Brown Line (Pittsburgh)

Brown Line
Brown Line, East Warrington Avenue, Allentown
Overview
Type	Light rail
Locale	Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Operation
Owner	Port Authority of Allegheny County
Operator(s)	Port Authority of Allegheny County
Technical
Track gauge	5 ft 2 1⁄2 in (1,588 mm)
Electrification	750 Volts DC, Overhead lines
Maximum incline	approx. 10 percent
Route map Map of the "T" light rail system

The Brown Line (formerly the 52) was a service on the Pittsburgh Light Rail system that runs from South Hills Junction over Mount Washington and across the Monongahela River to downtown Pittsburgh, terminating at Gateway Center. It includes the steepest grade of any section of the Pittsburgh light rail system, around 10 percent.

History

The 52 Allentown was created in 1984 by renaming what was then the 49 Arlington-Warrington, itself created in 1971 by combining portions of the 48 Arlington and 49 Beltzhoover lines. In April 2010 the 52 Allentown was rebranded the "Brown Line" by the Port Authority.

This line was much smaller and ran less frequently than the Red Line or Blue Line - South Hills Village and Blue Line - Library, providing service to the Allentown neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where dense housing and the hilly terrain make automobile transportation very limited–some area streets cannot be used at all during the winter. Service began at South Hills Junction, heading for Warrington Avenue. The Brown Line ran on Warrington in an easterly direction until turning left onto Arlington Avenue, where it followed the sharply bending street until running northwesterly. It used the same bridge into the downtown as the Red Line and Blue Line services, stopping at First Avenue, Steel Plaza, Wood Street, and Gateway Center, but did not stop at Station Square because it approached the bridge from the southeast, while Station Square is southwest of the bridge.

Prior to its discontinuance Brown Line service was severely reduced, running only during the weekday rush with substitute service provided by the 44 bus. The Port Authority considered ending all Brown Line service, but this would have provided only limited savings unless the tracks and overhead wires were also decommissioned. Moreover, the Brown Line's tracks provided a backup route when a stalled vehicle or planned maintenance closed the Mt. Washington Transit Tunnel, allowing Red Line and Blue Line services to continue operating, albeit with delays since the Allentown route took five to eight minutes longer than the tunnel.

On March 27, 2011, the Brown Line service was terminated due to a 15% service cut systemwide.

Station List

Station Name	Station Type	Other Services	Municipality
South Hills Junction	street level low platform - terminus high platform - continues via Red Line	Red Line, Blue Line - Library, Blue Line - South Hills Village	Pittsbugh
Harwood Steps	street level		Pittsburgh
Haberman	street level		Pittsburgh
Estella	street level		Pittsburgh
Curtin	street level		Pittsburgh
Beltzhoover	street level		Pittsburgh
Allen	street level		Pittsburgh
New Arlington	street level		Pittsburgh
Roanoke	street level		Pittsburgh
Newton	street level		Pittsburgh
William	street level		Pittsburgh
First Avenue	high level	Red Line, Blue Line - Library, Blue Line - South Hills Village	Pittsburgh
Steel Plaza	underground	Red Line, Blue Line - Library, Blue Line - South Hills Village	Pittsburgh
Wood Street	underground	Red Line, Blue Line - Library, Blue Line - South Hills Village	Pittsburgh
Gateway Center	underground	Red Line, Blue Line - Library, Blue Line - South Hills Village	Pittsburgh

External links

• Brown Line - Allentown schedule effective April 4, 2010
• Brown Line - Allentown Route Map
• Supplementary Bus Service to Allentown via bus route 46K - Schedule