yes - a caltrain - that was it, thx kjp.

 

are those still in service and available or still even decent options vs the others you posted?

I wouldn't think you could borrow the CalTrain cars (or cars from any existing service) for any length of time, such as more than a week. Those are usually reserve sets for maintenance cycling and emergencies.

 

And I consider the types of equipment that the CalTrains cars represent as the same as the second equipment option I noted in my Sept. 6 posting.

I wonder how many of those Metra One-Dollar cars are available and whether Amtrak still has diesel units available? Seems like the easiest thing to do.

 

I'll send a $20 bill to acquire the fleet. :-D

I wonder how many of those Metra One-Dollar cars are available and whether Amtrak still has diesel units available? Seems like the easiest thing to do.

 

I'll send a $20 bill to acquire the fleet. :-D

 

would someone allow the units to be stored locally?  i imagine there is more transport cost than the $1, but it seems rather prudent to spend $1 and a few thousand extra to transport and store 10 or 15 used cars.

 

where could they be stored locally? (ie RTA's e55 grounds?  airport?  an unused rail siding on someone elses property?)  and what would it cost to get them here and store them? 

The $1 Metra cars are gone. A bunch of rail car leasing firms got most of 'em. Nashville and Salt Lake City got the others.

 

Anyplace there is a railyard, especially an underused one, is a candidate for storing and servicing them between runs (especially overnight). For overnight storing/servicing, pick a site out in/near Lorain or Vermilion someplace. For an interim service, you probably won't have enough money to restore the track to the Black River Landing in downtown Lorain ($3 million is projected cost for this trackwork). Absent that, the next best place is likely a vacated railyard for the Lorain Ford Plant, between Lorain and Vermilion and just north of US Route 6.

 

A spot downtown for train layovers between the rush hours will depend on the type of train equipment needed and, thus, on the station the equipment can physically serve. If Tower City is the station, then RTA's Central Rail Facility at East 55th Street might be possible. If North Coast Harbor/Amtrak Station area on the lakefront is the station, then East 26th Street Yard (Amtrak owns a portion of it) is probably the layover spot. East 26th Yard is next to and south of South Marginal Road, between the end of the Waterfront Line and the Inner Belt.

There were two new double-decker commuter rail cars from the Bay Area's CalTrain service pulled (and pushed) by an Amtrak F40 locomotive. This is the train after it returned from a snowy ride through Lake County on Nov. 10, 1997....

 

 

KJP, doesn't this show that this experiment had cars run over the W. Shore route planned to/from North Coast?  Also, while I appreciate your comprehensive recitation on possible technologies and routes for the WS to enter downtown, you didn't answer whether you thought the idea is feasible for local CVSR to lend WS some equipment for demo runs?  Sounds like the cheapest alternative... one that may make sense given the extreme budget concerns.

The first day of the 1997 demo, they ran from West 110th Street in Cleveland to Lorain and back. The next day, they were to have a public display of the train equipment at the Cleveland Amtrak station (followed by the Cleveland to Lake County runs the day after that). So, after the Lorain run was finished, they took the commuter train from West 110th Street to the Amtrak station. Here's how they did it:

 

> head east on NS from West 110th to Mayfield Jct. near University Circle.

> Transfer at Mayfield Jct. to then-Conrail (now CSX) to Quaker Tower at Collinwood Yards.

> Reverse direction and run backwards for nine miles from Collinwood to the Amtrak station downtown.

 

Not an advisable routing for regular commuter service.

 

As for CVSR, their chairman has offered use of one or two of their RDCs (self-propelled Rail Diesel Cars) during their slowest time of the year, from January to March. As long as NS and the FRA agree to having them operate on the West Shore line, it's feasible. Here's a picture I took of the CVSR RDC at the Rockside Road station in late 2005....

 

Awesome.  I know CVSR decry the suggestion, and maybe I'm engaging in wishful, rose-colored thinking, but those CVSR folks in your photo look a lot more like commuters after a long work day than tourist/joy riders (esp the guy w/ the large envelope under his arm).  Even though its not the perfect routing, I sure hope we soon see CVSR trains traveling all the way to Tower City.

The people in the photo are boarding a CVSR RDC which All Aboard Ohio chartered for a fall fundraiser in 2005. But you're right. The people, the train and the station platform in the photo sure makes for good advertising imagery for a preview commuter rail service!

I'd certainly use the CVSR to "commute" to the national park for a day of biking/hiking/lounging at the Winking Lizard in Peninsula!

Someone sent me a few video links of the hybrid diesel electric battery powered train from Japan. Might look good running between Vermilion and Cleveland (and beyond!)...

 

 

This one's a promo video with music...

 

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nCK_pVBxlH0&mode=related&search=

 

This one is 9 minutes long, shot from the front of the DPMU...

Nice.  From the "roll by" shots in the videos, it sounds pretty quiet, too.  That ought to put a lid on the NIMBYs who complain about possible noise issues.

The noise will likely be even less on the West Shore Corridor. In the videos, you'll note the clickety-clack of the train going over joints in the rails roughly every 30-50 feet on the Koumi Line in Japan. The joints in the rails are every 3,000 feet or so on our West Shore Corridor line, where the tracks are laid with welded rail.

 

The biggest source of noise we have that they don't in Japan is the train's horn. But Quiet Zones would address that here. In fact, I'm glad the video has some shots taken at crossings so we can show what this train would be like here -- with the Quiet Zones. Now just replace the clickety-clack from the jointed rails with the whoosh of welded rails and the scene could be in Rocky River rather than Yamanashi Prefecture!

Cleveland Clinic is now pushing for the Avon I-90 interchange.  The Avon mayor kinda/sorta hinted he may pit his support for the W-S commuter rail against Cuy County's failing to support the I-90 interchange.  So now, how does CC's announcement favoring the interchange for their prop'd Avon outpatient center affect the W-S line, if at all?.  Some are saying a new Avon exit won't have the negative impact on Cuy Cty that some people think, although certainly a CC outpatient facility more than double the size of the one in Westlake won't help Cuy County much, will it?  One way or the other, I can't see CC's announcement as helping the cause for W-S, that's for sure, no matter how this thing shakes out.

They favor the Med Mart, but won't contribute to it; they favor the interchange, but won't financially support it - amazing how supportive they are of spending tax dollars when they pay none on the property they own. Then again, support for keeping people in an auto-centric lifestyle will provide them with a steady local supply of cardio-vascular patients! :roll:

An encouraging story from Denver, as reportred by the Northwest Indiana Times.

 

Denver transit initiative provides model for local rail push

SOUTH SHORE -- Chicago South Shore Connections lining up support ahead of legislative session

BY PATRICK GUINANE

[email protected]

 

INDIANAPOLIS | Supporters pulled out all the stops to sell Denver-area voters on a sales tax hike to fund a $4.7 billion bus and rail service expansion.

 

......

 

http://www.nwitimes.com/articles/2007/10/11/news/lake_county/docf0863afd6fdae7a88625737000817895.txt

 

From 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. Tuesday (Nov. 20), WCPN 90.3 FM in Cleveland will have a discussion of rail passenger service -- namely the West Shore Corridor project and Ohio Hub.

 

if you are outside the FM radio range of WCPN, you can tune in online at:

http://www.wcpn.org/index.php/WCPN/streaming/

 

Guests will be .....

 

Ken Sislak, All Aboard Ohio's Northeast Director, will be in studio. Yours truly -- Ken Prendergast, Director of Research and Communication -- was recorded on Friday (I hope I made some sense in my rambling).

 

Jolene Molitoris, the new chairperson of the Ohio Rail Development Commission, will be participating by phone.

 

Tune in if you can. If anyone records this, please let me know.

I did not get a chance to listen to the full broadcast yet since I was at work by 9, but I did hear blubs from the show on my way.  Here is a link to a podcast from the show:  http://www.wcpn.org/index.php/WCPN/soi/7899/.

I forgot to post this!

 

A representative of freight railroad Norfolk Southern Corp. will speak at the next West Shore Corridor Stakeholders meeting, to be held 9:15-10:30 a.m. Dec. 19 at the Rocky River Public Library’s auditorium, 1600 Hampton Road, just south of Detroit Road.

 

Jim Klaiber, manager of corporate affairs at Norfolk Southern’s Philadelphia headquarters, will discuss his company’s policies about public agencies running passenger trains on its tracks. The free meeting is open to the public.

 

The West Shore Corridor Stakeholders is investigating the possibility of commuter rail service as an option for enhancing transportation and economic redevelopment in the lake shore communities in Cuyahoga, Lorain and Erie counties, from downtown Cleveland west. Commuter trains could to use Norfolk Southern’s existing tracks.

 

For more information, visit at www.allaboardohio.org or contact All Aboard Ohio at (216) 288-4883.

KJP,

 

I don't even remember this thread. Now that I skim over it, I think that you could turn this into a book. Seriously. The information is fascinating.

There already are a number of books on the subject, but I have two favorites. One is "Horse Trails to Regional Rails: The Story of Public Transit in Greater Cleveland" By James Toman and Blaine Hays. The other is Herbert Harwood Jr.'s "Invisible Giants: The Empires of Cleveland's Van Sweringen Brothers."

 

Both are exceptional books.

Fascinating thread!

 

The other is Herbert Harwood Jr.'s "Invisible Giants: The Empires of Cleveland's Van Sweringen Brothers."

 

I saw this in the window at a store in the Arcade and wanted it but the damn place was closed.

As an engineer, I find old, hand-written plans facinating.  I don't think I could have been an engineer back then before CAD programs were created.

West Shore Corridor Stakeholders

December 19, 2007

Rocky River Public Library

Auditorium

 

 

ATTENDEES - At the Dec. 19, 2007 meeting, there were 62 attendees

 

SUMMARY The meeting began shortly after 9:15 a.m.

 

 

Jim Klaiber of freight railroad Norfolk Southern Corp. presented his companys views toward passenger trains running on its tracks. A question-and-answer session followed.

 

A group discussion was held regarding the West Shore Corridor Stakeholders task-oriented priorities for 2008. Foremost priorities are to seek additional, long-term funding for existing and expanded transit services from local, state and federal sources.

 

All Aboard Ohio representatives noted a fundraising challenged posed by the Stocker Foundation of Lorain to support All Aboard Ohios public education activities. See the brochure available at: http://members.cox.net/kjprendergast/fundraising%20challenge.pdf  (333k download)

 

Please submit any corrections or additions to the detailed summary below to [email protected]

 

 

DETAIL:

 

Jim Klaiber, Manager of Corporate Affairs at Norfolk Southern Corp. in Philadelphia, outlined his companys guiding principals for those proposing to use NSs rights of way for passenger train services, such as commuter rail on the West Shore Corridor west from downtown Cleveland in Cuyahoga, Lorain and Erie counties. Foremost, he encouraged interested parties to look at NS tracks as part of a manufacturing and distribution assembly line and that this assembly line cannot be negatively affected by the introduction of passenger trains.

 

Here are NS's five basic guiding principles:

 

  1. Until meaningful funding is secured for some or all of a passenger rail project, NS cant work with every community or region desiring to run passenger trains on its tracks.

 

  2. Look at NS railway infrastructure and whatever new passenger rail service is introduced, investments must be made by parties others than NS to protect its right of way and NS business. Later, Klaiber noted that NS ranks its railroad corridors in four categories based on the amount of freight business each handles. The most important is a Super Core corridor, then Core, followed by Strategic and Tactical. Klaiber said the NS rail line between Cleveland and Vermilion via Lorain and eyed for a West Shore Corridor commuter rail service is probably a Strategic or Tactical corridor to NS freight business. By contrast, the NS line through Cleveland, Berea, Elyria and Vermilion is a Super Core corridor and likely would require major capacity enhancements before any passenger service could be accommodated by NS.

 

  3. Passenger and freight operations need transparency in their operations. The best passenger operation is one that blends seamlessly with NS freight operations. NS defines transparency as the provision of sufficient infrastructure for passenger trains and freight trains to operate without delay to either, and to allow for the growth of both.

 

  4. NS expects fair compensation for the use of its rights of way by others. If someone wanted to use your business facilities, you would expect the same thing, he said.

 

  5. NS also expects to be protected from liability caused by the addition of passenger trains to its tracks. NS requires a passenger rail operator using its tracks to have liability insurance coverage of $500 million. We have risks in running freight trains, Klaiber said. Adding passenger trains increases our risks.

 

A question and answer session followed.

 

Questioner asked for a good model of a positive NS-commuter rail relationship. Klaiber referred to Virginia Railway Express, which operates two commuter rail routes to/from Washington D.C. One is the Manassas Line (on NS) and the other is the Fredericksburg line (on CSX).

 

Questioner asked how NS treats various types of passenger train services. Klaiber responded that different types of service have different considerations. High-speed passenger trains (80+ mph) and light-rail transit are generally not compatible with freight train operations. High speed trains incompatibility is due to the speed differential with 30-50 mph freight trains. Light-rail transits incompatibility is due to LRT vehicles being unable to meet Federal Railroad Administration crash-impact standards with much larger and heavier freight trains. He said conventional-speed passenger trains (up to 79 mph) and commuter trains generally are compatible with freight train traffic.

 

Questioner asked about NSs view on the agreement limiting freight train traffic on the West Shore Corridor line and how it impacts any commuter rail proposal. Klaiber said he was aware of the agreement but wasnt familiar with it. He said NS normally doesnt agree to limit rail traffic levels.

 

Questioner asked about NSs view on Quiet Zones (sections of railroad identified by federal regulators as having additional safety measures at road crossings so locomotives horns dont need to be used at those crossings). Klaiber said NS sticks to the letter of the federal regulations. Participant noted that while commuter trains are much shorter than freight trains, and cause less vibration and wheel noise than freights, commuter train horns are the same volume as those on freight trains. Adding Quiet Zones will significantly improve nuisance and safety issues from the addition of commuter trains.

____________________

 

Ken Prendergast, Director of Research and Communications for All Aboard Ohio, addressed the meeting next to set task-oriented priorities for the West Shore Corridor Stakeholders in 2008.

 

After much public input and discussion, the following priorities were identified:

 

+ Advocate for expanded funding for transit from local, state and federal sources. Existing transit services are being reduced due to increased fuel costs, flat local revenues (sales taxes etc.), and reduced state funding (from $40 million in 2001 to $16 million in 2007). Federal capital funding for expanded transit also is limited. Expansion is a difficult sell when existing transit is facing hardship.

 

+ Secure state, other funding for feasibility study update of West Shore Corridor. Officials in Lorain County, which is the West Shore Corridor project sponsor, will make the request. Cost estimated at more than $300,000;

 

+ Secure non-federal share of alternatives analysis funding. Rep. Betty Sutton got $350,000 U.S. House of Representatives appropriation for alternatives analysis. At least $70,000 in non-federal share is needed;

 

+ Continue full stakeholder meetings, committee meetings on a regular schedule;

 

+ Meet $12,500 challenge grant from Stocker Foundation for public engagement activities. Stocker will match donations dollar-for-dollar until Nov. 1, 2008. See the brochure available at: http://members.cox.net/kjprendergast/fundraising%20challenge.pdf  (333k download);

 

+ Create committee that, in the short term, organizes trips to other cities to view their commuter rail operations and learn from their experiences in starting these services. In the long term, the committee would explore and pursue a preview commuter rail service for the West Shore Corridor, possibly in conjunction with a sporting event or some other special event with Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad as a potential partner.

 

+ Coordinate with transportation and land-use planning activities of local, regional and state agencies, organizations, etc.

 

Meeting was concluded at roughly 10:30 a.m.

http://www.morningjournal.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=19378699&BRD=1699&PAG=461&dept_id=46368&rfi=6

 

From the Lorain Morning Journal:

 

03/11/2008

Get Cleveland-Lorain commuter rail going, plus downstate rail 

 

Let's hope that Gov. Strickland's call for passenger rail service from Cleveland to Cincinnati via Columbus also gives a boost to the long-sought commuter rail service from Cleveland to Lorain and beyond.

 

..........

Oh, and by the way, turns out the final report from the U.S. House/Senate conference committee did approve $344,000 for the West Shore Corridor alternatives analysis. Lorain County is now making the application. Also, GCRTA is willing to seek funding (likely CMAQ) to lease motorcoaches for a joint RTA/LCT express bus service from Vermilion, Lorain, Westlake to downtown Cleveland. This could be used as part of the alternatives analysis -- if the service carries a decent ridership, it can be used as part of demonstrating a project justification to the Federal Transit Administration. It's not a rail demonstration, but the bus service doesn't preclude that. It's just going to take more time to do, so it's nice to have the bus in the interim. Baby steps.....

i know its early, but i'd hope they can convince potential riders and commuters that the new bus service will be more than just temporary if they want to make it work.

 

i say that because i hear people are a bit honked off at lct lately. it seems they changed some routes out of neighborhoods around lorain (where the riders are) to the main streets. this was supposedly done to make the routes easier for the drivers (!), so now riders like my bro are p.o.'d at lct these days and don't trust it.

I'm pretty sure the LCT route changes were due to the agency's serious budgetary problems.

 

The express bus service is a stopgap. While (if!) the express bus is running, we need to have demonstration train services too -- as well as group trips to other cities to "try out" different types of commuter rail services.

  :clap: for the Lorain Morning Journal, an np that absolutely gets it!

Absolutely!  They connected the dots very well.

I'm sure city officials in the West Shore Corridor, especially in Rocky River, Lakewood, and Cleveland's Cudell's neighborhood -- might be interested in the implications of the following article. The implication is that commuter trains can create the warrants necessary to have quiet zones -- silencing all train horns in the corridor including freight trains........

_______________

 

March 20, 2008

 

 

Upgraded railroad crossing could soon bring quiet to Belen area residents

 

As part of a continuing effort to improve and consolidate crossings in the commuter rail corridor, the crossing at Aragon Road - about a half-mile north of the Belen, N.M., Rail Runner station - has been outfitted with a four-quadrant crossing-gate system that will make the surrounding area eligible to be designated a quiet zone."

 

This is the first four-quadrant system to be installed in the Rail Runner corridor," says Lawrence Rael, Executive Director for the Mid-Region Council of Governments. The upgrades were making will give motorists an extra layer of safety, as well as reduce the impact of noise in the community.

 

Up until recently, all trains were required to issue a warning horn as they approached railroad crossings in the corridor. But Federal Railroad Administration rules released in 2005 outlined specific safety guidelines that would qualify a crossing for quiet zone status when equipped with additional warning signs and safety measures to compensate for the absence of the trains horn as a warning device. Back in January, the stretch of track between Menaul and Osuna Boulevards in Albuquerques north valley was the first area in the Rail Runner corridor to be designated an official quiet zone.

 

This is the fourth crossing in the past four months to be upgraded with gates and flashing signal lights. While the quad gates at Aragon have already been installed, the crossing is still utilizing its existing lights and flashers. The new gates should become operational by the first week in April.

 

The Mid-Region Council of Governments, which implements the Rail Runner project for the state, will apply for quiet zone status for the Aragon Road area. The actual quiet zone designation could come as soon as the next 60 days.

West Shore Corridor Stakeholders Meeting

9-11 a.m. - April 23, 2008

City Council Chambers

Westlake City Hall

27700 Hilliard Blvd., just west of Dover Center Road

 

 

Agenda

 

Guest Speaker:

+ Donald J. Emerson, Principal Consultant, Parsons Brinckerhoff

"Economic, energy and environmental challenges to federal transportation policy."

Details and bio follows.

 

+ Update on Lorain County application to Federal Transit Administration for alternatives analysis funding.

+ Introductory bus/rail service options for the West Shore Corridor.

+ Update on fundraising effort for All Aboard Ohio's public education activities.

 

Contact Ken Prendergast at All Aboard Ohio (216-288-4883 or by e-mail) to suggest other agenda items.

 

 

More about our guest speaker

 

Energy constraints, enviornmental issues, federal funding shortfalls and complexities, aging infrastructure and America's economic competitiveness with emerging global powerhouses are all shaping a great debate now getting under way in Washington D.C. This affects not only the West Shore Corridor project, but all transportation projects, economic development plans, land use policies, safety issues and environmental concerns in the United States. There is the possibility that the next couple of years could offer some of the most dramatic changes to surface transportation policy since the 1991 Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act, and possibly the 1956 Federal Interstate and Defense Highways Act.

 

Donald J. Emerson, Principal Consultant at the internationally recognized planning and engineering firm Parsons Brinckerhoff, will be discussing these federal issues and how they may affect local projects like the West Shore Corridor.

 

Mr. Emerson offers strategic advice on transit, highway, and multimodal transportation planning and project development based on over 30 years of experience. His specialties include system and corridor level alternatives analyses, federal planning and environmental requirements and project funding.

 

Mr. Emerson previously served as chief of the Federal Transit Administration’s (FTA) Analysis Division, where he was responsible for planning and project development for the FTA New Starts program. Mr. Emerson helped create the FTA’s New Starts Criteria and managed the evaluation of rail and other fixed guideway projects for FTA’s annual “New Starts Report” to Congress.

 

Mr. Emerson also chairs the American Public Transportation Association’s Policy and Planning Committee and is a member of APTA’s Reauthorization Task Force.

Good to see the plan moving full-steam ahead... One Q though: I know I've suggested, and others have commented, about extending service past Vermilion to Sandusky for, among others, seasonal Cedar Pt visitors.  However, looking at Google Earth (or was it MSN's Birdseye view?), suggests that the planned WS line crosses on an over/or underpass (w/ no rail tie-in/connection) what I believe is the Amtrak line then dips way south of Sandusky, whereas the Amtrak services the old Sandusky station.  Given the expense of creating such a tie-in and given that the Ohio Hub would, I'm assuming, serve Sandusky much greater frequently (than present) anyway, I'm wondering whether extending West Shore service to Sandusky may be both duplicative and not cost effective?

It may be duplicative to the Ohio Hub. It could also be complementary. More reasons to do the alternatives analysis.

:banger:

Good to see the plan moving full-steam ahead... One Q though: I know I've suggested, and others have commented, about extending service past Vermilion to Sandusky for, among others, seasonal Cedar Pt visitors.  However, looking at Google Earth (or was it MSN's Birdseye view?), suggests that the planned WS line crosses on an over/or underpass (w/ no rail tie-in/connection) what I believe is the Amtrak line then dips way south of Sandusky, whereas the Amtrak services the old Sandusky station.  Given the expense of creating such a tie-in and given that the Ohio Hub would, I'm assuming, serve Sandusky much greater frequently (than present) anyway, I'm wondering whether extending West Shore service to Sandusky may be both duplicative and not cost effective?

 

Upon looking at an aerial map, I notied that the line that Amtrak runs to Sandusky on passes through the city of Huron, and more specifically it runs right next to the BGSU branch (Firelands College) which has consistent growth in enrollment and is the only institution of higher education in the area.  That would be a good potential stop on the West Shore Commuter Line (if the tracks would ever connect up in Vermilion).

Sad to think not what Cleveland today with a subway system could be, but what Cleveland would be like if a subway system had been built decades ago and the growth it would have spurn.

Sad to think not what Cleveland today with a subway system could be, but what Cleveland would be like if a subway system had been built decades ago and the growth it would have spurn.

 

Very true, esp Playhouse Sq.  I really hoped the dual-hub could have been build, but I’ve come to terms with our failure to build and its time to move on.  We’re still much better off than most cities of our size, density and Midwestern/Great Lakes location in terms of transit.  (seen Detroit, Indy or Milwaukee lately?)... I'm really surprised, and very pleased, at all the TOD development ECP is spinning off.  As a big naysayer, initially, I have to say the stations look quite spiffy and the corridor is showing lots of sings of life (how wordy... oh well).  ECP/BRT, for its faults, is a technology Cleveland is pioneering -- as we have so often, transit-wise, in the past -- and for that alone we should be proud.

 

Reminder.......

 

West Shore Corridor Stakeholders Meeting

9-11 a.m. - April 23, 2008 (Wednesday!!)

City Council Chambers

Westlake City Hall

27700 Hilliard Blvd., just west of Dover Center Road

 

The meeting is free.

 

We'll have a terrific guest speaker and topic:

 

Donald J. Emerson, Principal Consultant, Parsons Brinckerhoff

"Economic, energy and environmental challenges to federal transportation policy."

 

See the earlier message in this thread for more details:

http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php/topic,6001.msg270434.html#msg270434

This could be a precedent setter for the West Shore Corridor....

 

http://www.sltrib.com/ci_9133880?IADID=Search-www.sltrib.com-www.sltrib.com

 

FrontRunner 'quiet zone' debuts along commuter train's 38-mile run

By Derek P. Jensen

The Salt Lake Tribune

Article Last Updated: 05/02/2008 02:24:30 PM MDT

 

    Hear that?

 

    Neither do the residents along Salt Lake City's main railroad corridor, who rejoiced Friday that the omnipresent train howls have been virtually hushed.

 

    As of 12:01 Friday, a "quiet zone" took effect along the 38-mile FrontRunner and Union Pacific spines between Utah's capital and Ogden.

 

    The rule ends decades of disturbance from freight trains which - until now - were required to sound horns a quarter-mile before and after every crossing. It also silences the FrontRunner squawks, which now sound only if people or cars are trespassing near the tracks.

 

..........

The first of three public hearings of the West 25th Transit Corridor study will be held at 6:30 p.m. Monday, June 2, at the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo's auditorium, 3900 Wildlife Way.

 

Project partners include the Old Brooklyn Community Development Corp., NOACA, Cleveland Planning Commission, City Architecture and Baker Engineering.

 

There may be breakout sessions for visitors to provide input on various aspects of the study, though the sessions weren't identified in the flyer. The flyer asked participants to be at the hearing promptly at 6:30 p.m.

I added the new potential route to my google maps hack of what I want for future rail service in Cleveland.  Check it out, it doesn't include the necessary commuter rail service though :)

 

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=109978057279629123261.00044c4b657ef7079cfa7&ll=41.45585,-81.649361&spn=0.220256,0.541077&t=p&z=12

I've done similar maps, some of which I've posted on threads here. There was a thread titled "Cleveland transit, whats next?" where people could post their ideas and graphics for a dream transit system for Greater Cleveland and Northeast Ohio.......

 

http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php/topic,2768.90.html

Damn if only the 'Purple Line' could come to reality, I'd take that to my Shaker Heights job everyday...  Instead I have to catch the RedLine at Brook Park.

That's a nice fantasy map, pitchblende -- I wish all that could happen including the Parma line.  If all these were done (including converting ECP to the subway line it was supposed to be) Cleveland would have a near perfect rail network.  However, over on the RTA thread, Jerry Masek just explained the Green Line expansion -- which should have been done 25 years ago, is dead.  Also, while a Blue Line extension is still being looked at -- though not seriously I'm afraid --  I believe it swings eastward to Chagrin Highlands rather than continue south to the soon-to-be-defunct Randall Mall.

That's a nice fantasy map, pitchblende -- I wish all that could happen including the Parma line.  If all these were done (including converting ECP to the subway line it was supposed to be) Cleveland would have a near perfect rail network.  However, over on the RTA thread, Jerry Masek just explained the Green Line expansion -- which should have been done 25 years ago, is dead.  Also, while a Blue Line extension is still being looked at -- though not seriously I'm afraid --  I believe it swings eastward to Chagrin Highlands rather than continue south to the soon-to-be-defunct Randall Mall.

 

Yea I've read that, but it seems strange that it wouldn't follow the existing median on the road.  As far as going to Randall Park Mall, it would be a great idea since its closing.  The whole mall can be redeveloped with TOD in mind.

As far as going to Randall Park Mall, it would be a great idea since its closing.  The whole mall can be redeveloped with TOD in mind.

 

That would be sweet.  Obviously, the right-of-way to Randall is there all the way in Northfield Rd.  Plus, you could space stations farther for more speed until you reached the Randall Mall area.  There Bob Stark (or someone similar) could build a Cracker Park-like development... but with direct rail transit!  And don't forget, for the must-drive crowd, I-480, Cleveland's outer-belt south, abuts this property and has exit ramps at Northfield and Warrensville.  Could be a win-win project.  I'm just not sure we're quite there, TOD-wise, although FEB gives me hope.

Guys, post that good discussion on the Randall Park Mall thread or the RTA thread or the Cleveland's transit-what's next thread.

You're right; back to the Parma proposal... You state that 5 "partners" will be involved in the upcoming public hearings, including NOACtion... but, as is often the case in these rail proposals, where does our (state's largest) transit agency, itself, stand on this?  What about RTA?  (I'll tell you that in every other rapid transit city I can think of, the transit agency would be leading the charge and not be reluctantly dragged along)

 

RTA wants to see something happen here. But keep in mind that not only wasn't this corridor development not their idea, but they weren't even consulted on it when OBNS submitted the grant application to NOACA. Ooops!!

 

They're not holding a grudge, and they do understand that they need to respond to community requests for new/expanded service, even if the answer is no.

 

BTW, I absolutely love the "NOACtion"!