Port Authority Scores Big at Annual Telly Awards

Port Authority was recently presented an award for its new ConnectCard video during the 35th annual Telly Awards. The 60-second video, produced for Port Authority by Wrecking Crew Media, featured the Pirate Parrot riding the T and using his ConnectCard to get to the ballpark.

Port Authority ran the video as part of its year-long sponsorship with the Pittsburgh Pirates to promote the ConnectCard. Port Authority and the Pirates have partnered on a number of promotions since the ConnectCard was launched, including this season's Connect and Save promotion.

The Telly Awards honor outstanding local, regional, and cable TV commercials and programs. For more information, visit TellyAwards.com.

Watch the award-winning video.

T Closed in Downtown/North Shore This Weekend

Port Authority will close its light rail system in Downtown and the North Shore this weekend in order to conduct rail work. Substitute bus service will be provided during the closure. The T will be closed beyond First Avenue Station all day Saturday and Sunday. Riders traveling inbound, for example, must get off the T at First Avenue Station, then transfer to free bus shuttles outside the station. Bus shuttles will operate in both directions to stops outside all remaining Downtown/North Shore stations. Riders using Blue-Library this weekend should also be aware of separate work detouring that service south of Lytle Station. For complete details, visit portauthority.org or call Customer Service at 412-442-2000 or for TTY, 412-231-7007.

Link Roundup: Looking Back at the North Shore Connector Opening

It's been almost three weeks since Port Authority officially began light rail service to the North Shore, and there's been tons of talk in the local media about the new service.  

If you haven't checked it out yet, find more information on how to ride at TPlus.org and PortAuthority.org.

Want to learn even more about it? Check out our roundup of North Shore Connector stories, videos, photo galleries and even a song:

• Beaver County Times: "Light Rail Extension Makes Pittsburgh Connection."
  
• Business Times: "Slideshow: North Shore Connector."
  
• Essential Public Radio: "North Shore Connector Wins Construction Award" and radio interview on North Shore Connector with Port Authority Rail Operations/Engineer Officer Winston Simmonds.
  
• KDKA-TV: "Dignitaries Take Ride on North Shore Connector" and "Commuters Get First Taste of North Shore Connector."
  
• Mass Transit magazine: "Port Authority of Allegheny County Opens North Shore Connector."
  
• Pop City: "Photo Slide Show: The North Shore Connector"
  
• Post-Gazette: Video of first ride on March 25 and story "Romare Bearden's Tile Mural Once Again Shows His Love for City and its People."
  
• Sewickley Herald: "Connector Opening to Bring Changes."
  
• Steelers.com: North Shore Connector press conference photo gallery.
  
• Tribune-Review: "Port Authority's New North Shore Connector Ready for March 25 Opening, Officials Say" and "North Shore Train Opens for Historic 1.2-mile Trip Under Allegheny River."
  
• WDVE Radio: "Under the North Side" song.
  
• WPXI-TV: "North Shore Connector Opens to Public Sunday."
  
• WTAE-TV: "Video: Channel 4 Takes Ride on North Shore Connector."

Schedules Adjusted on 60 Routes on March 25

Schedules for approximately 60 bus and T routes will be adjusted on Sunday, March 25. Port Authority of Allegheny County routinely adjusts schedules four times per year.

March 25 will also bring the opening of the light rail extension to the North Shore and reconstructed Gateway Station.

Details on the adjustments and links to new schedules are now posted on our Service Changes page. Paper schedules will be available soon.

For more details, please contact a Customer Service representative at (412) 442-2000 or the TTY number, (412) 231-7007 for the speech- and hearing-impaired.

T Free Fare Zone Extended to Allegheny Station Thanks to Deal with Steelers & Rivers Casino

A funding agreement between the Pittsburgh Steelers, Rivers Casino and Port Authority – brokered by Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald – will provide free rides on the T light rail system between Downtown Pittsburgh and Allegheny Station.

The three-year agreement with the Pittsburgh Steelers and Rivers Casino will extend the T’s Free Fare Zone to Allegheny Station when it opens on March 25. The light rail vehicle (LRV) station is located near Heinz Field and Rivers Casino on the North Shore.

Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald was instrumental in bringing the parties together.

“We appreciate the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Rivers Casino stepping up and providing service to the Allegheny Station,” Fitzgerald said. “This Free Fare Zone provides easy access to Heinz Field and the Rivers Casino, but also extends our downtown to the North Side where residents and visitors can get to locations including the Community College of Allegheny County and the Carnegie Science Center.”

“The Steelers are happy to participate in the partnership that will bring the free LRV ride to the Allegheny Station on the North Shore,” said Steelers President Art Rooney II. “The LRV service to the North Shore will assist all the North Shore/North Side communities to continue to build on the momentum and progress that is reshaping the North Shore of Pittsburgh.”

“The North Shore is truly an entertainment destination for residents and visitors,” said Craig Clark, general manager of Rivers Casino. “Rivers is proud to help make transportation easy and accessible.”

This is the second recent funding agreement to extend the T’s Free Fare Zone, which traditionally covered the Golden Triangle portion of Downtown. A similar agreement in December between Port Authority and the Stadium Authority of the City of Pittsburgh provided funding to extend the T’s Free Fare Zone to North Side Station.

Now, combined, the two agreements ensure both new T stations on the North Shore will fall within Port Authority’s Free Fare Zone.

“This agreement brings a tremendous level of transit service to the ever-growing North Shore, providing new opportunities to commuters, students and those heading for a little fun at the game or casino,” said Steve Bland, CEO of Port Authority.

“Expanding the T’s Free Fare Zone to Allegheny and North Side stations stretches the borders of Downtown Pittsburgh and creates a strong connection to current and future development in the North Shore. In addition, easier access to parking facilities on the North Shore will provide Downtown workers, students, and visitors with even more parking options so they can get into the Golden Triangle for work, or to enjoy Downtown’s many unique amenities,” said Jeremy Waldrup, President/CEO of the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership.

Both T stations are due to open March 25 with the start of light rail service on the subway extension. The extension carries the existing 25-mile T light-rail system into the North Shore.

Free T Rides Proposed Between Downtown & North Side T Station

Funding Agreement Will Provide Easier Commuting, Enhance Business Opportunities

The Stadium Authority of the City of Pittsburgh (SA) voted on December 21 to provide funding for free rides on Port Authority of Allegheny County’s light rail line between Downtown Pittsburgh and the soon-to-be-open North Side T Station. The North Side T Station is located at the West General Robinson Street Garage (WGRS Garage), which is owned by the SA.

“This agreement will benefit many segments of the community, from commuters who will save time and money on Downtown parking, to North Shore restaurants that will see increased business, to fans who want to attend sporting events, concerts and other special events on the North Shore, to tourists who will be able to more easily visit our city’s many attractions,” said Jeremy Waldrup, president/CEO of the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership. “A free, frequent and fast transit link will have the effect of essentially extending the borders of Downtown Pittsburgh.”

The agreement will be voted on by Port Authority’s Board of Directors at its January meeting. Under the agreement the Stadium Authority would pay Port Authority $160,000 in year one, $165,000 in year two and $170,000 in year three to provide free fare to the general public at North Side T Station, with an option to extend the agreement for two more years. Funds for the agreement will be derived from parking fees generated by the WGRS Garage and surface lots owned and managed by the SA and ALCO Parking Corporation, which will be sharing costs. The free rides would be open to the general public as well as people using the parking garage.

This agreement will allow the SA to save money by eliminating its shuttle service between the North Shore and Downtown. The funds are expected to offset any lost cash fares from North Side Station, and Port Authority will also save on expenses associated with collecting fares at the station.

The fare agreement does not preclude other funding agreements or sponsorship agreements, and the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership is continuing to work with Port Authority to pursue naming rights agreements and other forms of private sponsorship.

“We see this agreement as 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,” said Steve Bland, CEO of Port Authority. “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.”

North Side T Station is scheduled to open for service in March 2012 as part of Port Authority’s North Shore Connector light rail extension project. A reconstructed Gateway Station in Downtown and new Allegheny Station near Heinz Field will also open at that time. Port Authority estimates ride time from North Side T Station to Gateway T Station will be approximately four minutes, with trains leaving the station about every four minutes during weekday peak.

Reminder: No Steelers shuttle service this season.

With the Pittsburgh Steelers regular football season starting this weekend, Port Authority of Allegheny County reminds fans that special bus service to Heinz Field will not be offered this year.

Fans still may use regular Port Authority bus and T service to reach the North Shore on game days. The Trip Planner at PortAuthority.org is a convenient way to locate nearby routes and view schedules, and route information is also available through Google Maps.

Also, the T will offer service to two new North Shore stations starting in March 2012, providing more convenient transit access to sports venues, including Heinz Field, and other popular destinations.

The Steelers service was eliminated within a 15 percent reduction in service on March 27 to address a loss in state funding. At that time, 29 routes were eliminated and 37 others saw significant reductions. The Harmar bus division was closed and about 270 Authority jobs were eliminated.

The Steelers start the regular season on Sunday, Sept. 11, in Baltimore. The first home game at Heinz Field will be on Sept. 18.

For route information, riders may visit www.portauthority.org or contact Port Authority Customer Service at (412) 442-2000 or the TTY number, (412) 231-7007.

Headlines: The Future of Port Authority...by Port Authority

Lately, Post-Gazette's "The Next Page" column has featured several pieces dealing with public transportation. The Post-Gazette recently invited Port Authority staffers to author their own piece explaining how we've tried to improve the system, what challenges we've faced and what's next. Read all about it in "The Future of Port Authority...by Port Authority."

Tunnel to Somewhere

A report issued yesterday by two U.S. Senators in Washington D.C. painted a one-sided and innacurate picture of Port Authority's extension of the T to the North Shore. The report claimed the project is a waste of federal stimulus dollars and described it as a "Tunnel to Nowhere."

Those claims are misguided and not based in factual information.

Read or listen to news reports regarding the report:

• Post Gazette Editorial (Aug. 6): Hatchet Job: A Political Report Mischaracterizes the T Extension
  
• Newsweek (Aug. 5): How Wasteful is the Stimulus Spending, Really?
• Brian O'Neill in the Post-Gazette (Aug. 5): Subway Tunnel is Hardly a Money Pit
• Post Gazette's Jon Schmitz (Aug. 4): GOP Senators' Report Calls North Shore Connector a Monumental Waste
• KDKA Morning News - 1020 AM (Aug. 4): What Does the GOP Have Against the North Shore Extension (podcast)

The bottom line is the T extension will directly support about 4,000 jobs through its design construction. Creating and sustaining jobs was the primary goal of the federal stimulus program and that's why the North Shore Connector was an ideal candidate.

The jobs include both full-time and part-time employment and occur within various phases of the project, from design through construction. It includes suppliers of materials and equipment, construction, design and engineering.

And, describing the North Shore as "nowhere" simply is not the reality.

When local leaders first proposed extending the T to the North Shore, the area mostly was covered with parking lots. Leaders envisioned developing the area - beyond construction of PNC Park and Heinz Field. They asked Port Authority to oversee construction of the transit project.

Today, that vision is being realized. The list of major destinations that would be served by the T is growing and includes:

• Del Monte
• Equitable Resources
• Carnegie Science Center (700,000 annual visitors)
• PNC Park (1.75 million annual fans)
• Heinz Field (500,000 annual fans, excluding concerts)
• New hotels
• An amphitheater - under construction
• Community College of Allegheny County (7,200 students)
• Rivers Casino
• Andy Warhol Museum (90,000 annual visitors)
• Several other entertainment, corporate and retail locations

Gateway T station closes tomorrow for construction

The Gateway T station in Downtown Pittsburgh will close until further notice tomorrow to allow Port Authority to build a new station near the intersection of Liberty and Stanwix.
The new station will serve the North Shore Connector, which is scheduled to be completed by 2012.

The Wood Street T station is the closest alternative for light-rail riders and is located about three blocks from the Gateway station. Riders should board at Wood Street on the following platforms:

• 42C, 42S and 52: Board and discharge on the outbound platform.
• 47L and 47S: Board and discharge on the inbound platform.

All rail cars will reverse direction at Wood Street Station, and riders on the last car will not be able to exit at low-level stops or stations without fare booth attendants. This pertains especially to riders who are accustomed to boarding the inbound cars at First Avenue or Steel Plaza in the afternoon and remaining seated as the cars loop and head outbound.
More details are available on our Web site.

Additionally, other Downtown T stations will be closing on certain upcoming weekends for construction work. The schedule is as follows:

• Oct. 31/Nov. 1: Gateway, Wood Street and Steel Plaza stations will close. Bus shuttles will serve street-level stops outside Gateway, Wood Street and Steel Plaza to First Avenue station.
• Nov. 7/8: Gateway, Wood Street and Steel Plaza will close. Bus shuttles will serve Wood Street and Steel Plaza to First Avenue.
• Nov. 14/15: Gateway and Wood Street closed.
• Nov. 21/22: Gateway and Wood Street closed.
• Nov. 28/29: Gateway closed. All other Downtown stations will be open.

Also, riders may travel for free within Downtown at all times using buses following regular routes.