CTownsFinest216

its sickening, and makes me want to get the hell away from here. not because i hate cleveland and think the grass is always greener on the other side but because i want to live in an actual city. cleveland used to be an urban city but has lost pretty much any semblance of that thanks to the people in charge. americans are just incredibly selfish people. they want their car because they can go anywhere and it gives them "freedom" (LOL). so much stuff is excess in this country......excess bellies, excess vehicles, excess houses, excess stuff. the ironic thing is how people want to live in these exurban mcmansion developments to get away and have more space, yet most of these places dont even provide bigger lots.

reminds me of houston

at least they actually build dense urban up to the street infill there cheap looking or not i would take it

PA has so many great urban areas love that train station, sure beats the hell out of our amshack

yea, lets not put rail through an area because more lower income and black people live there :roll: that line wouldnt go right through the heart of those neighborhoods but im thinking of the least expensive way to put more rail service in the central city. it doesnt look like there will be money anytime soon to build new tracks. plus it could spur some TOD along the lakefront. if you really wanted to have rail go right through those neighborhoods it would need to be a subway line or street cars. in order for cleveland to be a sustainable urban city mass transit needs to serve as much of the city limits as possible.

the first extension i would make is extending the waterfront line out to euclid and beyond. this would serve st clair, glenville, collinwood, bratenahl. stations at e. 55th, e. 72nd/gordon park, e. 105th, eddy rd., e. 140th, e. 152nd, and 1 or 2 stops in euclid. as for a commuter line, i dont know whether it would be best to run commuter trains to mentor/painesville along the lakeshore or extended red line. i would personally make those trains express trains that dont use the stops or only use a couple. eventually that line would go all the way to ashtabula/conneaut and erie pa.

there shouldve already been rail service to euclid (and beyond) years ago. also commuter rail to mentor & painesville. please no more bus rapid transit. the healthline was a huge waste of money, there should be street cars or a subway down euclid to UC (i know i know, $$$$). this was a big fail. what on earth would the point of running a bus beyond windermere when you have tracks right there. all you need is equipment and stations now. also, the majority of cleveland's most populated neighborhoods are not served by mass transit. we need to expand rail in the city of cleveland before extending it out in the burbs.

what a f***ing joke demolishing all of our past makes me sick watching those videos

i like it but i wish there was more height, like 2-3 more stories and it would be perfect.

if only we could get amtrak relocated to tower city :whip: Norfolk starts preparations for Amtrak train service By Debbie Messina The Virginian-Pilot © October 8, 2011 NORFOLK Barely a month after light rail started rolling through town, work has begun at Harbor Park to bring passenger trains back to South Hampton Roads. Construction is under way on track improvements and a station platform at the eastern edge of the Harbor Park parking lot, where a transportation hub will be created along Norfolk's waterfront. It's part of $101 million the state is spending to bring Amtrak service to the region in 2013. The city has budgeted$3 million to build a train depot, which is now under design, with construction slatedto begin this winter. Service will start with one train a day, departing Norfolk in the early morning for Richmond, Washington and beyond. Passengers will have one-seat service all the way to Boston, never having to change trains. For day travelers to Richmond and Washington, a late-afternoon train will return to Norfolk. The goal is to build to three round-trip trains daily. Norfolk public works director John Keifer said the city will finish constructing the 4,000-square-foot train station by this time next year. That's also when the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation expects to have the track infrastructure complete. While the official target date to carry passengers is October 2013, state officials are aiming to launch before then. "We're saying no later than the fall of 2013, but obviously we're working hard to make it sooner," said Courtney Moyer, a DRPT spokeswoman. Since passenger rail in South Hampton Roads ended in 1977, the closest trains are across the harbor in Newport News. About 44,000 residents from South Hampton Roads travel to Newport News each year to catch a train, said Bob Jackson, a city architect overseeing the station project. Amtrak officials have told the city they expect about 67,000 customers each year to use the Norfolk service, or close to 200 passengers a day. "We need to have a signature building to make this the best rider experience you've ever had on a train," Jackson said. "The building has to be interesting, something that people will look at and say, 'That's cool.' " He said a design may be ready by the end of the month. The city has contracted with Michael Baker Jr. Inc. to design the station and manage construction. It's the start of a $16 million long-range plan to create a transportation hub at Harbor Park that would include light rail, ferries and buses. For now, though, the city has reduced its first-phase budget from $6 million to $3 million, which will cover a canopy over the station platform, a 100-space parking lot, and the station building, which is being designed so it can later be expanded. A planned covered walkway between the Amtrak station and the light-rail station at the other corner of the eastern parking lot, a bus center and possibly a parking garage will have to come later, Keifer said. Keifer said the sheltered walkway to The Tide light-rail line is not necessary yet because the Amtrak departure will be around 5 a.m. to link to the 7 a.m. Richmond service. Light rail's service doesn't start until 6 a.m. Under the plan, Norfolk Southern Corp. tracks that roughly parallel U.S. 460 and CSX Corp. tracks from Petersburg to Richmond are being upgraded to accommodate passenger trains running at conventional speeds of up to 79 mph. The state decided to develop the conventional rail service in such a way that it could be upgraded to high-speed rail, which would run at speeds of up to 110 mph. Officials have said it could be a couple of decades before higher-speed service comes to Hampton Roads because it requires separate passenger- and freight-train tracks. While development of the Norfolk train service is moving down the track, the state has yet to identify funds to support its operation. With federal passenger rail subsidies ending, the Department of Rail and Public Transportation estimates that the state may need to provide an average of more than $6 million a year for the first five years of Norfolk service. DRPT's director, Thelma Drake, however, said she's optimistic it will mirror the success of the Lynchburg service launched two years ago, which has attracted double the projected riders and has yet to draw on the state operating subsidy. Amtrak trains throughout the United States operate with public subsidies because they're not self-sustaining. http://hamptonroads.com/2011/10/work-under-way-harbor-park-transportation-hub

i dont think they were building mcmansions back then this isnt progress to me

oh shit, they demolished that building?!??! i didnt even realize when i was looking at the pics. they mustve just done it too ridiculous. they couldnt put this stupid welcome center on one of the dozens of existing parking lots downtown?

are there any pics of what was demolished? seeing the welcome center crap its no surprise that the new construction is garbage. higbees used to be such a nice department store. i especially loved being inside during the holidays. shame that a freakin casino goes in it. nice shots

any recommendations for hotels in boston? im looking at: -the lenox -seaport hotel -copley square hotel -the langham -harborside inn

geez......boston is expensive as hell. for a private room at the hostel is $149. i knew it was an expensive city but how can they charge that much. might have to sleep on a bench or be out all nite. my acela departs at 8 AM and ill be arriving boston late the day before. do any hotels have a fridge/microwave in the room?

yea *sigh* i guess i was just hoping that despite the HSR plan being killed we could get something running without k-sick. amtrak does have issues yes, but there has been increased ridership and more investment coming in states not named ohio. you would get riders....even just looking at the demographic of college students throughout ohio. megabus does not go between cleveland cincinnati currently and greyhound costs at least $40 one way. amtrak could be competitive in this market. something like the cascades line that operates between vancouver, bc and eugene, or would be good. nice interior with comfortable seats, wifi, business class, full power at your seat, and food on the train. i would take weekend trips to cities in ohio if this existed. with the tearing down of our cities, lack of forward thinking, and poor investment in public transit i may be forced to move no one man should have all that power

as inexpensive as possible without being a dump. around $100......if theres something a lot better for a bit more id be willing to spend extra. club quarters is the one i was looking at on expedia, seems to be fine looking at reviews. i forgot to mention im going via amtrak so if there are any hotels that offer amtrak discounts i'll look into those

it is crazy that there is no rail service between cleveland, columbus, and cincinnati. i would kill for a rail link between cleveland cincinnati, being able to go from downtown to downtown. it doesnt even have to be high speed, i would love something that took about the same time as driving and had reasonable fares. taking a plane doesnt make much sense and it would sure beat the hell out of greyhound. what are the chances of getting amtrak to run basic service on existing lines? KJP or anyone with expertise what are the technicalities in running passenger rail between the 3-Cs, ie top speeds and what type of equipment. which trains could run into tower city and the airport?

going to philly next month, need suggestions on an inexpensive hotel in center city. not looking to spend lots of money since ill only be sleeping/showering there. whats the best site to book hotels on? expedia? also is there anything not too expensive in boston near south station?

Strap, buy the multiple TRIP passes, i buy the 5 trip passes. they have built in transfer up to 2.5 hours so you can hop on the red line then transfer to the health line. you can buy those at tower city https://websrvor15.gcrta.org:8003/OA_HTML/ibeCCtpSctDspRte.jsp?section=10024

Charlotte LYNX (the system that the former head of RTA is now in charge of) fares: LYNX $1.75 (2.25 for Red/Blue/Green line) Weekly Pass* $17.50 (22.50 for RTA) Monthly Pass* $70.00 (85.00 for RTA) 10-Ride Local Pass** $15.00 10-Ride Express Pass** $20.00 Salt Lake City TRAX: Monthly Pass $67 TRAX also has free fare zones within downtown SLC also, does RTA ever have a free day?

i agree with this. the whole system should be free.....to juveniles and adults. RTA costs too much money now, $4.50 just to get somewhere? if you ask me thats a lot and adds up. it was only a couple years ago you could buy an all day for 3, now its 5? thats a 67% increase. i actually thought they raised them to 4.50, guess they raised them again. why is there no discount for frequent riders minus the month/week pass? in the past the 5-ride cards used to cost less per ride than a cash fare does. now, you just pay times 5. what about giving a discount to people who dont use RTA everyday (and buy a month or weekly) but travel frequently i.e. 3-4 a week or several times a month. and as far as fare jumpers go, the cops usually harass regular people who actually have passes/paid their fare instead of the ones who actually board a bus and dont pay. i've seen it numerous times. i'm actually debating getting a car because i dont see RTA making any effort to support people that want to live in cleveland car free. if the rapid transit system was not in place 50 years ago, we would not have trains.

jabron is a pompous idiot. cant stand that fool. nice pics, though

i think they got it wrong when they originally built (rebuilt) shaker towne center. you have built up to the street retail on one side (southside) and then the shopping plaza on the other (northside). i believe before it was built that side had buildings up to the street...anyone have pics? they couldve built shaker towne center like a better version of university square......parking on top, behind, and underground. you have the blue line, 40, and 14 right there. avalon station also looks "discombobulated" around there. as for van aken/warrensville i would tear both of those shopping plazas down and build some TOD that is street level

apologies if this topic exists somewhere. i did a search and couldnt find it anyways, im a capricorn. WE DA BEST!!! :clap: