Skybus Experiment

Skybus was a futuristic, fully automated rubber-wheeled rapid transit solution proposed by Westinghouse Electric Corporation and fully supported by the Port Authority of Allegheny County in the early 1970s. Skybus was the backbone of the Port Authority's master transportation plan, known as the Early Action Program, for improving transit service in Allegheny County. The Early Action Program included Skybus, two busways and improvements in a network of main corridor roadways.

After months of discussions, an agreement was reached on June 21, 1963 to build and test the new concept at Allegheny County's South Park.

The South Park location was chosen for several reasons. First, it was within the county and and only 11 miles from downtown Pittsburgh, yet far enough from the city that population levels were low. Second, it offered a variety of terrains in a compact area that was free of interfering structures. This option significantly reduced costs. Third, the Allegheny County Fair was held yearly at South Park and this would easily provide the numbers of people needed to test the project in a real-time environment.

Construction of the 9,340 foot guideway began on July 7, 1964. Bethlehem Steel built the structural guideway. Two stations were placed along the test route. The South Station was an elevated loading platform at the Fairgrounds. The North Station was a ground level maintenance and control facility. The guideway was initially designed for both low speed and high speed curves, a long straight stretch and a transfer table. Of the 9,340 foot length, 8.800 feet were elevated from 15 to 35 feet above ground. Later modifications included a switch and a 1,000 foot long spur line slightly graded to test operations on a hill. The spur line and switch were located at the North Station control facility.

Prior to the roadway construction, an order was awarded to the St. Louis Car Company on March 4, 1964 to build three Skybus vehicles. The car was designed so that it was a fully automated and self-propelled vehicle that was capable of being coupled together with other cars to form a train. Each car was 30.5 feet long, 102 inches wide and seated 28 passengers with room for 26 additional standing comfortably. The maximum capacity per car was seventy. The cars were air conditioned (a novelty at the time), rode on sets of dual rubber tires, had air suspension and air brakes.

The Skybus cars were powered by two 60-horsepower DC traction motors. Top speed was approximately 50 mph. The traction motors were coupled to two traditional automotive style differential axles through a drive shaft. The cars were secured to the guideway by a complex system of horizontal rubber tires that attached the vehicle on either side of a center I-beam. The guideway structure that the four sets of dual tires rode on was a concrete road formed on top of outer I-beams.

The cars were originally to be a brushed aluminum finish. A problem developed due to the specifications that all rivets were to be ground down flush with the body surface. This resulted in a marred finish that St. Louis Car Company tried unsuccessfully several times to repair. A decision was then made to paint the cars in the Westinghouse blue and white colors. The three Skybus cars were delivered to Westinghouse between March 15, 1965 and May 24, 1965.

Initial operations of Skybus were performed under manual operation with the first complete round trip being make on August 4, 1965. The first public operation was at the 1965 Allegheny Couty Fair between September 2 and September 5. These were also performed under manual control. During these initial tests, Skybus operated in a two-car or single car configuration. The first fully automated trial did not occur until later that year.

While the initial testing was underway, growing resistance to the project was already brewing. This resistance was primarily due to the fact that the Skybus line PAT was proposing was to be fully automated with no driver or attendant. Safety and security concerns that were addressed through talk of security cameras and phones did little to reassure people that the line would be safe. The high costs to build Skybus also drove opposition to the project. Skybus was one of the most expensive demonstration projects of its kind in the United States during the 1960s. Even with the concerns and opposition, the test line at South Park was a very popular attraction during the County Fairs from 1965 through 1971. More than 30,000 people paid 10 cents each to take a ride.

In 1972 construction work began. A lot which is now occupied by the Castle Shannon "T" station was acquired and graded for the Skybus station. Additional property was acquired and graded at the site of the current South Hills Village Car Shop which was to be used for the Skybus storage and maintenance facility. The old Wabash Tunnel was also extensively rehabilitated to be the Skybus gateway to the downtown area. These three items were the only physical construction done on PAT's Skybus route.

1974 was the critical year for Skybus. UMTA ordered the re-evaluation of the entire proposal based on the strong opposition to the project. The project's outside consultant, MPC Corporation, which was affiliated with the Carnegie Mellon University, reviewed every aspect and determined that the technology was in fact feasible and had matured to the point that it was no longer unsafe and untested. Undetered by this positive appraisal, opponents simply stepped up their efforts to kill the Skybus initiative.

In October of 1974, with the re-evaluation complete and a favorable result achieved, UMTA added one important provision to their support of the project. A decision had to be reached within 120 days of the report or all funding would be cut off. Even the newspapers finally sided with PAT and urged opponents to back down or risk losing everything. The opposition, however, did not back down. A consensus between the two sides was finally reached within the 120 days time frame where yet another outside consultant would review other possible alternatives to Skybus. UMTA, tired of the squabbles, also agreed to having all options reviewed in hopes of finally getting both sides to agree to something.

The DeLeuw Cather Report issued in late 1975 spelled the end to Skybus. The report cited costs, environmental factors and the availability of the long proven light rail technology as factors for dropping Skybus. PAT reluctantly agreed. Had the Port Authority not agreed, they risked losing millions of dollars in future funding for the South and East Busways. Just like that, Skybus was dropped from their plans and the "T" light rail system was inserted in its place. Skybus was now officially a dead issue and would never be built in Pittsburgh as a mass transit mode.