Pittsburgh Regional Transit will commission an independent review of the Monongahela Incline and appoint a committee to oversee it in an effort to resolve issues that have forced the 154-year-old funicular to close several times during the past year.
The Monongahela Incline Review Committee will include community officials and local stakeholders, including business owners whose operations have been affected by closures of the incline, PRT officials said Tuesday.
They said they would form the committee within the next week and would release more information about committee members and the third-party review when those details are final.
The aim is to ensure the safety and reliability of the incline, a popular mode of transportation that connects the South Side with Mount Washington and carries 1,000 passengers each weekday. It has been closed since March 5 after a brake resistor and the motor controller unexpectedly failed.
PRT contractors have made repairs, but an investigation is ongoing to determine what caused the failures and how to prevent them from reoccurring, agency officials said.
“We recognize the significance of maintaining such a historic asset. However, recent years have posed significant challenges,” said PRT CEO Katharine Kelleman.
“This independent review demonstrates our commitment to providing safe, reliable transportation," she said. "The Monongahela Incline is a cherished part of Pittsburgh's heritage, and we are dedicated to its preservation for future generations."
Kelleman said PRT will publicly release the findings and recommendations of the review committee and will "take necessary actions to enhance safety and performance" of the popular mode of transportation. The agency did not provide a timetable for the review.
Constructed in 1870, the Monongahela Incline is the oldest continuously operating funicular in the United States. PRT closed the incline in August 2022 for an $8.2 million upgrade, reopening it in March 2023. Since then, closures have occurred due to mechanical and electrical issues.
In August 2023, the incline's two cars stopped abruptly about 50 feet from the top and bottom stations, stranding a dozen people for about an hour. PRT officials determined then that a problem with an air conditioning unit triggered the incline's emergency brake.
It closed again in January for more than two weeks after it experienced a failure of the electrical and mechanical systems that slow its cars as they approach its stations. While making those repairs, engineers discovered additional issues that required immediate attention, PRT said then.
Shuttle buses are provided for passengers during regular incline service hours when the incline is closed.
