The agency brought in a consultant to review operation and maintenance procedures<\/a>, but the review found no major issues and made some minor recommendations.\u00a0<\/p>\n Brandolph stressed that the incline\u2019s age and trying to operate it with modern technology always can be a challenge.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve been thankful there haven\u2019t been any incidents lately,\u201d he said. \u201cThe next problem can be right around the corner.\u201d<\/p>\n Saturday\u2019s incident began at 2:25 p.m. when the incline stopped unexpectedly with the upper car about 20 feet from the top and the bottom one about 50 feet from the station. Brandolph said incline staff tried several times to restart the system without success, then started efforts to help the passengers in the car near the top station.<\/p>\n It took about an hour with the help of paramedics to get the five passengers out of the car and into the station through the motor room. The first one out was an 81-year-old man from Arizona who Brandolph said was taking photos of the incident about 20 minutes later after his wife was safely evacuated.<\/p>\n Getting passengers out of the bottom car was more challenging because they were farther away from the station. Using techniques that paramedics had practiced in May 2024<\/a> after a similar malfunction stranded passengers, they set up special rigging to lower passengers to the bottom station.<\/p>\n It took until about 4:30 p.m. to set up and lowering passengers one at a time was ponderous. So after four were brought down that way, the fire department sent a ladder truck that extended high enough for passengers to get onto it and walk down to East Carson Street next to the station at the bottom.<\/p>\n All passengers were rescued by 6 p.m.<\/p>\n Brandolph had high praise for first responders and the training they had done on the incline.<\/p>\n \u201cThe training they did certainly helped,\u201d he said. \u201cThey came and knew exactly what to do and how to do it because they were familiar with it.\u201d<\/p>\n In September, the agency replaced the main cable<\/a> used to haul the cars up and down the side of Mount Washington and the safety cable after inspectors found an \u201cabnormality\u201d with the safety cable. Brandolph said there is no reason to believe Saturday\u2019s incident had anything to do with the cable replacement.<\/p>\n The agency will operate shuttle buses between the top station on Grandview Avenue on Mount Washington and the bottom station at Station Square on Pittsburgh\u2019s South Side until the incline reopens.<\/p>\n State officials from the Department of Labor and Industry, which oversees the operation of the incline, were at Saturday\u2019s incident. Brandolph said PRT doesn\u2019t know yet whether the system will have to undergo an inspection by the state before it reopens.<\/p>\n
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