Considering a move to PGH from New England: Beechview vs. Swissvale (Pittsburgh: day care, transfer)

[gladhands]

I like Beechview, but we need to admit that the T absolutely sucks. It’s slower than most busses.

[fleetiebelle]

Originally Posted by gladhands

I like Beechview, but we need to admit that the T absolutely sucks. It’s slower than most busses.

I don't think so--I can get on the T in Beechview and be downtown in 20 minutes or less, which doesn't seem bad during rush hour. The rest of my commute into Oakland might take 2 or 3 times as long on the bus.

[Moby Hick]

Originally Posted by fleetiebelle

I don't think so--I can get on the T in Beechview and be downtown in 20 minutes or less, which doesn't seem bad during rush hour. The rest of my commute into Oakland might take 2 or 3 times as long on the bus.

That what BRT is supposed to fix, I think.

[eschaton]

Originally Posted by gladhands

I like Beechview, but we need to admit that the T absolutely sucks. It’s slower than most busses.

The T is considerably slower than the busway (max speed IIRC is 45mph) but it's much faster than surface bus routes.

[bradjl2009]

Originally Posted by Moby Hick

That what BRT is supposed to fix, I think.

Yeah it will make the journey from Downtown to Oakland much faster, which will also make the ride faster for people further out who live in neighborhoods where their buses go through Oakland. But you know, some say it won't be a benefit for anyone.

[gladhands]

Originally Posted by eschaton

The T is considerably slower than the busway (max speed IIRC is 45mph) but it's much faster than surface bus routes.

The T, in my experience feels slower than even surface bus routes. In some areas it’s barely faster than walking.

[pittsburghaccuweather]

Originally Posted by gladhands

I like Beechview, but we need to admit that the T absolutely sucks. It’s slower than most busses.

The T is a very old system. It is a trolly line and is actually slower than light rail. The electrical systems that power the network are old, dated and costly to repair. They are only one of three cities using trolley gauge rail line in the nation. The other being New Orleans and Philadelphia has one line trolley gauge.

It is likely the reason you don’t see this system expanded its obsolete. You would have to get rail cars specially made to run on the tracks. The cars currently on the t system were specially built in 1985 and have been refurbished once or maybe twice since then. If the T system needed major repairs it is likely they would abandon rather than fix it. That’s the reason the Allentown line was shut down. The electrical system is worn and can only have one set of cars going up or down warrington Ave.

There’s are only 15 heavy rail public transportation systems in the USA and the smallest city that has it is Cleveland. The rest are light rail and some only consider Pittsburgh as a step lower than a light rail, which makes sense because the cars are slower. It’s ultimately a trolley line that has stops underground.

[drband36]

On the other hand, the three existing busways (Bus Rapid Transit #BRT) that Pittsburgh has are quite advanced. Impressive as hell, and quite the demonstration of how BRT can be faster, cheaper to build, and cheaper to run than light rail.

Meanwhile, other cities are reserving a lane of regular road for "BRT", without even any physical separation from car traffic, enforcement against double-parked cars, or signal priority. It's a bit of a joke.

I keep reading about how Pittsburgh is excited to potentially welcome BRT to a downtown -> Oakland route. That will be wonderful, but ... don't ignore the BRT you already have. It's some of the best in the country!

[28CarsLater]

Originally Posted by bradjl2009

Yeah it will make the journey from Downtown to Oakland much faster, which will also make the ride faster for people further out who live in neighborhoods where their buses go through Oakland. But you know, some say it won't be a benefit for anyone.

https://www.pghcitypaper.com/pittsbu...t?oid=15445712

I would be curious to see the proposed implementation, which I am sure will eventually be made available. I feel as if the only way to really do this would be to build some new infrastructure and possibly eminent domain some buildings.

[28CarsLater]

Originally Posted by pittsburghaccuweather

The T is a very old system. It is a trolly line and is actually slower than light rail. The electrical systems that power the network are old, dated and costly to repair. They are only one of three cities using trolley gauge rail line in the nation. The other being New Orleans and Philadelphia has one line trolley gauge.

It is likely the reason you don’t see this system expanded its obsolete. You would have to get rail cars specially made to run on the tracks. The cars currently on the t system were specially built in 1985 and have been refurbished once or maybe twice since then. If the T system needed major repairs it is likely they would abandon rather than fix it. That’s the reason the Allentown line was shut down. The electrical system is worn and can only have one set of cars going up or down warrington Ave.

There’s are only 15 heavy rail public transportation systems in the USA and the smallest city that has it is Cleveland. The rest are light rail and some only consider Pittsburgh as a step lower than a light rail, which makes sense because the cars are slower. It’s ultimately a trolley line that has stops underground.

Thanks for the interesting information. Based on what you are saying it sounds as if the "T" has a limited lifespan, so what happens to the roughly 600,000 riders per month who depend on it when it goes kaput?

Incidentally, in 2018 the Port Authority had 741 buses and 83 rail cars.

https://www.portauthority.org/siteas...st/2018asr.pdf