Red Line service near Dawn Station faces 12 days of disruption for track replacement

Riders of Pittsburgh Regional Transit who use the Dawn Station will face disruptions for 12 days beginning Tuesday.

The agency will suspend Red Line service between the Westfield Station and South Hills Junction through July 19 to replace tracks near the Dawn Station that have been in service since 1982. The work is considered a safety-critical project, and when it is finished the new tracks should last for several decades.

The track work will lead to a series of detours for light rail travelers.

During the project, PRT will operate a rail shuttle between the Westfield and Overbrook Junction stations with these special conditions:

• Riders heading inbound to Downtown Pittsburgh between Overbrook Junction and Westfield should take the Red Line shuttle to Overbrook Junction, walk a short distance to Willow Station, and board any Blue, Silver or detoured Red Line into the city.
• Riders traveling outbound from the city to Castle Shannon, Mt. Lebanon, Dormont or Beechview can use any outbound Blue, Silver or Red Line car to get from the city to Willow Station, where they can walk to the inbound platform for Overbrook Junction and ride the inbound Red Line shuttle to those communities.
• Riders going outbound to South Hills destinations should use the shuttle to Overbrook Junction, then board regular service.
• The Dawn Avenue bus stop on the South Busway, the busway ramp from West Liberty Avenue and the stairway to Dawn Avenue will be closed.

Light rail users already are facing detours because the Mount Washington Transit Tunnel between South Hills Junction and Station Square is closed. As a result, trains are using the normally closed Blue Line through Allentown until upgrades to the tunnel are finished in October.