Blue Line (Pittsburgh)

The Blue Line is a Pittsburgh Light Rail line that operates between Pittsburgh's North Shore and South Hills Village via Downtown and the neighborhoods of Knoxville and Overbrook, as well as Castle Shannon and Bethel Park. The line operates over the Overbrook line (shared with the Silver Line) and the South Hills Village line (shared with the Red Line). The line is owned and operated by Pittsburgh Regional Transit.

History

The line from South Hills Junction to Castle Shannon via Overbrook (now known as the Overbrook Line and used by the Blue and Silver Line) was constructed by the Pittsburgh and Castle Shannon Railroad (P&CSRR) between 1872 and 1874. In 1905, Pittsburgh Railways leased the route and, between 1909 and 1910, converted it to dual gauge, retaining the existing narrow gauge for coal trains while adding the broad 5 ft 2+1⁄2 in (1,588 mm) Pennsylvania trolley gauge for passenger service using streetcars. Although the line was electrified with overhead lines for trolley operation, coal trains continued to use steam locomotives.

The line originally operated between Pittsburgh and Library. A branch to South Hills Village was added in 1987 to complement the Red Line, which serves the same terminus via Beechview.

While the Beechview line (used by the Red Line) was rebuilt during the 1980s to accommodate modern light rail vehicles, the Overbrook line remained largely unchanged and continued to be operated with mid-20th century PCC streetcars, most notably the 4000 series. Its reconstruction was deferred pending additional funding.