Port Authority expects Station Square T stop to reopen in 3-4 weeks

Aug. 13--The Port Authority of Allegheny County has hired a team of consultants and contractors for repairs to light rail tracks and equipment damaged after a Norfolk Southern train derailed on Pittsburgh's South Side.

A Port Authority official said the T stop at Station Square, which has been closed since the freight train derailed on Aug. 5, should open in three to four weeks.

Spokesman Adam Brandolph said the authority has yet to calculate repair costs.

"We're probably not going to know that until after the work is finished, but we certainly are going to make sure that the taxpayers of Allegheny County are not burdened with the cost of these repairs," Brandolph said.

Port Authority officials have said they would seek reimbursement from insurance or Norfolk Southern.

Seven freight cars loaded with household products and appliances tumbled off tracks above the Station Square stop, damaging 1,600 feet of light rail track and 4,000 feet of power lines. The Port Authority must replace the track and electric lines, rebuild a portion of a concrete retaining wall near the T stop and reinstall a power line support structure.

Light rail riders have experienced delays since the accident.

"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," Port Authority CEO Katharine Kelleman said in a statement.

The Port Authority has retained SAI Consulting Engineers of the Strip District for construction management and inspection services and GAI Consultants of Homestead for initial inspection of damages and design work, Brandolph said.

The general contractor is Michael Facchiano Contracting of Mt. Lebanon.

The additional help will allow Port Authority crews continue to work on the Blue Line in Library where flooding earlier this summer caused significant damage.

The line was expected to open September 1, but Brandolph said that would likely be pushed back because of the derailment.

He said the Port Authority would review the accident after repairs are complete to see if additional safety measures are needed to protect its station and system in the event of a future derailment.

Princess Ferguson, who was working in a fare booth at Station Square when the train derailed, said she and co-workers had been concerned about the proximity of freight trains traveling tracks at the foot of Mt. Washington above the light rail station.

Ferguson was credited with leading three passengers waiting at the station during the derailment to a safe area. No one was hurt.

"After an event like this we will certainly go back and do like an after-incident report," Brandolph said. "Among that discussion will be things like what can we do in the future to prevent something like this from happening again."

Bob Bauder is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Bob at 412-765-2312, [email protected] or via Twitter @bobbauder.

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