![Westinghouse Skybus 01](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/40/Westinghouse_Skybus_01.jpg)
The Transit Expressway Revenue Line (TERL), commonly known as Skybus, was a proposed
people mover
A people mover or automated people mover (APM) is a type of small scale automated guideway transit system. The term is generally used only to describe systems serving relatively small areas such as airports, downtown districts or theme parks. ...
rapid transit
Rapid transit or mass rapid transit (MRT), also known as heavy rail or metro, is a type of high-capacity public transport generally found in urban areas. A rapid transit system that primarily or traditionally runs below the surface may be c ...
system developed by
Westinghouse for the city of
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 ...
during the 1960s–1970s. In contrast to the traditional
streetcars then in use, the technology used a dedicated elevated
concrete
Concrete is a composite material composed of fine and coarse aggregate bonded together with a fluid cement (cement paste) that hardens (cures) over time. Concrete is the second-most-used substance in the world after water, and is the most wi ...
track and
rubber-tired driverless cars. A demonstrator was built and operated in the
South Hills area but political opposition killed the deployment of a larger system.
History
Westinghouse, a Pittsburgh firm, developed the technology during the early 1960s in cooperation with the
Port Authority of Allegheny County
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 ...
, a public entity which by 1964 controlled most mass transit in the Pittsburgh area. With support from the state of Pennsylvania and the federal government, Westinghouse and PAT built a demonstration track at the
Allegheny County Fairgrounds
Allegheny County Fairgrounds located in South Park in South Park Township, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, was acquired and designed for use in 1927 by the Allegheny County Department of Parks. Beginning in 1932, this was the location of the All ...
in
South Park
''South Park'' is an American animated sitcom created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone and developed by Brian Graden for Comedy Central. The series revolves around four boys Stan Marsh, Kyle Broflovski, Eric Cartman, and Kenny McCormickand th ...
. The cars, which could operate separately or be coupled together, were powered by a pair of motors and could travel at a maximum speed of . Each of the four cars was long and could seat 28. Power was provided a 565 volt
three-phase
Three-phase electric power (abbreviated 3φ) is a common type of alternating current used in electricity generation, Electric power transmission, transmission, and Electric power distribution, distribution. It is a type of polyphase system empl ...
AC underrail system.
During the 1960s the Port Authority formulated its so-called "Early Action Program," the purpose of which was to establish a more robust rapid transit system in Pittsburgh. The program called for an Skybus line and two "busways" (
bus rapid transit
Bus rapid transit (BRT), also called a busway or transitway, is a bus-based public transport system designed to have much more capacity, reliability and other quality features than a conventional bus system. Typically, a BRT system includes ...
routes), plus rehabilitation of existing equipment. The Skybus route would originate
South Hills Village
South Hills Village is a two-level shopping mall located in the Pittsburgh suburbs of Bethel Park and Upper St. Clair, Pennsylvania, United States.
History
The mall was originally developed in the mid-1960s by the Oxford Development Co. as the ...
and follow existing streetcar right-of-way through the
Mt. Lebanon and
Beechview neighborhoods before reaching
Downtown Pittsburgh
Downtown Pittsburgh, colloquially referred to as the Golden Triangle, and officially the Central Business District, is the urban downtown center of Pittsburgh. It is located at the confluence of the Allegheny River and the Monongahela River whose ...
via the unused
Wabash Tunnel
The Wabash Tunnel is a former railway tunnel and presently an automobile tunnel through Mt. Washington in the city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Constructed early in the 20th century by railroad magnate George J. Gould for the Wab ...
. The entire project would cost $295 million; Skybus alone was $232 million.
The WABCO alternative
In July 1969 an alternative emerged to the Skybus plan. The
Westinghouse Air Brake Company
The Westinghouse Air Brake Company (sometimes nicknamed or abbreviated WABCO although this was also confusingly used for spinoffs) was founded on September 28, 1869 by George Westinghouse in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Earlier in the year he had i ...
(WABCO) (an unrelated company founded by the same man,
George Westinghouse
George Westinghouse Jr. (October 6, 1846 – March 12, 1914) was an American entrepreneur and engineer based in Pennsylvania who created the railway air brake and was a pioneer of the electrical industry, receiving his first patent at the age ...
, several years prior to Westinghouse Electric's founding) proposed a $114 million plan for a more conventional steel-wheeled light rail system. The system would originate in the South Hills area as the present streetcar system did and extend through downtown to the
East Liberty neighborhood. Driverless operation would be an option, and the system would be fully grade-separated.
Adopting Skybus
WABCO's proposal notwithstanding, PAT voted to adopt the Skybus plan on July 10, 1969.
PAT's decision provoked a storm of controversy, both for the decision itself and the manner in which it was taken. Throughout the decision-making process PAT held numerous closed-door meetings and was less than forthcoming about how it chose Skybus over the WABCO proposal. Republican (and pro-rail) County Commissioner
William Hunt stated that "PAT officials should be aware ... that they are a public company using taxpayers' money and these taxpayers have a right to know how the money's being spent." The ''
Pittsburgh Press
''The Pittsburgh Press'' (formerly ''The Pittsburg Press'' and originally ''The Evening Penny Press'') was a major afternoon daily newspaper published in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, from 1884 to 1992. At one time, the ''Press'' was the second larg ...
'' editorialized that PAT "pulled a monumental blunder the other night when it not only excluded the public from the meeting at which the WABCO proposal was made but actually tried to keep the details of the proposal from reaching the public." Among the most vehement critics of Skybus was then-City Councilman
Peter F. Flaherty
Peter Francis Flaherty (June 25, 1924 – April 18, 2005) was an American politician and attorney. He served as assistant district attorney of Allegheny County from 1957 to 1964, a member of the Pittsburgh City Council from 1966 to 1970, the 54 ...
(a Democrat), who was a candidate for Mayor of Pittsburgh. Flaherty accused PAT of prejudging in favor of Skybus and rushing the decision to secure federal funding for the project. Flaherty urged additional, open, hearings to better evaluate the merits of the Skybus and WABCO proposals.
In response, the Allegheny County Commission agreed to hold a series of public hearings into the competing plans. Both Flaherty and
John K. Tabor, his Republican opponent for mayor, appeared at the hearings to express their views. Flaherty accused the PAT board of directors of having an "emotional commitment ... to the Skybus plan" and of collusion with business-industrial interests in the Pittsburgh area who favored the plan. Tabor split the difference, presenting a plan which included WABCO and a Skybus loop east of downtown. A continuing source of contention was WABCO's cost estimate, which PAT's consulting engineer said was at least $100 million too low. The viability of the unproven Skybus technology, in particular the
switching system, remained a concern. In September the County Commission voted 2–1 to adopt the plan. The Commission stated that of the $228 million only $20–30 million would be paid by the county, with federal and state funds making up the balance.
The end of Skybus
The Commission's decision did nothing to end the controversy. Flaherty, now mayor, remained opposed and used his powers as mayor to frustrate the project. In 1971 he and the Port Authority came to blows over the
Wabash Tunnel
The Wabash Tunnel is a former railway tunnel and presently an automobile tunnel through Mt. Washington in the city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Constructed early in the 20th century by railroad magnate George J. Gould for the Wab ...
, which Skybus would use to reach the downtown area. The Pittsburgh City Council voted to convey land at the mouth of the tunnel to the Port Authority. Flaherty vetoed the decision. The council voted to do so again, overriding Flaherty's veto. Flaherty then refused to sign the necessary papers. The matter reached the
Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania is one of Pennsylvania's two intermediate appellate courts. The Commonwealth Court's headquarters is in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, with jurisdiction over administrative and civil public law. The Superior ...
, which ruled against Flaherty in July 1972. PAT would spend a total of $9.2 million rebuilding the tunnel and then undoing the work after the system was canceled. In November 1971 the City Council had decided to table legislation funding Skybus. Construction stopped after
Court of Common Pleas
A court of common pleas is a common kind of court structure found in various common law jurisdictions. The form originated with the Court of Common Pleas at Westminster, which was created to permit individuals to press civil grievances against one ...
Judge
Anne X. Alpern
Anne X. Alpern (December 25, 1903 – February 2, 1981) was an American jurist and politician who served as the Pennsylvania Attorney General, attorney general for Pennsylvania and was later appointed to the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania. She ...
issued an injunction, ruling that PAT had failed to consider alternatives and that Westinghouse had "an illegal conflict of interest." In January 1973 the
Supreme Court of Pennsylvania
The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania is the highest court in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania's Unified Judicial System. It also claims to be the oldest appellate court in the United States, a claim that is disputed by the Massachusetts Supreme ...
quashed the injunction on both procedural and factual grounds, holding that the suit was not timely and that Westinghouse's role was not improper.
Opposition to the Skybus project continued, with Flaherty and Hunt demanding that the proposal be submitted to a referendum in the 1973 election. The projected cost of the Early Action Program, including Skybus, had risen from $228 million to nearly $400 million. Governor
Milton Shapp
Milton Jerrold Shapp (born Milton Jerrold Shapiro; June 25, 1912 – November 24, 1994) was an American businessman and politician who served as the 40th governor of Pennsylvania from 1971 to 1979 and the first Jewish governor of Pennsylvania. H ...
offered a compromise proposal, costed at $300 million, which placed Skybus on hold and included six
commuter rail
Commuter rail, or suburban rail, is a passenger rail transport service that primarily operates within a metropolitan area, connecting commuters to a central city from adjacent suburbs or commuter towns. Generally commuter rail systems are con ...
lines (including the future
PATrain
The PATrain, also known as Mon Valley Commuter Rail, was a commuter rail service owned by the Port Authority of Allegheny County in the Monongahela Valley in the US state of Pennsylvania. Service began in 1975 when the Port Authority assumed owne ...
). A major issue remained the disposition of two sources of money: state and federal. U.S. Secretary of Transportation
John Volpe
John Anthony Volpe (; December 8, 1908November 11, 1994) was an American businessman, diplomat, and politician from Massachusetts. A son of Italian immigrants, he founded and owned a large construction firm. Politically, he was a Republican in ...
had announced a $60 million grant in September 1971, and more money would be advanced as the Skybus project developed. Shapp, as governor, controlled a disbursement of $38 million in state money. Flaherty argued that the funds could be used for any transit project and were not tied to the Skybus project itself.
The position of the
Urban Mass Transit Administration
The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) is an agency within the United States Department of Transportation (DOT) that provides financial and technical assistance to local public transportation systems. The FTA is one of ten modal administration ...
(UMTA) became crucial: Skybus could not be built without federal support. The Port Authority, city, and state could not agree on an appropriate plan which would serve both the city of Pittsburgh and surrounding Allegheny County. The Port Authority remained committed to Skybus, as did a majority of the County Commission. Mayor Flaherty continued to favor a mix of traditional heavy and light rail, as did Governor Shapp. Ultimately in 1976 a cross-jurisdiction task force recommended light rail instead of Skybus, and the UMTA support was withdrawn.
Once the Allegheny County Fair was done away with in the early 1970s, rides on the Skybus track ceased. In the Spring and Summer of 1980 the county had the track, cars and computer dismantled and bartered for scrap, with the computer building becoming a park police office.
The Skybus tests proved that rubber tire driverless transit could function. Westinghouse Electric would later have a role in the development of the first major fully automated transit system in the country with Miami's
Metromover
Metromover is a free mass transit automated people mover train system operated by Miami-Dade Transit in Miami, Florida, United States. Metromover serves the Downtown Miami, Brickell, Park West and Arts & Entertainment District neighborhoods. ...
. Westinghouse built the first 12 Adtranz C-100 buses used for the Metromover. Westinghouse would also participate in the development of similar driverless transit systems like the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) system in California, and automated people movers at several major U.S. airports, including Tampa, Orlando, and Dallas-Ft. Worth.
See also
*
Morgantown Personal Rapid Transit
Morgantown Personal Rapid Transit (WVU PRT) is a personal rapid transit (PRT) system in Morgantown, West Virginia, United States. The system connects the three Morgantown campuses of West Virginia University (WVU) and the city's downtown are ...
References
External links
Rapid Transit Study from 19671972 Pittsburgh Press article on Skybus' demise10-minute Westinghouse promotional video on Skybus
{{Westinghouse
Proposed people mover systems
People mover systems in the United States
Port Authority of Allegheny County
Transportation in Pittsburgh