[PRCo] the WABCO PAT-Metro study

[Edward H. Lybarger]

Unfortunately the memory gets blurry after 40+ years...would PAT have “commissioned” the WABCO study so they could claim a fair evaluation between alternatives when they again selected their pet project?  I don’t doubt that for a moment.



Reality was what they wanted it to be, especially at Westinghouse.  A few years ago I attended the dedication of the remaining Transit Expressway car as a monument outside successor Bombardier’s West Mifflin facility.  I told a couple of the folks who had been involved that had they proposed putting Skybus anywhere except the proposed South Hills alignment, it would probably still be running today.  They looked at me like I was from Pluto.  “What do you mean?”  They simply didn’t grasp the (local) politics of the thing and couldn’t understand why the South Hills transit patrons didn’t want it.



Of course, what no one at the time wanted to say too loud at the time was that the only way to accomplish the project in any kind of acceptable budget was to NOT have to acquire new right-of-way.  This would also conveniently serve as a vehicle for ridding the county of the abominable trolleys.  But it’s funny how the $228 million project cost NEVER increased for inflation through all the years it took to finally kill it.  Talk about lack of reality...



Ed

From: Daria Phoebe Brashear [mailto:shadow at gmail.com]
Sent: Monday, March 28, 2016 4:59 PM
To: Edward H. Lybarger
Cc: Western PA Trolley discussion
Subject: Re: [PRCo] the WABCO PAT-Metro study





On Mon, Mar 28, 2016 at 3:56 PM, Edward H. Lybarger <trams2 at comcast.net> wrote:

We have this critter in the PTM Library.  Interestingly, the printer who did
this job was also doing one for the company I worked for at the time.  While
I was picking up my product, they graciously slipped a couple of the PAT
Metro brochures in my package.  So I guess I knew about the proposal before
PAT did (unless it was one of those best-unkept secrets).

Ed



They were supposed to have known, like, they suggested WABCO do this, apparently.

I've seen that reference elsewhere, but it also says so (and names names) in the text

of this brochure.



--

Daria Phoebe Brashear

AuriStor, Inc

dariaphoebe.com



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