42 South Hills Village

The 42 South Hills Village (often abbreviated as the 42S) is a line on the Pittsburgh Light Rail system that runs between South Hills Village and Downtown Pittsburgh via the Beechview neighborhood. A companion route, the 47 South Hills Village, branches off at Washington Junction and runs through Overbrook. In March of 2007 the closure of the Palm Garden Bridge for refurbishment suspended the 42S for five months; it resumed service in September. [cite news | url=http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/07057/765085-55.stm | first=Joe | last=Grata | work=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette | date=2007-02-26 | accessdate=2007-04-11 | title=Bus, trolley riders warned of closing of bridge over Route 51] cite news | url=http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/07234/811175-147.stm | work=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette | title=S. Hills bus, trolley disruptions ending Sept. 2 | date=2007-08-22 | first=Joe | last=Grata]

Route

The line begins at South Hills Village in Bethel Park, and runs north to Washington Junction, providing a transfer to the 47L Library line, which runs via Overbrook. The 42S continues north through Mount Lebanon then through the Mount Lebanon Rail Tunnel underneath Washington Rd./West Liberty Ave (aka Truck U.S. Route 19) into Dormont at the other end. The first station coming out of the tunnel northbound is Dormont Junction, then line proceeds through the Dormont neighborhood, crossing many streets via grade crossings. The line then arrives at Potomac, where it begins travelling through street trackage about a quarter mile down the tracks, crossing into the neighborhood of Beechview and officially into Pittsburgh near the Neeld Avenue stop.

Before the Mt. Lebanon Rail Tunnel, the old streetcars ran with car traffic on Washington Rd. between Alfred St. in Mt. Lebanon and the intersection of McFarland Rd. and Raleigh Ave. (where Washington Rd. becomes West Liberty Ave.) in Dormont.

At South Hills Junction the 42S rejoins the Overbrook lines and the 52 Allentown, which runs over Mount Washington through the Beltzhoover neighborhood. The 42S runs through the Mount Washington Transit Tunnel, stopping at Station Square before crossing the Monongahela River on the Panhandle Bridge. Reaching downtown at First Avenue, the 42S proceeds underground to Steel Plaza and Wood Street. At the end of the line, the tracks circle back before arriving at the single platform Gateway Center station, preparing to travel outbound.

There is additional limited service to and from Penn Park (at Pittsburgh Amtrak), such as during sporting events. [cite news | title=More buses, trolleys for game | date=2006-06-29 | work=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette | first=Joe | last=Grata | page=A9]

Stations and stops

This listing describes the 42S in normal operation. The 44S, functioning as a temporary replacement during the refurbishment of the Palm Garden Bridge, runs between Traymore and Overbrook Junction.

References

External links

* [http://www.portauthority.org/PAAC/apps/pdfs/44S.pdf Schedule for the 44S, 42F, and 37D, which provide replacement service for the 42S]