Station Square Getting Back To Normal 1 Week After Train Derailment
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PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- It's been one week since a major freight train derailment damaged the Port Authority of Allegheny County's light rail tracks and temporarily closed a major Pittsburgh street.
Workers have been making progress, hoping to get things back to normal sooner rather than later.
Seven Norfolk Southern rail cars on a westbound double-stack intermodal train derailed near the Station Square T station last Sunday afternoon. Tons of cars carrying household goods and food products were stacked on the hillside like crushed toys.
The derailment damaged the light rail tracks and overhead utility cables.
But what a difference one week later.
Crews facing a difficult challenge successfully removed all of the container cars and their contents. Since then, Norfolk Southern's tracks have been repaired and one of the nation's busiest rail lines is back up and running.
Construction workers are repairing about 1,600 feet of light rail lines and replacing about 4,000 feet of electric cables. They're also rebuilding a retaining wall.
Our rail maintenance employees are hard at work! pic.twitter.com/GXIHbmGuYx
— Port Authority PGH (@PGHtransit) August 12, 2018
When the derailment happened, West Carson Street and East Carson Street were closed from the Fort Pitt Bridge to Arlington Avenue. Light rail service to and from the South Hills was moved to the Allentown line, causing even more delays.
For a few days, the road closures and the light rail detours had a negative impact on Station Square businesses, but customers are helping things get back to normal.
The Port Authority is expected to reveal more information on how long repairs to the T tracks will take on Monday.