Downtown Light Rail Service Resumes After Short-Circuit In Breaker Prompts Evacuations

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) – Light rail service in Pittsburgh has been restored after several stations were evacuated Wednesday morning over reports of a fire.

According to the Port Authority, a fire was initially reported in an electrical box between the Steel Plaza and First Avenue stations shortly after 9 a.m.

"It was discovered there was a small electrical vault near the tracks of the outbound side of the jail tunnel. It was smoking and there was an electrical odor and an electrical hum in the vault indicating that there was something very wrong in the vault," Pittsburgh Deputy Fire Chief Frank Large said.

But the Port Authority now says there was never any fire or smoke. Instead, when the breaker short-circuited, it allowed additional electricity to go through the wire, making it hot. That wire then came into contact with some groundwater and caused it to steam.

Port Authority crews identified the cause as a breaker short-circuiting near the First Avenue station.

"The actual incident, electrical incident, occurred on the electric box that is located on our tracks between First Avenue and Steel Plaza stations," said Port Authority spokesperson Jim Ritchie.

"They have identified what it was. It was one of two direct current feeds that feeds power to the subway trains. They've identified that. Now, they're repowering everything," Large said.

Full service was restored shortly after 1 p.m. However, it took some time for service to return to normal.

No passengers were trapped underground during the incident and there are no reported injuries.

Rail service stopped at First Avenue and shuttles were being brought in to pick up passengers. The shuttles provided service to all Downtown and North Shore T stations at street level.

In all five stations were shut down. According to the Port Authority, significant repairs are in order. But, for now, a temporary fix is in place.

Eventually, though, the permanent repairs will have to be made, and more than likely, service will have to be shut down for the 30,000 riders who use the rail service. The Port Authority will let everyone when that will happen and for how long.

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