttle train" that just goes back and forth between Penn and Steel Plaza?

[Geeo]

There used to be a shuttle that ran between Steel Plaza and Penn Station, but ridership was so low it was discontinued.