Cause of Pittsburgh LRT delays pondered

Delays in Port Authority of Allegheny County (Pa.) light rail service both Monday and Tuesday remain a mystery to PAT officials, but the authority reportedly is investigating whether the service woes were part of an unannounced labor slowdown.

“We know that there were excessive delays on the Red Line on Monday and Tuesday. We apologize to riders for the inconvenience. This is not acceptable,” PAT spokesman Jim Ritchie said Wednesday.

“The delays are peculiar. There’s really no obvious reason for their occurrence,” Ritchie added.

The authority is examining data from vehicles and signals to determine the nature and length of the delays. Ritchie said operators who deliberately caused delays would be subject to disciplinary action.