How To Ride The Incline
Pittsburgh Incline Guide
Two historic cable cars still climb Mount Washington every day. Here's what they cost, when they run, and how to ride them like a local.
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Why Does Pittsburgh Have Inclines?
Mount Washington used to be called Coal Hill. Miners dug coal out of its slopes and sent it down to the river on early freight inclines. By the 1860s, the South Side flats along the Monongahela were packed with mills and factories, and many of the workers, a lot of them German immigrants, lived up on the hilltop. Getting to work meant hiking steep paths and wooden stairs every morning and climbing back up every night.
Their answer was the passenger incline. The Monongahela Incline opened on May 28, 1870, and the Duquesne Incline followed in 1877. Neighborhoods on hillsides all over the city wanted the same thing, and at their peak Pittsburgh had 17 inclines, from the Penn Incline in the Strip District to the Knoxville Incline on the South Side. Streetcars, better roads, and cars made them obsolete, and most were shut down and torn out by the end of World War II.
Today two are left, and both still run on Mount Washington. The Mon Incline is part of Pittsburgh Regional Transit (PRT) and carries commuters every day. The Duquesne Incline was saved by its neighbors in 1963 and is still run by a nonprofit.
Two Of 17 Still Running
The Monongahela and Duquesne Inclines are the last two of the 17 inclines Pittsburgh once had, and both are on the National Register of Historic Places.
A Real Commuter Ride
The Mon Incline is part of PRT. Mount Washington residents ride it down to Station Square, then catch the T or a bus across the river to Downtown.
The Best View Of The City
Both upper stations open onto Grandview Avenue and the view of the Point, the three rivers, and the Downtown skyline.
A Few Dollars A Ride
A one-way trip on either incline costs about the same as a PRT bus fare, and seniors 65 and older ride free with a valid senior transit ID.
The Monongahela Incline
The Mon Incline is the oldest continuously operating funicular in the United States. It climbs 635 feet of track at about a 35-degree grade, from Station Square up to Grandview Avenue in about two minutes. It's operated by Pittsburgh Regional Transit, so it works like any other PRT ride.
Fares: $2.75 for adults. Pay with a ConnectCard, the new ReadyFare card, or the Ready2Ride app and that $2.75 is good for three hours of unlimited rides and transfers, which covers a round trip. Cash is $2.75 per ride. Kids 6 to 11 ride for $1.35, kids 5 and under ride free with a paying adult, and seniors 65 and older ride free with a PA Senior ID or Senior ConnectCard. Ticket machines are in both stations, and you tap or pay at the upper station whether you're going up or down.
Hours: Monday through Saturday, 5:30 a.m. to 12:45 a.m. Sundays and holidays, 8:30 a.m. to midnight.
Getting there: The lower station is at the south end of the Smithfield Street Bridge on West Carson Street, about 300 feet from the Station Square T stop. Station Square has paid parking lots and a garage. Up top, there's metered parking on Grandview Avenue and Shiloh Street (free on Sundays). One car has an ADA-accessible compartment that also fits a bike.
The Duquesne Incline
The Duquesne Incline opened in 1877 and was designed by Samuel Diescher, who went on to build several of the city's inclines. When worn-out machinery shut it down in 1962, Duquesne Heights neighbors raised the money to fix it with bake sales and fundraisers and reopened it in 1963. It's still run by the nonprofit Society for the Preservation of the Duquesne Heights Incline, and the cars and much of the machinery are original.
Fares: $2.75 one way for adults (12 to 64) and $1.35 for kids 6 to 11. Kids under 6 ride free, and seniors 65 and older ride free with a valid PA senior transit ID. It's cash only with no credit or debit cards, so bring exact change. There's a change machine but no ATM. PRT passes are also accepted.
Hours: Every day of the year, 6:30 a.m. to 12:30 a.m.
Getting there: The lower station and its free parking lot are at 1197 West Carson Street, just west of the Fort Pitt Bridge. The upper station is at 1220 Grandview Avenue and has a small museum of incline history, a gift shop, and an observation deck. The upper station and deck are wheelchair accessible from the Grandview Avenue entrance.
KNOW BEFORE YOU GO
Tips For Riding
The Pittsburgh Inclines
The two inclines sit about a mile apart on Mount Washington, and it's easy to ride both in one trip. Go up one, walk Grandview Avenue along the overlooks, and ride the other one down. The walk is about 20 minutes and the views are the whole point.
Payment is where most first-timers get tripped up. The Mon Incline runs on the PRT fare system, and the Duquesne Incline takes cash only.
Bring exact cash for the Duquesne Incline. It doesn't take credit or debit cards.
Use a ConnectCard, ReadyFare card, or the Ready2Ride app on the Mon Incline so one $2.75 fare covers your round trip.
Park free at the Duquesne Incline lower lot, or use the Station Square lots and garage for the Mon Incline.
Grab a seat at the downhill end of the car for the best view of the city on the way up.
A quick note: Fares and hours can change, especially around holidays and maintenance closures. Check the Mon Incline page on PRT's website and the Duquesne Incline's official site before you go.
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YOUR QUESTIONS
Frequently Asked Questions About The Pittsburgh Inclines
Both cost $2.75 one way for adults. On the Monongahela Incline, paying with a ConnectCard, ReadyFare card, or the Ready2Ride app gives you three hours of unlimited rides, so a round trip costs $2.75. The Duquesne Incline charges $2.75 each way. Kids 6 to 11 pay $1.35 on either incline, and younger kids ride free with an adult.
The Monongahela Incline has ticket machines in both stations and accepts the Ready2Ride app, so you don't need cash. The Duquesne Incline is cash only, with no credit or debit cards, so bring exact change. It has a change machine but no ATM.
Yes. Seniors 65 and older ride both inclines free with a valid Pennsylvania senior transit ID, such as a PA Senior ID or Senior ConnectCard.
The Duquesne Incline has a free parking lot at its lower station, 1197 West Carson Street. For the Monongahela Incline, park in the Station Square lots or garage near the lower station, or use the metered spots on Grandview Avenue and Shiloh Street near the upper station. Meters on Mount Washington are free on Sundays.
The Monongahela Incline runs Monday through Saturday from 5:30 a.m. to 12:45 a.m., and Sundays and holidays from 8:30 a.m. to midnight. The Duquesne Incline runs every day of the year from 6:30 a.m. to 12:30 a.m.
Yes. The Mon Incline is part of Pittsburgh Regional Transit, and its lower station is about 300 feet from the Station Square T stop. Mount Washington residents ride it down, then take the T or a bus across the river, and one fare covers the transfers for three hours when you pay with a card or the app.
Pittsburgh had 17 inclines at their peak, carrying people, coal, and freight up the city's hillsides. Only the Monongahela Incline (1870) and the Duquesne Incline (1877) are still running.
The Monongahela Incline has an ADA-accessible compartment in one of its cars. At the Duquesne Incline, the upper station and observation deck are wheelchair accessible from the Grandview Avenue entrance at 1220 Grandview Avenue.