Mon Incline’s problems are ‘sporadic and unpredictable,’ report says

The ongoing problems that frequently have shut down the Monongahela Incline appear to be the result of a series of “sporadic and unpredictable causes,” said a newly released report.

The report, obtained by TribLive, comes from Philadelphia-based consultants Talson and was commissioned by Pittsburgh Regional Transit in April after intermittent closures that have plagued the Mon Incline over the years.

The Mon Incline is 154 years old. A Pittsburgh icon, it is the oldest continually operating funicular in the U.S. but has struggled to stay open since 2023 even after an $8.2 million renovation project was completed that March.

The Talson report said the Mon Incline’s various shutdowns “appeared to be a result of a series of nonsystematic, sporadic and unpredictable causes,” and they might have been avoided with more analysis of known working conditions of the funicular that ferries passengers between Station Square and Mount Washington.

For Pittsburgh Regional Transit, the Mon’s operator, this is seen as good news.

Agency spokesman Jim Ritchie said the report shows the Mon Incline’s problems are manageable.

“We see the report as positive in the sense that all of the things are clear to us, and we can address them,” Ritchie said. “Not one is an insurmountable problem. Many are very manageable problems that we can improve on.”

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The report said some of the issues at the incline can be traced to communication breakdowns between Pittsburgh Regional Transit and its contractors, suggesting the agency improve communication efforts.

Talson also suggested the transit agency implement a new auditing software system to track and monitor any user interface, changes or modifications to the incline’s software.

Pittsburgh Regional Transit doesn’t have enough incline operators with training experience, the consultants said. Talson said the transit agency only has two rail instructors who have to train 75 operators for the agency’s light-rail lines and the Mon Incline.

“The balance of instructors with knowledge of facility operations appears too minimal and could result in future institutional risk of knowledge sharing,” reads the report.

As part of its commission of the report, Pittsburgh Regional Transit also formed a Mon Incline committee to discuss the future of the funicular. The committee included nearby business owners, local elected officials and others.

Ritchie said early discussions have only strengthened Pittsburgh Regional Transit’s commitment to the incline. He said business leaders and community members in Mount Washington have been clear in their desire to keep the incline running. They say it is integral to bringing tourists to the Shiloh Street business district and getting commuters home.

Ritchie said there are preliminary discussions about a possible shuttle running between the Mon Incline stations and Duquesne Incline stations to further improve ridership and use of the inclines, especially if the Mon runs into problems again.

“If the Mon is down, then maybe people can take a shuttle down the Duquesne and that could open up the Shiloh Street business district Duquesne riders,” he said.

Ritchie said Pittsburgh Regional Transit is expecting the second phase of Talson’s Mon Incline report to be released by late July or August.