An electrical fire brought Pittsburgh’s T service to a standstill between Washington Junction and South Hills for several hours Monday afternoon.
The Red and Blue lines on the rail service were shut down in both directions between the two stations affecting at least 16 stops during rush hour.
Rider Sean Mulwe was trying to make his way home to Beechview from work at South Hills Village but wasn’t able to hop on the rail system at that station.
“They told me I had to go ahead and take a bus for some reason,” Mulwe said. “My mom had let me know beforehand but I wasn’t fully sure what was going on.”
PRT officials said a West Penn Power utility pole caught fire in Bethel Park around 2:10 p.m., impacting lines above the rail car lines.
The fire did not damage any PRT property, but police said it caused a widespread power outage in the north end of Bethel Park, leaving fewer rail cars running during rush hour.
At one point, according to West Penn Power, there were nearly 1,500 people without power in Bethel Park and Upper St. Clair.