Port Authority To Cut 13 Light Rail Stops

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - Some big changes are coming to the Port Authority's light rail system as more than a dozen stops will soon be eliminated.

A total of 13 stops will be closed on June 25. The Port Authority said the move is really twofold to make service more direct for current customers and attract new riders.

"That's a lot of stops to close. Lucky number 13 doesn't sound so lucky. So, I know it will be an inconvenience to a lot of people," Jason Huffman said.

The news is not sitting well with some commuters especially in Beechview where four stops along the Red Line are being cut.

"This stop is consistently busy, as well as the stops along this line here. So, whether it's day or night, there always seems to be people at those stops," Huffman said.

"We do make a lot of small stops in this area. We even stop right up here where people could walk down towards this way. Unfortunately though, with people with disabilities, that may be an issue," Alexis Ehlers said.

The Port Authority said all 13 stops being eliminated from Beechview to the South Hills have low boarding counts and they're all close to other stops.

The longest distance a commuter would have to walk to get to a new stop is 650 yards.

Overall, the cuts are expected to impact only 5 percent of rail riders.

Some said the consolidation needed to be done a while ago.

"You have one here and if you look down the street, you have another one one block away which seems a little ludicrous and we always questioned that," Alex Criego said.

You can find a complete list of all the stops that will be closed here.

Signs will also be posted at each of the individual stops next week.

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