An electrical fire in a Personal Rapid Transit substation at West Virginia University has interrupted service to passengers.

Some time after noon, an electrical fire disrupted power to the PRT system. The fire was extinguished and the damage is being assessed. All passengers have been evacuated from the PRT.

The exact cause of the fire is being determined, but it appears to be electrical in nature. Passengers were in no immediate danger and no injuries have been reported.

PRT employees are working to get the system operational by 6 p.m. today (Wednesday, Jan. 11), according to Hugh Kierig, director of Transportation and Parking at WVU.

While the PRT is out of service, students, faculty and staff may use the Mountain Line bus service or the WVU shuttles that have been provided for use between PRT stations. Those with WVU ID’s may ride the Mountain Line for free.

The shuttles are providing service every 15 minutes and can be found outside of each PRT station.

Here are the locations of the shuttle for each station:

• Medical station = in front of the Mountaineer Station parking garage
• Towers = at the Towers crosswalk
• Engineering = at the engineering bus loop
• Beechurst = at the Beechurst bus loop off Beechurst Avenue
• Walnut = at the Walnut and Chestnut street intersection

Mountain Line routes between the Downtown and Evansdale campuses include Route 38, the Blue and Gold connector, which operates every 10 minutes; the Orange route which travels every hour at 40 minutes after the hour between Towers and Downtown; Red route which travels every hour and 20 minutes from Towers starting at 12:15 p.m.; and Gold, which travels hourly at 10 minutes after the hour from Mountaineer Station and 15 minutes after the hour from Towers.

For more information on Mountain Line service, go to: http://www.busride.org

-WVU-

CONTACT: University Relations/News
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