Pittsburgh Subdivision
| Company type | Rail corridor |
|---|---|
| Industry | Rail transport |
| Predecessor | Pittsburgh and Lake Erie Railroad |
| Founded | 1879 (northwest section) |
| Headquarters | United States |
| Products | Rail freight and passenger service (Amtrak Capitol Limited) |
| Owner | CSX Transportation |
The Pittsburgh Subdivision is a rail corridor under the ownership and operation of CSX Transportation within the state of Pennsylvania.
Notable features
This route runs from McKeesport in a northwesterly direction through Pittsburgh and continues to West Pittsburg, located near New Castle. It traces the alignment of a former Pittsburgh and Lake Erie Railroad line. The eastern endpoint is situated at Sinns (PLY 16.9), positioned across the Youghiogheny River from McKeesport at Liberty, where it connects with the western terminus of the Keystone Subdivision. At McKeesport, it intersects with the Mon Subdivision, while in Rankin, it crosses paths with the P&W Subdivision. Its western extremity transitions into the New Castle Terminal Subdivision.
The Capitol Limited, operated by Amtrak, utilizes this line on the segment southeast of Rankin.
History
The section northwest of Pittsburgh was inaugurated in 1879 by the Pittsburgh and Lake Erie Railroad. Meanwhile, the southeastern stretch was constructed in 1883 by the Pittsburgh, McKeesport and Youghiogheny Railroad, which was subsequently leased to the P&LE.
In 1934, the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad commenced running through trains over the P&LE tracks between McKeesport and New Castle under trackage rights agreements, redirecting local services to the P&W Subdivision. Originally jointly owned by CSX and Conrail, the P&LE ultimately became fully integrated into CSX.