Steel Plaza station is a station on the

Pittsburgh Regional Transit Pittsburgh Regional Transit (PRT, formerly Port Authority of Allegheny County) is the second-largest public transit agency in Pennsylvania and the 20th-largest in the United States. The state-funded agency is based in Pittsburgh and is overseen ...

's light rail network, located in

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

. It serves the city's Downtown district and is located at the intersection of

Grant Street Grant Street is the main government and business corridor in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It is home to the global headquarters of U.S. Steel, Koppers Chemicals, and Oxford Development. It also is home to the seat of Allegheny County, City of Pitts ...

and Oliver Avenue. The station consists of an outbound (southbound) side platform and an inbound island platform, with one track for trains to Wood Street and the other for a disused branch line to

Union Station A union station (also known as a union terminal, a joint station in Europe, and a joint-use station in Japan) is a railway station at which the tracks and facilities are shared by two or more separate railway companies, allowing passengers to ...

. The station has rights to 4.25 acres underground

Mellon Green Mellon Green is an urban park in Downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The green, bounded by Grant Street, Ross Street, and Oliver and Sixth avenues, is surrounded by many prominent downtown buildings including the U.S. Steel Tower, BNY Mellon Cent ...

and is accessible by means of a tunnel that connects BNY Mellon Center and the

US Steel Tower The U.S. Steel Tower, also known as the Steel Building or USX Tower (1988–2001), is a 64-story skyscraper at 600 Grant Street in downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The interior has of leasable space. Standing tall, it is the List of talles ...

. It is also the closest station to

PPG Paints Arena PPG Paints Arena is a multi-purpose indoor arena in Pittsburgh, that serves as the home of the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League (NHL). It previously was the home of the Pittsburgh Power of the Arena Football League (AFL) from 2 ...

and the primary station used for the

Pittsburgh Penguins The Pittsburgh Penguins (colloquially known as the Pens) are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division of the Eastern Conference, and have playe ...

' home games. The busiest station in the system, in addition to being directly connected to BNY Mellon Center and the Steel Tower, it provides access to eastern and central portions of downtown. Major office buildings including the

Gulf Tower The Gulf Tower is a 44-story, Art Deco skyscraper in downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The tower is one of the major distinctive and recognizable features of the city and is named for the Gulf Oil Corporation, one of the leading multinational ...

, 525 William Penn Place, and the

Koppers Building Koppers Building is a historical building in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, commissioned by Andrew W. Mellon and completed in 1929. The building is named after the Koppers Chemical Corporation and is one of the major features of Downtown Pittsburgh. ...

are also only a block away, along with the many early 20th-century skyscrapers that make up downtown's inner core. The city's Uptown (commonly known as The Bluff) neighborhood and

Duquesne University Duquesne University of the Holy Spirit ( or ; Duquesne University or Duquesne) is a private Catholic research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Founded by members of the Congregation of the Holy Spirit, Duquesne first opened as the Pittsbu ...

is also within a short walk.

History

The station is located in what was originally the

Pittsburgh & Steubenville Extension Railroad Tunnel The Pittsburgh & Steubenville Extension Railroad Tunnel, also known as the Panhandle Tunnel, was originally built for the Pittsburgh and Steubenville Extension Railroad in Pittsburgh. It officially opened for rail traffic in 1865. History The tun ...

, which was opened in 1865. In 1984,

Jane Haskell Jane Haskell (24 November 1923 – 28 May 2013) was a Pittsburgh-based artist and philanthropist whose art focused on light. Her neon work "River of Light" was installed in the Steel Plaza station of Pittsburgh's 'T' system in 1984, which was commi ...

's work "Rivers of Light" was installed. The station also features low-level platforms, which were used by modernized PCC cars from 1985 until 1993. These trolleys were used for the 47 Shannon and 47D Drake routes, and were cut off from the downtown light rail tunnels in 1993 when the original Overbrook line was closed for rehabilitation. The low-level platforms exist to this day but are gated off.

Fare collection

There is no fare collection in the Steel Plaza Station. Passengers embarking at Steel Plaza may travel free to any of the other stations in the free fare zone– First Avenue, Wood Street, Gateway Center, North Side, and Allegheny. Outbound passengers pay fares when disembarking.

References

External links

*
Port Authority T Stations Listings
Port Authority of Allegheny County stations Railway stations in the United States opened in 1985 U.S. Steel Railway stations located underground in Pennsylvania Blue Line (Pittsburgh) Red Line (Pittsburgh) Silver Line (Pittsburgh) {{Pennsylvania-railstation-stub