JMasek

Ridership update for August and year-to-date: * System: Up 6.7 percent, or 243,000 rides, for month, 1.5 percent, or 440,000 rides YTD. :clap: * Average weekday ridership: Up 3.3 percent, or 4,881 rides per day. * HealthLine: Up 8.1 percent, or 28,000 rides, in month; up 6 percent YTD. * Total bus (including HL): Up 7.3.3 percent, or 211,000 rides in month; down 0.5 percent YTD. * Heavy rail: Up 8 percent in month; 15.3 percent YTD. * Light rail: Down 1.4 percent in month; up 2.6 percent YTD. * Total rail: Up 4.6 percent in monthl; up 11 percent YTD. * Trolley: Down 14 percent, could be due to Avengers filming downtown. Average daily ridership was 3,400, down 17.5 percent from last year. * Rack-N-Roll: More than 5,400 bikes were boarded, a 12.2 percent increase over last year.]

RTA does not keep daily ridership totals on specific lines. HealthLine ridership was 10 million for the first 30 months.

This was sent out just minutes ago ^Don’t “X” Out Public Transportation Events next week in Cleveland!! Monday, September 19 at 1:30 p.m. and Tuesday, Sept. 20 at noon. The Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (RTA) General Manager and CEO, Joseph Calabrese, alongside Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) President, William Nix, will join together in a visual message: Don't "X" out Public Transportation. On Monday, 1:30 p.m. at Stephanie Tubbs Jones Transit Center (Prospect Ave, between E. 21st and E. 22nd), Calabrese and Nix will paint large Red Xs on several RTA vehicles to show what the elimination of funds would mean to RTA, if proposed federal budget cuts take away a possible 30 percent of transportation funding. On Tuesday, Sept. 20, Cleveland residents will see dozens of buses and trains around the system with the huge Red Xs. At Noon, on Public Square, there will be 'Don't "X" Out Public Transportation Rally on the northwest quadrant. Cleveland is one of more than a dozen public transit agencies participating in 'Don't X Out Public Transportation' around the U.S. to highlight what massive cuts would mean to transit systems and customers. For more national info, go to http://supporttransit.org/ 'Don't 'X' Out Public Transportation' is being coordinated around the U.S. by the American Public Transportation Association: www.APTA.com

^Operators are peremitted to have cell phones on their person. If your phone is in your pocket and it rings, the reaction will be to answer it, and that is not permitted while operating a vehicle. Operators may carry cell phones in their personal bag, and use them only when they are outside the vehicle.

This is in response to several posters above, who asked about bus and rail operators. RAIL -- Many rail operators change shifts at the East 55th Street Station. The rule is: If operator #2 is not there to take over, operator #1 makes another round trip. BUS -- Operators usually take breaks at the end of their run, while they are parked (usually empty) at a transit station or a bus loop. They are not to take breaks while passengers are waiting on board and en route to their destination. There is one exception. Downtown, trolley operators often take short breaks at RTA's Main Office Bldg. It is the end of their route. Sometimes riders who have just boarded have to wait a few minutes. Service is frequent, and I have near heard anyone complaining. In each case, we need to have details, such as the date, time, place, operator ID (if you know it), and bus coach / railcar number. Please report it as soon as possible after it happens. Again, you can use my e-mail, [email protected]. We appreciate your cooperation and support.

Here's the reply. "We continue to monitor and correct the Next Connect signs. Please ask which signs are incorrect so we can review them in more detail." If you have questions about a specific sign, please write down the details and send them to me off-list. I will make sure they are forwarded to the proper person the same day, or the next working day. Thanks.

As you may know, all RTA vehicles are equipped with GPS. Our bus and rail dispatchers already receive real-time updates. In the future, RTA -- and most transit systems in the country -- would like to extend that access to everyone. However, as if often the case, our "wish list" is far greater than our "budget list," so I cannot say when that might happen. Thanks for the comment.

^ I think you mean "all-day passes." I am glad to hear things went well. Phase 2 of the project (smart cards) will be introduced when Phase 1 is complete. RTA is working with the vending machine manufacturer to simplfy the screen flow and make the tickets easier to purchase. When the new screen flow is installed and working well, Phase 1 will be complete. I do not have a timeline on that.

There was some earlier interest here about repairs to the tracks on the Cuyahoga River viaduct. Here is some additional info, from a flier that was passed out Tuesday at Tower City. 1. Scheduled for Saturday-Wednesday, Oct. 8-12, the weekend of the Columbus Day holiday. 2. The entire bridge will be shut down; it is not safe to single track. 3. Replacement buses will take Red Line passengers from W. 25th Street to Tower City and downtown. 4. Plan on some delays.

^ clvlndr, your answer is not totally accurate. RTA has been renovating the Red Line cars, and will continue to do so through the end of 2012. However, the renovation has not addressed the signage issue, simply because motors for roller-type signs are not manufactured anymore. The cost of replacing all the signs on the each train ($4,000+ per sign) is not cost-effective, especially when one considers that each Red Line has only 1 of 4 destinations -- Airport, Brookpark, Tower City and Windermere. There are large eastbound and westbound signs at each station, for those who are new to the system. The current sign system is a temporary fix. There are several other options, and RTA is exploring them now. Thanks for sharing your concern,

Mike York, deputy general manager, Operations: "The problem with the destination signs in the Red Line cars is two-fold: 1. Many of the motors that advance the roller-type destinations signs are bad and we can't find a replacement motor. 2. The gears that move the rollers are bad on some cars. If we can't find replacement motors and gears, the alternative is a simple sign in the sign window that says Red Line."

^ Because of maintenance and repairs to the rail viaduct over the Cuyahoga River, the viaduct cannot be used for several days. Buses will take passengers from the West 25th Street Station to Tower City. Obviously, we looked for days of lowest impact. We picked the three days of Columbus Day holiday weekend, and the Friday and Tuesday surrounding it.

Joe Calabrese and eight RTA managers will be at the Tower City Station to talk to customers from 6-9 a.m. Tuesday, Aug. 30. Please stop by. You can talk about any topic you wish. They want to talk to you about 3 key topics: 1. RTA rail service and repairs to the damage made by lightning in July. 2. Extra rail service on Sunday, Sept. 11, when downtown hosts 3 major events (1 pm Browns, 5:30 pm concert, 6-9pm Praisefest at Q). 3. The viaduct construction project, set for October. Similar events are being planned at other key RTA facilities. Dates will be announced.

^ During the closure, some track work had to be adjusted, so trains could stop at the new station instead of the old. There is still preparation work being done at the new station, but it is far enough long so people can use it. So, like I said beore, "yes, it is nearly done." A ribbon-cutting ceremony will be held in September. The exact date has not been set.

Yes, it is nearly done. It will open in September. The exact date has not been set.

I am told that the City of Cleveland Streets Department was out repairing concrete around some manhole covers last week. FYI, the Euclid Corridor project was completed in sections, and the oldest section that RTA worked on is now 6 years old. Manhole covers over sewers are the responsibility of the City Department of Water Pollution Control. Manhole covers over electric vaults are the responsibility of Cleveland Public Power.

^ I have just notified our Engineering staff, but please note that RTA operates a service, the HealthLine, and maintains the stations in the median strip. I believe the maintenance of a street and manhole covers are usually the responsibility of the city they are located in. I am checking to confirm.

The trolleys now carry about 4,000 people a day, and are one of RTA's most popular services. Looking ahead to when both the casino and the medical mart are in place, RTA will be looking at its downtown trolleys to see how to expand the services to better connect the travel/tourism sites with the hotel sites...and of course, better serve downtown workers.

Because of their vintage design, trolleys have no bike racks in the front.

Correct

Just posted on rideRTA.com Preview of Aug. 2 Board meeting * http://www.riderta.com/nu_newsroom_releases.asp?listingid=1618 Aug. 21 service changes * http://www.riderta.com/nu_newsroom_releases.asp?listingid=1616 Two changes to RTA canine team * http://www.riderta.com/nu_newsroom_releases.asp?listingid=1617 RTA and the Browns, a winning combination * http://www.riderta.com/nu_newsroom_releases.asp?listingid=1615 I know you want to "Marvel" over Cleveland, but Avengers filming causes many detours * http://www.riderta.com/nu_newsroom_releases.asp?listingid=1613 Have a great weekend.

^ They did. We also sent it out to everyone who subscribes to e-news. I hope that all people on this Forum are subscibers.

Things were much better today. RTA found a way to operate trains more frequently and still maintain safety. One train left Brookpark at 7:14 a.m.. The next one left at 7:23 a.m., and I was on it. Two cars. The Brookpark crowd was a much more normal size. The train reached Tower City at about 7:50 a.m., and everyone had a seat (as far as I could tell).

A letter from RTA GM and CEO Joe Calabrese Dear Customer; I want to update you on important events affecting RTA rail service. On Friday, July 22, the signal system at RTA’s Brookpark Tower (next to Hopkins International Airport) took a massive direct hit from lightning. Essentially, this “fried” all RTA automatic signal equipment, from the Puritas Station to the Airport. As a result, all switches and signals are now being controlled manually, not automatically. The damage is severe. This could have permanently shut down the rail system, but it did not. Working over the weekend, RTA staff put together a plan to offer a level of service that still allows us to safely get you to work, albeit with some delays. The plan was approved by RTA’s Safety Department. Safety is always our top priority. All RTA automatic track signals and switches between the Airport and the Puritas Station are now being operated manually. This is similar to traffic lights being down after a power outage. Police must manually direct traffic at every intersection. It’s the same for us: Operation Safe Transport includes 1. Operating trains at times at a slower speed than usual. 2. Operating all trains to Hopkins Airport. We can no longer turn around some rush-hour trains at the Brookpark Station. 3. Our goal is to continually operate trains at 15-minutes intervals. We realize that trains will be much fuller than usual, but safety will be maintained. We will be working to reduce this frequency to every 10-12 minutes. 4. On Wednesday, we added 3-car trains whenever possible. Some Red Line rail stations are not long enough to accommodate 3-car trains. Operators may direct you to sit in the first two cars only, especially east of Tower City. How long will it take to repair all this? It’s impossible to determine precisely, but our best answer is: Weeks. Imagine that your home was struck by lightning. All wires would be burned out, and all electrical appliances would have to be replaced. That would take a significant amount of time to fix. If you consider the miles of signal wires between the Puritas Station and Hopkins, you can see the magnitude of our problem. To stay updated, subscribe to Commuter Alerts at riderta.com/CommuterAlerts. Messages are sent directly to your phone or personal computer. We are doing all we can to resolve these issues ASAP. Thank you for your continued support. Sincerely, Joseph Calabrese, CEO & General Manager, Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority

^ The train in was "much less crowded" because it was a 3-car train. I boarded on the 7:23 a.m. train at Brookpark, and all seats were pretty much taken immediately. By the time we reached Tower City at 7:55 a.m., there were many riders standing, but it was not "packed." Some of the East Side Red Line stations cannot handle 3-cars, so at Tower City, the operator asked all persons left in Car #3 to come into Car #2.