The West Busway is a two-lane bus-only highway serving the western portions of the city of Pittsburgh and several western suburbs. The busway runs for 5.1 miles (8.2 km) from the southern shore of the Ohio River near Downtown Pittsburgh to Carnegie,[1] following former railroad right-of-way on the Panhandle Route.[citation needed] It broke ground on October 27, 1994 and is owned and maintained by Pittsburgh Regional Transit, the public transit provider for Allegheny County and the Pittsburgh region. The transit thoroughfare was opened in September 2000.[2] Following the naming convention of each busway being designated by a color, bus routes that use the West Busway begin with a "G" for green.
| West Busway | |||
|---|---|---|---|
.jpg) Idlewood station along the West Busway | |||
| Overview | |||
| Locale | Pittsburgh | ||
| Termini | |||
| Stations | 6 | ||
| Service | |||
| Type | Bus rapid transit | ||
| System | Pittsburgh Regional Transit | ||
| History | |||
| Opened | September 2000 | ||
| Technical | |||
| Line length | 5.1 mi (8.2 km) | ||
| Operating speed | 50 mph (80 km/h) (top) | ||
| |||
In addition to running along the abandoned railroad right of way, the West Busway also reuses the historic Cork Run Tunnel, also known as the Berry Street Tunnel, which was heavily refurbished for the busway
The Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP), under its BRT Standard, has classified the West Busway as a "Basic BRT" corridor.[3]
Routes
editFour Pittsburgh Regional Transit bus routes currently serve the West Busway.
One route, G2 West Busway All Stops travels the length of the busway and also serves Downtown Pittsburgh, connecting with the East Busway, via West Carson Street (PA 51) and the Fort Pitt Bridge. Buses operate every 30 minutes.[4]
Another important route is the 28X Airport Flyer which uses the West Busway as far south as Bell Station where dedicated ramps connect the Busway to Interstate 376. The Airport Flyer has a stop restriction with buses outbound to the Airport only stopping to pick up passengers, with drop-offs along the busway prohibited. Buses operate every 30 minutes.[5]
Following the naming convention of each busway being designated by a color, most bus routes that use the West Busway begin with a "G" for green.
| Route | Route Name | Destination | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 28X | Airport Flyer | Pittsburgh International Airport | Daily, stop restrictions |
| G2 | West Busway-All Stops | Carnegie | Daily |
| G3 | Moon Flyer | Moon | Weekday peak periods |
| G31 | Bridgeville Flyer | Bridgeville | Weekday peak periods |
Stations
edit| Station Name | Neighborhood/Borough | Routes | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sheraden | Sheraden | 28X G2 G3 G31 | Park and ride: 177 spaces |
| Ingram | Ingram | 28X G2 G3 G31 | |
| Crafton | Crafton | 28X G2 G3 G31 | Park and ride: 106 spaces |
| Idlewood | 28X G2 G3 G31 | Park and ride: 33 spaces | |
| Bell | Carnegie | 28X G2 G3 G31 | Park and ride: 34 spaces |
| Carnegie | G2 | Park and ride: 163 spaces G31 stops nearby off-busway |
References
edit- ^ "Port Authority of Allegheny County West Busway". Federal Transit Administration. October 30, 2002. Archived from the original on September 23, 2008.
- ^ "Pittsburgh Celebrates 25th Anniversary of East Busway". Passenger Transport. American Public Transportation Association. May 5, 2008. Archived from the original on February 25, 2012.
- ^ "BRT Rankings". Institute for Transportation and Development Policy. 2020. Retrieved April 26, 2020.
- ^ "Route G2 West Busway - All Stops Timetable" (PDF). Pittsburgh Regional Transit. February 18, 2024. Retrieved February 15, 2024.
- ^ "Route 28X Airport Flyer Timetable" (PDF). Pittsburgh Regional Transit. June 18, 2023. Retrieved January 22, 2024.
External links
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