Transportation: Light Rail

Expansion of Pittsburgh's "T" light rail system is essential for both handling the transportation needs of large events and the city's residents in the future.

Events for 27 sports would take place inside the Pittsburgh Ring, a three-mile circle from Pittsburgh's city center. The idea behind the Pittsburgh Ring is to be able to transport athletes, officials, and spectators to and from the most popular events as quickly and efficiently as possible.

All eighteen venues inside the Pittsburgh Ring would be connected by an X-shaped light rail system. Traveling between Pittsburgh Ring venues would require one transfer at most, at the centrally-located Steel Plaza Subway Station.

The Iron Line would run, as follows, from west-to-east:

• Allegheny (Heinz Field)
• North Side (PNC Park)
• Gateway Center
• Wood Street
• Steel Plaza (Transfer Center)
• Washington (Mellon Arena, Consol Energy Center, AJ Palumbo Center)
• Roberts
  
• Kirkpatrick
• Brackenridge
• Pitt (Petersen Events Center, Fitzgerald Field House, Trees Pool)
  
• Forbes
• Bouquet
• Schenley (Aquatics Center, Tennis Center)

The Iron Line's Allegheny Station would also be the head of an extension line to the northwest, towards Robert Morris University (Shooting and Modern Pentathlon venues) and Pittsburgh International Airport.

The Champion Line would run, as follows, from north-to-south:

• Strip District (Allegheny River Beach)
• Convention Center
• Steel Plaza (Transfer Center)
• First Avenue (Art Rooney Field)
• Station Square
• Velopark (South Side Arena, Cupples Stadium BMX Track)
• 18th Street
• Birmingham
• South Side Works
• Sports Complex (South Side Sports Complex, South Side Fields)
  

Transportation: Boat and Water Taxi

Boat and water taxi routes would travel along the following route in order to transport even fans and officials to and from venues and hotels:

• Allegheny River Beach (Capacity: 12,500)


• David L. Lawrence Convention Center (8,500 and 6,500)


• North Shore Baseball Park (38,000)


• Pittsburgh Stadium (82,020)


• Point State Park


• Station Square


• South Side Arena (8,500) and Cupples Stadium BMX Track (6,000)


• South Side Sports Complex (8,000)


• South Side Fields (10,000 and 5,000)

Pittsburgh International Airport

World-class Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT) is ready to handle the traffic of large events. The airport occupies over 12,900 acres of land, making it the fourth-largest airport in the United States.

PIT's state-of-the-art Midfield Terminal opened in 1992. The new terminal allowed Pittsburgh International to become one of the top airports in terms of capacity in United States. At its peak, the airport served over 19 million annual passengers as a hub for US Airways.

Today, the airport sees about 9 million passengers per year, half of its proven capacity. Pittsburgh International is more than capable of handling massive traffic in 2020. A dedicated highway system allows airport travelers to reach Downtown Pittsburgh in under 25 minutes. An future extension of the city's light-rail system to the airport would provide quick and easy access into the Downtown area for those flying into Pittsburgh.

Pittsburgh International Airport has also garnered numerous awards. JD Power and Associates named the airport as one of the top five airports in two recent customer satisfaction surveys. The Official Airline Guide Worldwide has listed PIT on its list of the world’s best airports for four straight years.

Map of Pittsburgh Ring Events

(click map to open up larger version)

Events for 27 sports would take place inside the Pittsburgh Ring, a three-mile circle from Pittsburgh's city center. The idea behind the Pittsburgh Ring is to be able to transport athletes, officials, and spectators to and from the most popular events as quickly and efficiently as possible.

All eighteen venues inside the Pittsburgh Ring will be connected by an "X"-shaped light rail system. Traveling between Pittsburgh Ring venues would require one stop at most, at the centrally-located Steel Plaza Subway Station.

The Iron Line train, which would run generally east-to-west across the city, will provide quick access to eleven Pittsburgh Ring venues, and will also run to the Shooting and Modern Pentathlon venues, as well as Pittsburgh International Airport.

The Champion Line, which would run generally north-to-south across the city, would run near nine venues in the Pittsburgh Ring.

Nine venues would be connected via water taxi, traveling along the Allegheny, Monongahela, and Ohio Rivers. These venues, as well as others, would also be accessible via the city's extensive bike trails, including the Three Rivers Park trail system that will run along the rivers.