Among 45 U.S. cities with urban rail transit systems, Greater Cleveland has the nation’s the oldest train fleet. The first tangible evidence of that changing will arrive in June when the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (GCRTA) is expected to receive its first new rapid transit railcars since 1985.
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For the first time in more than four decades, the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority is replacing its rapid transit trains — the oldest fleet of railcars used by any U.S. transit agency. But that rare $450 million opportunity to modernize its rail system could end up 10 percent short of its goal.
Read MoreTariffs may cut GCRTA railcar order by 10% Read More »
When hearing a government official prattle on about his vision for his jurisdiction, a wag once said “Don’t tell me what you support; show me your budget.” Similarly, for several years, Cuyahoga County officials have talked and planned about Transit Oriented Development (TOD). But now they’re putting their money where their mouths are.
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The Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (GCRTA) has exercised an option to order an additional 18 new Light Rail Vehicles (LRVs) from Siemens Mobility to replace their aging fleet of trains, according to GCRTA and Siemens today. This adds to previous orders, allowing GCRTA to, at minimum, provide a base-level of service on all three of its rail transit lines by 2028.
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When the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority’s (GCRTA) new trains enter service in the next few years, they will be picking up and dropping off riders at more attractive and user-friendly stations in Shaker Heights. That’s due to a $2 million program to enhance station amenities at all 22 stations in this eastern suburb that was built around its two light-rail lines, the Blue and Green lines.
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Development projects in Shaker Square and elsewhere in Greater Cleveland that have languished in recent years are showing signs of life again. That new energy is thanks in part to new state funding that was awarded to make their development sites ready for construction and renovation.
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While a large federal grant was awarded to improve existing conditions at Shaker Square, plans to make long-term changes that reenergize the 95-year-old square are advancing. The short- and long-term work on the square is based on the belief that this historic district can and should be a neighborhood gathering spot rather than try to compete as a regional retail draw.
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The Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (GCRTA) needed $16 million from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) to rebuild eight of its stations in Shaker Heights along the light-rail Blue Line. Not only did GCRTA get the full $16 million, it got the money it needed on the first try. That’s a big win considering the FTA received nearly $1.1 billion in requests nationwide for the $343 million in stations funding available this year.
Read MoreAll GCRTA Blue Line stations in Shaker Heights to be rebuilt Read More »
Having too much office space, not enough housing inventory and tight private financing to address those conditions isn’t just a Greater Cleveland phenomenon. It’s a nationwide problem. So the federal government on Friday announced incentives to encourage the conversion of high-vacancy commercial buildings to residential use and develop surplus land owned by transit agencies.
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In recent months, the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (GCRTA) has served notice that its rail system isn’t going anywhere. And that could be interpreted in one of two ways. In one way, GCRTA plans to invest $540 million by the end of this decade to rebuild its 34-mile rail system including a new, standardized light-rail fleet plus rebuilt tracks and stations on the Red, Blue and Green lines. Greater Cleveland’s “Rapid” is sticking around for decades to come. But taking it another way, there are no expansion plans while ridership on GCRTA buses and trains fell nearly 60 percent from 2013 to 2021 “led” by its rail system which fell even farther, from 9.3 million boardings in 2013 to 2.9 million in 2021.
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