Purple Line (Pittsburgh)
The Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP), under its BRT Standard, has given the East Busway corridor a Bronze ranking.
History
Originally occupied by a railroad line, planning for the East Busway began shortly after the Port Authority of Allegheny County purchased the Pittsburgh Railways Company in 1964. The original segment of the busway opened in February 1983, running between Downtown Pittsburgh and Edgewood, a length of 6.8 miles.
In 2003, the busway was extended into Swissvale by 2.3 miles (3.7 km), making its current length 9.1 miles (14.6 km).
In July 2013, the East Busway was discussed in the context of the Mon Fayette Expressway.
Routes
Following the naming convention of each busway being designated by a color, bus routes that use the East Busway begin with a "P" for purple. However, the P13 (Mount Royal Flyer) is colored purple and uses a "P" designation, but does not use the busway; instead, it travels via Route 28. The P1 ("East Busway All Stops") is the main route, operating seven days a week and running the full length of the Busway between Swissvale and Downtown Pittsburgh, making all stops, before running a short loop through the central business district. It is the busiest Pittsburgh Regional Transit bus route by ridership.
All busway routes travel to downtown Pittsburgh, making a loop around before returning via the busway. The one exception to this is the P3 (East Busway-Oakland), which starts in Swissvale, but leaves the busway via the Neville Street Ramp, serving the business district of Oakland and terminating at Robinson Street.
Many of Pittsburgh Regional Transit's express and suburban Flyer routes also use the busway, but with stop restrictions, not picking up passengers at some busway stations in the inbound direction or dropping off passengers at some busway stations in the outbound direction. These routes operate primarily during weekday rush hours allowing buses to bypass the heavily congested Parkway East (Interstate 376), making for faster trip times. The East Busway is also used by some Westmoreland Transit routes, which run further into the Pittsburgh suburbs, ending in the cities of Greensburg and Latrobe in Westmoreland County.
As of February 2024, the Pittsburgh Regional Transit bus routes that use the East Busway are as follows:
Route | Route Name | Destination | Roads Traveled | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
P1 | East Busway All Stops | Swissvale station | East Busway | Daily, all-day service |
P3 | East Busway-Oakland | 5th Av & Robinson St | Neville St/5th Av | Weekdays only |
P7 | McKeesport Flyer | McKeesport Transportation Center | Edgewood Av/Rankin Bl/Kennywood Bl | Weekday peak hours only, stop restrictions |
P10 | Allegheny Valley Flyer | Harrison | Route 28/Freeport Rd | |
P12 | Holiday Park Flyer | Holiday Park | Penn Av/Parkway East/Golden Mile Hwy | |
P16 | Penn Hills Flyer | Alpha Ice Complex, Harmar | Leechburg Rd or Universal Rd | |
P17 | Lincoln Park Flyer | Nadine | Lincoln Av/Mt Carmel Rd | |
P67 | Monroeville Flyer | Monroeville Mall | William Penn Hwy | |
P68 | Braddock Hills Flyer | Forbes Hospital | Brinton Rd/Braddock Av/James St | Daily, all-day service, stop restrictions |
P69 | Trafford Flyer | Viaduct Way, Trafford | Ardmore Bl/Airbrake Av/Broadway Bl | Weekday peak hours only, stop restrictions |
P71 | Swissvale Flyer | Swissvale station | Savannah Av/Braddock Av/Woodstock Av | |
P76 | Lincoln Highway Flyer | Olympia Park and Ride | Ardmore Bl/Lincoln Hwy/Long Run Rd | |
P78 | Oakmont Flyer | Alpha Ice Complex, Harmar | Laketon Rd/Verona Rd/Allegheny River Bl | Weekdays only, stop restrictions |
Stations
Station Name | Neighborhood/Borough | Routes | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Penn Station | Downtown | P1 P7 P10 P12 P16 P17 P67 P68 P69 P71 P76 P78 | Amtrak: Floridian, Pennsylvanian Greyhound Lines |
Herron | Polish Hill | P1 P7 P10 P12 P16 P17 P67 P68 P69 P71 P76 P78 | |
Negley | Shadyside | P1 P3 P7 P10 P12 P16 P17 P67 P68 P69 P71 P76 P78 | |
East Liberty | East Liberty | P1 P3 P7 P10 P12 P16 P17 P67 P68 P69 P71 P76 P78 | |
Homewood | Homewood, Point Breeze North | P1 P3 P7 P12 P16 P67 P68 P69 P71 P76 P78 | |
Wilkinsburg | Wilkinsburg | P1 P3 P7 P12 P16 P67 P68 P69 P71 P76 P78 | Park and ride: 748 spaces |
Hay Street | P7 P12 P16 P67 P68 P69 P71 P76 P78 | Located on spur to Hay Street | |
Hamnett | P1 P3 | Park and ride: 128 spaces | |
Roslyn | Swissvale | P1 P3 | |
Swissvale | P1 P3 | Park and ride: 163 spaces |
See also
References
- ^ "BRT Rankings". Institute for Transportation and Development Policy. 2020. Retrieved April 26, 2020.
- ^ Kitsko, Jeffrey (February 17, 2010). "Martin Luther King Jr. East Busway". Pittsburgh Highways. Retrieved July 30, 2013.
- ^ Schmitz, Jon (July 20, 2013). "Leading Mon-Fayette Expressway supporter changes lanes". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved July 25, 2013.
- ^ "All Schedules". www.rideprt.org. Retrieved February 15, 2024.