PITTSBURGH: Allegheny County Council last week denied the final $200,000 needed for a study of the proposed Valley commuter train. Council voted 8-6 at its regular meeting Dec. 2 against a proposal from outgoing President Rick Schwartz, D-Plum, to pay for the study of a commuter line to run from Arnold into the Strip District. “Mass transit in Pittsburgh, for lack of a better word, sucks,” Schwartz said. “Let’s think outside the box and do something to improve that.” Schwartz, who leaves office at the end of this month after a failed re-election bid, called the motion his swan song and asked council to take $200,000 from a computer equipment account to pay for the study. One hundred thousand dollars from the county’s 2003 budget and a $100,000 state grant will make up the rest needed for the study. Schwartz argued council couldn’t lose the opportunity to fund a project it has repeatedly supported during the last four years. The study to determine ridership, needed rail improvements, the sites of stations, schedules and operating expenses is all that stands in the way of the $20 million needed to launch the train, Schwartz said. “There is $20 million in the state capital budget that is earmarked for this project, but we can’t get it without a study,” Schwartz said. Councilman Dave Fawcett, R-Oakmont, also spoke in favor of paying for the study. “It’s been made clear to people who have been behind this project for years, like myself, that without this study, the project could die,” Fawcett said. The commuter train will improve access to the neglected Allegheny Valley, help public transit riders and raise property values along its route, Fawcett said. Schwartz echoed that the Valley has long been neglected and said other regions of the county get more money for similar studies. “This council didn’t blink an eye last year when it approved $10 million for an airport corridor study,” he said Councilman Tom Shumaker, R-Pine, who also represents a portion the Valley, said he wasn’t convinced the train was worthwhile and suggested some more investigation of it before commissioning a $400,000 study. Shumaker commended Schwartz for his vision and zealous advocacy of the train and said he liked the idea when he first heard it. “At first blush, it certainly seems like a great idea,” Shumaker said. “Having read the study, I’m not convinced we’re ready to take the next step. This $200,000 is not money well spent and we just have better things to spend it on.” The solution to congestion on Route 28, Shumaker said, is to improve Route 28, not build a commuter rail line. He also questioned whether the state would be forthcoming with the $20 million to start the line. “We hear things are earmarked for 20 years and the money never comes,” he said. It was unclear Tuesday night what the defeat means to the future of the railroad project. Schwartz’s successor, Eileen Watt, R-Cheswick, has said she hasn’t made up her mind about the train project. However, County Executive-elect Dan Onorato has voiced support for it and said he would comb the county budget for the final study money. Additional Information:

How they voted

For the train study: John DeFazio, D-Shaler; Dave Fawcett, R-Oakmont; Brenda Frazier, D-Stanton Heights; Charles Martoni, D-Swissvale; Bill Robinson, D-Hill District; and Rick Schwartz, D-Plum Against the train study: Rich Fitzgerald, D-Squirrel Hill; Wayne Fontana, D-Brookline; Ron Francis, R-Ben Avon; Vince Gastgeb, R-Bethel Park; C.L. Jabbour, D-West Mifflin; Doug Price, R-Carnegie; Jan Rea, R-McCandless; Tom Shumaker, R-Pine. Absent and not voting: Councilman Jim Fenton, D-Mt. Lebanon.

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