[Jonboy1983]

Found another article; this one from the Tribune Review regarding test runs on the 1.2-mile T extension to the North Shore.


Port Authority begins running cars through North Shore Connector
By Tom Fontaine, PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW

For the first time, Port Authority of Allegheny County's $523.4 million North Shore Connector project is really moving.

The transit agency began running rail cars on the 1.2-mile extension of its T light-rail system about two weeks ago — albeit, only at 5 mph.

"The fact that we're now testing the system and not really building any more truly is a milestone," Port Authority spokesman Jim Ritchie said on Monday. "We're looking forward to the start of service, but testing has really just begun."

The project began five years ago and cost about $88 million more than originally expected.

Ritchie said crews must complete more than 1,100 tests before the system can begin operating. Port Authority is on pace to meet the planned March 25 start date, Ritchie said.

Economist Jake Haulk, executive director of the Castle Shannon-based Allegheny Institute on Public Policy, said the testing is critical.

"They have got to make sure that they are not going to have power outages or anything that could stop those trains under the river. You have a couple of episodes like that, and it will scare away riders," Haulk said.

Making practice runs on the light-rail line that extends between the North Shore and Downtown via tunnels that are up to 70 feet below the surface of the Allegheny River is just a small part of the testing.

"It's more than just running a car up and down the track," Ritchie said.

Last month, crews began testing copper and fiber optic lines that will carry information between T cars and the agency's operations center and police dispatch center, as well as overhead cables that will power the cars.

Crews are checking all signals along tracks, electronic signs and the public address system, phones, surveillance cameras, security features such as alarms and emergency lighting, and all other ventilation and electrical work.

Crews tested to make sure T cars could run through the system without ripping down wires or clipping walls or ceilings anywhere. To do the testing, crews used metal pipes to build a frame with the same dimensions as a T car onto a rail car and pulled the car along the extension.

"It was like an erector set," Ritchie said of the makeshift T car.

As for actual train testing, Ritchie said it has been performed at night because rail personnel are busy operating T service in Downtown and the South Hills during the day, Ritchie said.

The test trains, to this point, have been running at 5 mph or less. T trains can reach speeds of 35 mph, but typically travel between 10 and 25 mph on slower portions such as the subway beneath Downtown.

The project initially was to cost $435 million, but officials revised estimates several times when construction bids came in higher or lower than anticipated. The $523.4 million estimate has held for the past year.

The project received $62 million in federal stimulus funding, and a federal grant program is covering 80 percent of the remaining costs. The state committed about $77 million, and Allegheny County is responsible for about $15 million.

Haulk, who has been critical of the project, said he remains curious to see how riders — including potential newcomers to the T — will respond to the service.

"(Port Authority officials) really need to gin up a lot of riders to come close to making this a useful addition to the region's transportation system," Haulk said. "They have a lot invested, both in terms of money and political capital. They have to do everything they can to make it look like it was a good investment."

Want this to prove to be a good investment? Hope that it spurs development on the North Side, as I doubt too many people will use it on a regular basis. There really is no major commercial use on the Northside other than Allegheny Center, and that is a rather small complex when you think about it. North Side Station (near PNC Park) is supposed to serve Allegheny Center, but it's 2 long blocks over to Federal Street and then up across South Commons. To me, it seems like a hike...

I know that initially it really wasn't supposed to serve the North Hills, but I do think that an extension there is necessary, especially along the McKnight Road corridor up through Ross Park. I know it would cost several billion dollars to do now, but it would be something worth pursuing. How much more cost effective would it be to build BRT HOV lanes in this part of the region? You would need ROW secured along US 19 as I don't think it would really be worth it just to run buses along I-279 and US 19...