52 Allentown
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The 52 Allentown (often abbreviated as the 52A) is a service on the Pittsburgh Light Rail system that runs from South Hills Junction over Mount Washington and across the Monongahela River to downtown Pittsburgh, terminating at Gateway Center.
This line is much smaller and runs less frequently than the 42S or 47S and 47L, providing service to the Allentown neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where dense housing and the hilly terrain make automobile transportation very limited–some area streets cannot be used at all during the winter. Service begins at South Hills Junction, heading for Warrington Avenue. The 52 parallels Warrington in an easterly direction until Arlington Avenue, where it follows the sharply bending street until it is running northwesterly. It uses the same bridge into the downtown as the 42 and 47 services, stopping at First Avenue, Steel Plaza, Wood Street, and Gateway Center, but it does not stop at Station Square because it approaches the bridge from the southeast, while Station Square is southwest of the bridge.
In recent years, due to budget pressures, the 52 service was severely reduced, and now runs only during the weekday rush; substitute service is provided by the 46K bus. The Port Authority considered ending all 52 service, but this would have provided only limited savings unless the tracks and overhead wires were also decommissioned. Moreover, the 52's tracks provide a backup route when a stalled vehicle or planned maintenance closes the Mt. Washington Transit Tunnel, allowing 42 and 47 services to continue operating, albeit with delays since the Allentown route takes much longer than the tunnel.
