JMasek

We hear you. Thanks for the note.

In response to an earlier post, RTA crews will pay special attention to Brookpark today - salt, plow and shovel as needed to open up any pedestrian walkways. They will try and get this done before the PM rush.

Just a note to you media-watchers...a TV station this morning said it had an "exclusive" on the senior games coming to Cleveland in 2013, yet it was on Page One of The Plain Dealer. I guess we have a difference of opinion on what the word "exclusive" means.

Responding to a question yesterday....Yes, the platform on the rail station at East 105 and Quincy is about 100 feet long and accommodates only one rail car. It was designed that way. The City of Cleveland is planning to do bridge work there. When that work is done, the platform should be extended. I have no other info at this time.

The water main break news was posted earlier this morning on our Web site, with a headline and a news alert, fyi.

This was passed along to Facilities Maintenance, thanks.

"As of 2:08 p.m. March 5, all rail lines are back in service." This message is now on our home page

For major service interruptions, someone suggested adding an announcement to the automated attendant on the RTAnswerline. I talked to the supervisor there. Yes, we have that capacity, but it cannot be done remotely, and it needs to be removed as soon as the service changes back to normal.

I believe I have responded to all recent questions except * "why is there air?" and * "what is the length of the rail station at E. 105 and Quincy?" I do not know the answer to the first question, and I have called a rail engineer to ask about the second question. When he returns the call, I will pass along the info. And I thought this would be a slow day...

The Red Line is RTA's heavy-rail system. The central station is Tower City. On the West Side, it extends to Hopkins Airport, and many of the parking lots are large. On the East Side, it extends through University Circle and ends in East Cleveland, at the Louis Stokes Station at Windermere. There are no buses named "Red Line", but many buses serve the Red Line stations and customers can transfer there.

<<I have had zero luck when calling the RTA help line that's posted at stops and stations.>> The RTAnswerline, 216-621-9500, handles more than one million calls a year. The automated attendant is open 24/7. It is staffed by operators from 6:30 a.m.-6:30 p.m. Monday-Friday, and from 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Saturdays. In bad weather, the customer demand is often greater than phone operator availability. At this point, I can hear you ask "why not just hire more operators?" The same pot of money that pays for telephone operators also pays for bus and rail operators. We could hire enough phone operators so that every call would be answered promptly, but then we would have to reduce the number of bus operators. There are no easy answers.

<<Are you at a point that you can even give a "teaser" that this information is in the works? That would be so helpful and curb perception.>> Obviously, the technology exists, because other systems have it. Joe Calabrese has mentioned this many times in speeches, etc., so it is not a secret. A number of things have to be done first, and we are working on them. That is about all I can say at this time.

The news cycle hurt us too. This is the day after a major election in Ohio, and the weather and election results dominated the news this morning. The Rapids not running was a footnote added to the TV and radio traffic reports. FYI, RTA carries 5 times more passengers each year than Hopkins...(approx) 57 million vs 12 million...but look at the media attention each receives. As Spock would observe... "that is not logical."

So going forward, and not trying to sound critical, what will be the procedure? If you don't have an answer, thats fine, but if you could put this on the "management to-do" list at the "nations best (large) transit system" that would great. The New York MTA and New Jersey Transit as well as several airlines do a great job at notifiy customers via their websites and portable devices (im, email, txt msg'ing). Is there a chance that RTA could adopt a similar system of communications? Either Chad Self in Media Relations or I will contact the Webmaster, who I believe can post things even from home. RTA is in the process of installing the necessary technical tools you mentioned to notify customers via pagers, etc. It is not yet fully operational.

The supervisors at the dispatch center would make the call. They have 3 TV screens on all times, and all the dispatchers from Transit Police, rail and bus are there. During the "big August blackout" several years ago, many trains were stopped far from stations, especially on the Red Line on the West Side. Operators lowered ladders (every car has one) and helped the customers to the ground. From there, they walked to the nearest station. Vehicles operated by RTA, including Transit Police, used the adjacent access road to transport the elderly and handicapped. Every situation is different. The best advice is not to panic, and not to spread negativity. I was stuck in a train car once with a male customer who enjoyed swearing and complaining loudly for all to hear. He did NOTHING to help the situation, and his lousy attitude just made it worse for everyone. I would have "engaged" him, but that would have resulted in a confrontation that no one would win. Sometimes, working in the public sector means you have to have an advanced degree in biting your tongue.

"As of 10:45 a.m. March 5, all Rapid lines are operating except the Waterfront Line." This is now posted on the front page of our Web site. I will work with JetDog to keep it updated.

Your points are all well made. We have to do a better job of communicating with the public. Here is what happened, as far as I know....and I know because the westbound Red Line train I was on could not get any farther than halfway across the viaduct. It then returned to Tower City. KJP was right. When RTA knows that an ice storm is coming, it runs empty "snow trains" all night to keep the wires hot and clear from ice. Yesterday, even during regular rush hour service (when the wires should have been plenty warm), the ice formed so quickly that trains were stopped on the tracks in various pockets around the system. When the train I was on returned to Tower City, the system was officially shut down (about 6 p.m.?) and shuttle buses were called in. These buses have to come downtown from a garage, and the roads were terrible, so everything took a long time. This was communicated to the TV and radio traffic reporters, to the customers at Tower City, and to the customers waiting at the train stations. I just checked, and all Rapid lines (except Waterfront) are in operation, and the Web will be updated to reflect this. In our defense, decisions were being made quickly, as the weather changed frequently. Notifying the Webmaster was not done, and it should have been.

So many questions, so little time. I was not on-line much today. I promise to play catch-up tomorrow

http://www.riderta.com/pdf/RidersDigest/Mar08RD-WB.pdf March Rider's Digest, with stories on * Healthline * New section of Corridor ready to open (later in March) * March 23 service changes * RTA gets improved bond ratings * How to use RTA to see St. Patrick's Day Parade, the Cleveland International Film Festival and the MAC basketball tournament at the Q

http://www.riderta.com/nu_newsroom_releases.asp?listingid=1142 Press release on naming rights for the Euclid Corridor

http://www.riderta.com/nu_newsroom_releases.asp?listingid=1141 Press release on March 23 service changes

Long-range plans call for the rail and the BRT to be WiFi. I cannot be more definitive at this time

I still have no idea how to post photos....but JetDog has access to a bunch I took, so I am sure he will post them just as soon as his 40 other priorities are taken care of. He in charge of making sure all new timetables for the March 23 service changes are posted asap, so please excuse him if he is a bit MIA every now and then.

^We have crews that clear snow regularly around the stations. If you come across a treacherous site again, please let me know asap. I appreciate it.

This question has been asked before, and believe me, I feel your pain. RTA operates the buses, and plows snow on its property (rail station parking lots, etc.) The bus shelters are built on public sidewalks, so the city or suburb is responsible for snow removal. RTA has thousands of bus stops and /or bus shelters. Keeping them clear of snow would be a great drain on the staff and budget of any one agency. In areas where the city or suburb lacks the resources, it would be great to see landowners and merchants take charge and keep the shelters clean in their area.