Abstract:
The Port Authority of Allegheny County operates 55 double-ended light rail vehicles (LRVs) on a 10.5-mi segment of its 22.5-mi system in metropolitan Pittsburgh. The rest of the system relies on 45 President's Conference Committee (PCC) cars. Political and financial considerations dictated this mixed fleet. Introducing LRVs to a system served by PCC cars was not difficult because many of the operating techniques are the same. Port Authority Transit's experience with its LRVs began with a subway shuttle operation launched in 1985--nearly two years before the final segment of the light rail system opened to the public. In that time the authority and its car builder have tackled problems with the LRV braking system, doors, air conditioning, corrosion, and automatic trip stop system. Given the satisfactory solutions found for most of the problems, the authority is pleased with the performance of the LRVs.
Supplemental Notes:
This paper appears in Transportation Research Board Special Report No. 221, Light Rail Transit: New System Successes at Affordable Prices - Papers presented at the National Conference on Light Rail Transit, May 8-11, 1988, San Jose, California, Conducted by the Transportation Research Board. Distribution, posting, or copying of this PDF is strictly prohibited without written permission of the Transportation Research Board of the National Academy of Sciences. Unless otherwise indicated, all materials in this PDF are copyrighted by the National Academy of Sciences. Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved
