Riders of the Monongahela Incline will have to find another way between Mount Washington and Station Square on Pittsburgh’s South Side for at least another week while Pittsburgh Regional Transit and a contractor try to figure out why it broke down.
Pittsburgh Regional Transit said Friday it has repaired the brake resister and the motor controller that failed Tuesday afternoon, preventing the cars from leaving the station. Before it reopens the system, though, the agency wants to continue investigating why the failure occurred so it doesn’t happen again.
In a news release, PRT said “there is currently no indication” why the failure occurred. The agency and contractor Elcon Technologies Inc. of Bridgeville expect to spend more days investigating the cause and make any additional repairs before asking for an inspection by the state Department of Labor and Industry that must be completed before it reopens.
This shutdown is the fourth in the past year since the agency completed an $8.1 million project to upgrade the mechanical system on the incline and restore the stations to the way they looked when they opened in 1870. PRT operates shuttle buses between Grandview Avenue and Station Square when it has drivers available.
Elcon worked on the improvement project, and there has been no additional cost to PRT for repairs.
The funicular carries about 600,000 riders in a normal year, about half of them tourists who use the unique experience of riding to the top to take in the view of the city and visit neighborhood shops.
Ed covers transportation at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but he's currently on strike. Email him at eblazina@unionprogress.com.