Vincent_G

The stop was closed because of a water main break. It is not closed permanently.

I love Miami Beach, even though I worry that it may be underwater eventually. It would be great if it had a rail connection to Miami.

Thanks, Airforceone. I have noticed lately how different most places are from outsiders' common impressions of them. This post really challenges my belief that Atlanta is nothing but a hot and dismal blob. It makes me want to visit.

Thanks for the history lesson, KJP. I have wondered what the circumstances were that led to a rail route like the Red Line being built in the 1950s.

I think RTA should update its explanation of the shutdown of Red Line service east of Cedar-University. The page explaining the shutdown on RTA's website is titled "July Red Line construction," and it is now almost September. It also states that the work requiring the shutdown is taking longer than expected, but it seems to me a decision was made to do the project in a different way, which has resulted in a much-longer-than-expected shutdown. I could see a delay of a week or two if work was merely taking longer than expected, but the shutdown is now into its third month with not even any slight hint of when service may be restored.

Thanks, MayDay. It was a memorable event and you did a great job of capturing it.

Though they appear to be coming from the Q in this picture, the laser beams were coming from the science center.

Yes, for me it's the same thing. On days when I have to stay late in Ohio City for one reason or another, it's good to be able to go to the train and know that 15 minutes is the longest I'll have to wait. Maybe it's a small thing to complain about, but having to be vigilant about a schedule makes the system less attractive. Since the Red Line has been closed on the far east side, I've been taking the Green Line to work, and I am impressed at how frequent and well used the rush-hour service is. At night, rather than make a connection at Tower City via the Red Line, I usually walk through the Flats to the Settler's Landing station and am glad to see that the FEB project has really generated some traffic on the Waterfront portion of the Green and Blue. There are no crowds until the trains get to Tower City, but there are usually a dozen or so people already on board when I get on, which is more than there ever used to be. I will be glad when it reopens, but I don't think I will switch back to being exclusively a Red Line rider after it does.

I hope that doesn't last too long.

Yes, the shuttle does not seem to work very well, at least in the current Red Line situation. I only tried it once, but the trip from Windermere to W. 25th St. took three times longer than usual, so I will wait until the trains are running again before I go back. The connection between the shuttle and the train at Cedar-University was especially dysfunctional. I am glad to have other options.

I would never have guessed the Red Line would be effectively shut down in some parts of the city for this long a time. The one time I tried the shuttle from Windermere to Cedar was enough to make me decide not to go back until this is all over. The Green Line is an OK substitute for me but adds quite a bit of time to my trip.

It does seem as if they just decided to forget about downtown once and for all.

I think that the Red Line cars have all been rehabbed mechanically. The upgrades that are being done now are only on the interiors of the cars, and I think the work is all being done in-house.

Also, anyone who uses the system regularly, which I acknowledge is not a huge percentage of the county's population, knows that the transit-dependent are not the only users of RTA.

Target and Walmart coexist at First Interstate's Steelyard Commons, and I am sure there are many other examples of their being in the same place. I was afraid Target would move from University Square to Oakwood, but my understanding is that both Target and Macy's own their buildings at University Square, which would seem to make a move less likely.

You are so right about the chatty voice on the Red Line being annoying, and the message also never seems to be updated. The sound of the guy's voice is fine, but the endless prattle is ridiculous. Still, I'll be glad to have the Red Line back next week.

Yes, the plethora of fare-payment systems throughout RTA's system makes using the system confusing, even for those of us who use it frequently. This morning, for example, I boarded the Red Line shuttle at Windermere through the back door, assuming that, since the Red Line uses a proof-of-payment system, except at Tower City, that the shuttle would too. This assumption was incorrect, and the driver asked me to come forward to swipe. I know there are reasons for the multitude of fare-payment arrangements, but it is difficult to keep them all straight and daunting for someone unfamiliar with the system.

On the north side of Cleveland Heights, near Noble and Quilliams. I live on the 41 bus line but usually drive to Windermere.

I am a frequent Red Line rider, traveling on many workdays from the Windermere park-and-ride to the W. 25 station in Ohio City. I had been using the Green Line as an alternate the past two weeks but decided to try the Red Line shuttle this morning since I knew that East Side service had been restored up to Cedar-University. All I can say is that I can't wait for the Red Line to return to normal service next week! My experience this morning was truly horrendous. I left Windermere at 7:56 and arrived at W. 25 at 9:05. This is a trip that normally takes a little more than 20 minutes. The ticket machines at Windermere were only partially working, there didn't seem to be coordination between the shuttle's arrival at Cedar and the train's departure, and the lack of information at Windermere was really surprising. The information on RTA's website has been helpful, but I think it should tell travelers to set aside at least three times their normal travel time if they are planning to ride the Red Line on the East Side. Though it is not as convenient for me, I have enjoyed my experimentation with the Green Line and will be back on it tomorrow, and I will not be using the Red Line to get back to Windermere tonight.

Thanks, MayDay. Glad to see you giving Slavic Village so much attention! Wait a few months until the second phase of Broadway Arch is completed. Then I think you will like it.

Yes, it will be Keller Williams.

Here is an interesting article regarding the block-by-block return of automobile traffic to Main Street in downtown Buffalo. This summer, the 600 block will become the first where trains will share a single lane of traffic in each direction with cars, and construction is now starting on the 500 block. I think it will be good for the street and, in most ways, also good for Metro Rail. I have never liked the festival marketplace-era decorations that accompanied the opening of the transit mall in the mid-1980s and am glad that they are being removed. The construction work is very disruptive to rail service, with headways increased to 20 minutes at all times and an unwieldy single-tracking arrangement in downtown. http://buffalorising.com/2014/04/construction-watch-main-street-retraffic-project/

From the map it appears that, once the regional connector is completed, the Blue Line will run from Long Beach to Pasadena, replacing the leg of the Gold Line that now goes to Pasadena, and the Gold Line will run from Santa Monica to East LA, incorporating a part of the current Gold Line and the entire Expo Line. Is that correct?

What about the Red Cars? They preceded the freeways.

Thanks, KJP. I took the 8:07 out of Windermere this morning and found it to be smooth sailing all the way to Ohio City. I have to admit, though, that I drove to the station.