JMasek

As of Nov. 22, RTA is extending Waterfront Line hours, a topic that was discussed here some time ago. The last train to leave South Harbor for Tower City will be at 12:05 a.m.

KJP, yes the July 28 agenda is very full. There are a number of projects that have been discussed for this area, and I do not know precisely what the Mayor will present. Check your tweets.

FYI: July 28: RTA Board will consider a resolution to hire a firm to demolish the rail station at Euclid - East 120th. The agenda is very full and can be seen at http://www.riderta.com/news/july-28-2015-board-meeting-agenda-set Aug. 11: 6:30 p.m., A ribbon-cutting ceremony will be held at the Little Italy-University Circle Station at East 119 and Mayfield Road. If you attend, please say hello. I will be wearing a suit, tie and a Nikon SLR.

FYI, if you are looking for the name of the new station on an RTA map, or the RTA Web site it is....Little Italy-University Circle. The other new area station is Cedar-University (as in CWRU).

Yes, RTA plans to have the new Little Italy-University Circle Station open by the time the festival begins. According to Google Maps, it is a 4-minute walk from the Station to Holy Rosary Church -- the epicenter of it all. Four minutes? Gee, that's hardly enough exercise to work off all those calories from the rich food there. As soon as all the details of the opening ceremony for the station are confirmed, I will post them here.

There's good reading in today's PD about the sorry state of transit funding in Ohio. http://www.cleveland.com/opinion/index.ssf/2015/07/to_boost_ohio_transit_think_ou.html#incart_river

On Monday, July 20, RTA will begin demolishing the tunnel at the popular Brookpark Rapid Station, as part of a major renovation project there. On that day... ADA parking will be removed from the east parking lot. All ADA customers must park in ADA spaces in the west parking lot. Customers will walk from the east side to the west side via a new sidewalk that is being uilt along Brookpark Road. RTA is also installing stairs, underpass lights, and a wooden barrier to protect customers from vehicles and highway splashing. "Our Number One goal is always safety," says RTA CEO and General Manager Joe Calabrese. "This is the best way that we can keep our customers safe, and still keep the Rapid Station open. We apologize for the inconvenience." Two nearby parking lots -- Puritas and Triskett -- have available parking.

Transit Police receive the same training, and have the same authority, as municipal police. Their jurisdiction includes RTA vehicles and property, and some common areas, such as Public Square and the Euclid Avenue. Because transit can be a terrorist target, they do receive federal grants from time to time for special items, such as the bomb-sniffing canine unit.

Major changes coming to popular Brookpark Station http://www.riderta.com/news/major-changes-coming-popular-brookpark-rapid-station

Good afternoon. I just wanted to drop in for a quick reminder. I have seen several times on this Forum when people "unofficially" want to sound as if they are representing RTA. They are not. The only people on this Forum who can speak officially for RTA are myself and JetDog. Many other people here know a lot about RTA, and we respect their opinions, but opinions are different from facts. They may say they have "inside information," but I have seen inside information posted here that was far from true. Things at RTA change quickly. That which is true on Monday is not always true on Tuesday, and that which is accurate at 3 p.m., may change by 4 p.m. When answering a question from this list, or any customer, we often have to call a primary source, to verify our information. If I am not on the Forum and you have a question that needs immediate attention, please send an e-mail to [email protected]. Thanks for caring so much about public transit in Cleveland. And for all you Dads, Happy Father's Day.

Buses replace trains for all rail service east of Tower City this weekend. ODOT will work on two parts of the Inner Belt bridge, as well as improvements near the Buckeye-Woodhill Rapid Station. Contractors working for RTA will focus on stations at Lee-Van Aken and Little Italy-University Circle, track work at Shaker Square, and installing new high mast lights in the rail yard. Rail crews will work on track upgrades at several locations.

^ I know the media noticed. All four TV stations, plus the PD, used stories and photos. Later this week, look for a piece on Reuters as well.

Yesterday, we became aware of an incident at the West 117th St. Station, and immediately launched a thorough investigation. Today, we received a formal complaint from Ms. Jessica Ferrato, and we will be interviewing her as part of the process. From what we know now, it appears this incident could have been handled far more appropriately. We apologize for the way this incident transpired. This is clearly an unfortunate situation. Importantly, we will be taking the appropriate action internally. Once the investigation is complete, we will be able to provide further details.

Regarding the incident at the West 117th Street Station last weekend: RTA is conducting a thorough investigation, and we will take appropriate action.

The printed version was distributed at the annual meeting today (it always is). It will be added to the Web site this week.

Highlights from today's Board meeting: * George Dixon was re-elected Board President. * Westlake Mayor Dennis Clough was re-elected Board VP * The Board awarded a $798,000 contract to design upgrades to the platform and track at the Tower City Station. Construction work will start in 2016. * The Board awarded a contract to improve the South Park grade crossing on the Green Line on April 17-20. Next summer, RTA will improve grade crossings on the Waterfront Line at St. Clair Ave and Robert Lockwood Dr. * The Board awarded an $11.38 million contract to build a new Brookpark Station. Groundbreaking is set for 11:30 a.m. on April 9, 2015. For more information and a rendering, go to www.rideRTA.com/majorprojects/brookpark.

CTown asked about the cost of expanding existing rail lines. RTA would love to expand existing rail lines. In 1996, building the 2.2 mile Waterfront Line cost $55 million, and the cost has grown a lot since then. The feds are now more interested giving money to transit systems to take care of existing stations and track. Most money for rail extensions go to cities with expanding populations and Cleveland is not one of them.

There is plenty of good news at the March 24 Board of Trustee meeting. For the full agenda, go to www.rideRTA.com/news.

Heated bus shelters? I have never heard of them being considered here, but I will pass along the idea.

RTA started the year with a 5.1 percent ridership increase in January 2015 over January 2014. Every mode of transit saw an increase. Systemwide: 3.8 million rides, an increase of 187,000 total rides, or about 11,000 more rides each day. January 2014 was marked extreme cold and heavy snow, and many schools and businesses closesd. Bus: An increase 5.3 percent or 152,000 rides. HealthLine: An increase of 8 percent, or 28,000 more rides than last year. Cleveland State Line: In its first full month, it carried 16 percent more riders than the 55 routes it replaced. Ridership was 43,000 in January on Cleveland's second BRT service. Red Line: With 550,000 riders, it was the highest total since January 1988, and the third straight year of 500,000+ rides in January. Total Rapid ridership increased 4.6 percent, or 33,000 rides. Trolleys: Average daily ridership was 6,318, an 11 percent increase. Total ridership was up 3.2 percent. The C-Line trolley saw an 87 percent increase on evenings and weekends, and the NineTwelve trolley (rush hours only) gained 106 percent more riders.

Re: Public Square RTA's March 1 service changes includes all the changes to the Public Square bus stops and service changes. Those changes will take place on March 1, regardless of when the Square actually closes. 10 bus stops have been moved from Public Square to nearby streets. There will be staff out to educate customers next week, both on Public Square and inside the Tower City Station. To find out more, go to www.rideRTA.com, and click on the banner image.

I see a number of you have comments about the East 116th Street design. I hope you voiced your concerns at the meeting. If you missed the meeting, please send your comments to [email protected].

For more information on the CAB, you will find a Mission Statement, meeting dates and a roster at www.rideRTA.com/CAB.

freethink -- the last time I checked, RTA staff took 1.3 million rides on RTA in one year. FYI.

Zak, the message is self-explanatory. Commuter Alerts software is not working, and we cannot predict or promise when it will be, so we will be offering you some alternatives for getting the information Commuter Alerts provided. We're not happy with the news, but there is nothing else we can do at this time. Stay tuned.