The Monongahela Incline will remain closed to passengers for at least two more weeks while workers complete repairs and tests to ensure its safety, Pittsburgh Regional Transit said.
Until those repairs are completed, shuttle buses for passengers will continue to operate during regular incline service hours.
PRT has been working to restore service to the incline since Jan. 2, when it experienced a failure of the electrical and mechanical systems that slow its cars as they approach its stations.
During those repairs, engineers discovered additional issues that required immediate attention, PRT said in a statement.
PRT said it has engaged Elcon Technologies Inc. of Bridgeville to determine how best to repair the 153-year-old funicular. That company was a subcontractor on an $8 million project to rehabilitate the incline that began in 2022; this latest work will be performed under the original contract for the project, PRT said.
PRT said it anticipates these repairs will require at least an additional 10 days to complete. PRT and the Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry each will test the incline before determining it is safe to reopen.
"The Mon Incline has been rebuilt, rehabbed, refurbished, and upgraded multiple times throughout its history, which in many ways adds to the unique challenges of maintaining such a valuable piece of Pittsburgh history," PRT CEO Katharine Kelleman said in the statement.
"While we cherish the opportunity to be entrusted with its upkeep, we are often tested by the difficulty of keeping such a prominent icon in operation," she said.
