Water Main Break In Castle Shannon Causes Some Light Rail Delays

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CASTLE SHANNON (KDKA) -- The Pennsylvania American Water Company says an 8-inch water main break occurred Friday evening in Castle Shannon.

Only a handful of customers were affected, however, the break did have an impact on trolley operations.

A section of the Port Authority's Red Line Service had to be closed for a while due to a water main break not far from the Arlington T Stop on Cooke Lane in Castle Shannon. Water from the break was flowing freely, and a lot of it froze up quickly because of the cold temperatures.

"We have a major break on Hazel Drive. The water's coming down. It was flooding over the Port Authority tracks here. They've shut the cars down. [Crews] are going to inspect to make sure the track's OK here," Castle Shannon Fire Chief Bill Reffner said.

Because the Red Line T traffic had to be temporarily shut down in both directions, the Port Authority operated shuttle buses between the Mt. Lebanon and Castle Shannon light rail stations.

Elizabeth Sikes ended up on one of the shuttle buses.

"I wouldn't say I didn't expect something like this, you know, with the weather. It's a risk you take with public transportation," she said.

Regular service resumed around 9 p.m. Friday after the tracks were inspected and given the green light.