Port Authority of Allegheny County estimates Station Square Station light rail restoration still 3-4 weeks away

Damaged infrastructure at Station Square light-rail station in Pittsburgh following an Aug. 5 freight train derailment.

Port Authority of Allegheny County

The Port Authority of Allegheny County believes returning light-rail service to Station Square Station in Pittsburgh, Penn., is still three to four weeks away following damage the station sustained during a freight train derailment.

The Port Authority issued an update on Aug. 10 explaining track maintenance employees and support personnel continued work to restore light-rail service to Station Square light-rail station. Crews must rebuild a portion of a concrete retaining wall, reinstall a 5,000-pound power line support structure, as well as replace 1,600 feet of track and 4,000 feet of power lines.

The Port Authority says it has assembled a team of two consulting firms and several contractors to safely and quickly return the light-rail system back to normal. Its in-house resources are already spread thin as they work to restore service to the Blue Line after it sustained flood damage earlier this year.

“The timing of these incidents has been most unfortunate,” said Bill Miller, Port Authority’s chief operating officer. “We thank our riders for sticking with us through both of these situations.”

The Port Authority began bringing in contractors last week as Norfolk Southern and its contractors continued to clean up more than 100 tons of cargo, including cases of Listerine, 9 Lives cat food and office furniture, among other items that spilled out of cars during the Aug. 5 derailment.

Two consultants will be handling inspection and design support. The Port Authority has also brought in a general contractor, rail contractor, electrical contractor and a specialty contractor for fiber optics and communications to assist. According to a report in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, SAI Consulting Engineers Inc. will serve as construction manager, GAI Consultants Inc. will assess the damage and design repairs. Michael Facchiano Contracting Inc. will be the general contractor with subcontractors, which include Delta Railroad Construction for the rail work, Wellington Electric Inc. electrical service repairs and Dagostino Electronic Services fiber optic cables repairs.

“We realize that a lot of commutes have been disrupted by the freight train derailment, and we are committed to doing everything in our power to restore service as quickly and safely as possible,” said Port Authority CEO Katharine Kelleman. “I’d like to thank our riders for their continued support and patience during this time.”