Pittsburgh PRT to receive $83M for rail-car replacement

Pittsburgh Regional Transit (PRT) will receive $82.8 million in federal funding to help replace its aging light-rail fleet.

The grant, awarded through the Federal Transit Administration’s Rail Vehicle Replacement Program, will support PRT’s purchase of 45 new 170-foot light-rail vehicles (LRVs). The new vehicles will replace PRT’s 76 existing 80-foot LRVs, which have exceeded their useful design life and reached technical obsolescence, PRT officials said in a press release.

“This investment will help us move forward with a new fleet of rail cars that will provide riders with a safer, more accessible, more comfortable, and more reliable experience,” said PRT CEO Katharine Kelleman.

The new vehicles will feature upgraded propulsion systems designed to improve energy efficiency and ride quality. PRT estimates that the new high-efficiency vehicles could reduce energy consumption across the light-rail network by up to 5%.

The new LRVs will maximize passenger space and accommodate volumes that currently require multi-car trains, PRT officials said. On-vehicle wheelchair lifts and flat interior floor layouts will provide accessible boarding at every station across PRT’s light-rail system.

The total capital cost of the procurement is estimated at $777 million, including the vehicles, station modifications for accessibility, platform adjustments, facility improvements and other costs associated with designing, manufacturing and deploying the new fleet.

PRT plans to leverage its capital bonding capacity while pursuing additional grants to help finance the overall project, PRT officials said.