September 8, 200915 yr It may have been studied but they were feasibility studies that are meaningless to the Federal Transit Administration. Instead the FTA recognize these progressive steps, each of which takes 1-2 years to complete: alternatives analysis, environmental impact, preliminary engineering, final engineering, construction. Each step also gets progressively more expensive. The West Shore Corridor Alternatives Analysis will cost just over $400,000. But preliminary engineering can cost about 5-15 percent of the estimated project construction costs. Thus if West Shore Corridor would cost $100 million to implement, the preliminary engineering might cost $5 million to $15 million depending on how complicated a project this is (probably not very, but ya never know!). So coming up with funding for each planning phase can take a long time. It took WSC proponents more than a year just to come up with the $414,000 for the alternatives analysis! It took Nashville 10 years to go through the federal planning process under the National Environmental Policy Act and that was just a $40 million project! Cleveland doesn't have a monopoly on projects taking a long time. I keep telling you that but you don't want to believe it. These long timelines are why Congress desperately wants to streamline the NEPA rules and regulations in the next surface transportation reauthorization. Maybe the process for Amtrak is different, but you still haven't explained how 3-C's is claimed to be possible in 2-3 years and it's a much larger project than West Shore... Maybe you know something I don't, but I don't recall that project to have been studied for a long time... and even if it was, I know a proposed route (including the Puritas stop) has been made public recently.
September 8, 200915 yr The two projects are different in several ways, not the least of which is political support. The 3C Corridor has it, what with all the major cities on record as supporting this, plus many key business leaders, unions, ODOT's director and Ohio's governor. Their support, a lack of property takes, and an Oct. 2 deadline to be eligible for 100 percent federal funding has greatly speeded up the planning for this project. The West Shore Corridor has been a harder sell because there are concerns by Lakewood, Rocky River and Bay Village that this project will hasten urban sprawl. They support the upcoming analysis to get answers, but that's as far as they're willing to go right now. I am trying to get them to bring in city leaders from other communities elsewhere in the U.S. which had these same concerns when commuter rail projects were proposed in their regions. "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
September 10, 200915 yr Officials break ground on the Stephanie Tubbs Jones Transit Center Posted by Karen Farkas, The Plain Dealer September 10, 2009 14:43PM Categories: Breaking News, Real Time News, Traffic CLEVELAND, Ohio — Family and friends of the late Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones joined city and RTA officials Thursday to break ground on a new $6.4 million transit center named in her honor. The transit center, on the Cleveland State University campus at East 21st Street and Prospect Avenue, will open next fall. It will provide an indoor waiting area for people catching a bus or transferring to another one, and it will have bays for 16 buses... MORE AT CLEVELAND.COM http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2009/09/officials_break_ground_on_the.html
September 14, 200915 yr The stupidity of people never ceases to amaze me. And I mean me... why was I so stupid to read the Cleveland.com responses posted by people who couldn't spell IQ if you spotted them the I and the Q? To spare you the horror of reading Cleveland.com and becoming despondent over the future of the human race, I'll post just this message which summarizes the basic theme of the 80+ mind-numbing posts today: _____________ Didn't the PD just report that RTA will be making cuts due to less ridership and fare revenue? But yet they have the money to build this center of uselessness? lol _____________ My response: You people crack me up. Use transit capital money for preserving bus routes or other operating costs and see how long it takes the Federal Transit Administration to order RTA to reimburse it from RTA operating funds. Either way you still lose your bus routes or see your fares raised. If RTA refuses to reimburse the FTA, then RTA executives get arrested on federal charges for misusing federal funds. Then all you yahoos will be criticizing RTA for that. If you want to make a difference, tell your congresspersons to rewrite federal law to allow transit agencies to "flex" all capital money for operating costs. Use those grey cells and keystrokes wisely, people. "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
September 21, 200915 yr New bus schedule draws controversy Doug Gulasy Issue date: 9/21/09 Section: News The Portage Area Regional Transportation Authority's newest bus route is drawing the ire of residents who are now forced to wait longer for their buses. PARTA's Black Squirrel route, which runs from Kent State's C-Midway parking lot to Wal-Mart in Ravenna and services the newly built Campus Pointe and Pebblebrook apartments, went into effect Aug. 23. To create room for the Black Squirrel, PARTA has reduced the frequency of its Interurban route to Ravenna, cutting out 10 trips in the process. Instead of running every half-hour, that route now runs every hour and five minutes. PARTA also reduced the number of trips for the Kent Suburban route between 6:30 and 11 a.m. The Interurban route to Stow was not adjusted. PARTA Operations Manager Joseph Yensel said the company wanted to create more bus service between Wal-Mart and the university and to provide transportation for the many students who live at Campus Pointe and Pebblebrook. Read more at kentnewsnet.com
September 30, 200915 yr Today as I was heading into work I saw a freight train at the grade crossing on W. 117th. The train was only pulling 2 or 3 passenger cars and on the cars was 'Norfolk and Southern'. Does this having anything to do with a West Shore Corridor feasibility study alternatives analysis study?
October 1, 200915 yr So what is a freight train or a passenger train? If the latter, that was a NS executive inspection train which makes the rounds throughout the 22,000-mile NS rail system. But I saw that train a day or two before the Labor Day weekend. It traveled west on the NS West Shore line north of Detroit Avenue shortly before noon and then headed east a couple hours later. That's a very unusual move for an executive inspection train, and then to return to the same tracks a month later! "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
October 21, 200915 yr Work is going full swing at the STJ transit center... complete with stimulus sign...
November 6, 200915 yr Commuter rail study a go: Commissioners rule $400,000 'viable' to determine line's benefits Friday, November 6, 2009 By RICHARD PAYERCHIN [email protected] ELYRIA — A new study could outline possible benefits of a commuter rail line running between Cleveland and Sandusky. The Lorain County Commission voted 2-0 to hire Parsons Brinckerhoff Inc., of Cleveland, to complete an eight-month study for the possible West Shore Rail Corridor. More at: URL: http://www.morningjournal.com/articles/2009/11/06/news/mj1849922.prt
November 11, 200915 yr texas is working on a long percolating similar project called l-star: Austin to San Antonio commuter rail plans back on track by Jessica Vess / KVUE-TV Posted on November 9, 2009 at 12:13 PM Updated Monday, Nov 9 at 4:35 PM A commuter rail line stretching from Austin to San Antonio has taken another step forward. The Lone Star Rail District -- formerly, the Austin-San Antonio Commuter Rail District -- has been a long time in the making. Twelve years ago state lawmakers authorized the train service. http://www.kvue.com/news/LSTAR-Commuter-Rail-Moving-Forward-69574787.html
November 19, 200915 yr OK, I'm not yelling here. I'm just using really large, red letters to make this flier easier for you to find in the future...... SAVE PUBLIC TRANSIT! Download the flier from: http://members.cox.net/corridorscampaign/Save%20public%20transit%20flier.pdf I need your help! Please print out this flier in large quantities and post them legally in visible places. Or just hand them out to people on your bus or train each day. If the driver asks you to stop, please comply. Thanks! "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
December 2, 200915 yr I realize many of you don't read the Lorain County Transit thread. I encourage you to do so today as some news there is likely a harbinger of things to come for all Ohio counties: http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php?topic=16502.msg444095#msg444095 "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
December 4, 200915 yr The greatest champion of commuter rail in the West Shore Corridor is retiring. Betty is a terrific lady, a good friend and I'll greatly miss her leadership among the Lorain County Commissioners! Blair to hang up red hat Published: Friday, December 4, 2009 By KELLY METZ [email protected] ELYRIA Lorain County Commissioner Betty Blair, known throughout the county as the commissioner with the red hat, has decided to retire at the end of next year. Blair, who is finishing her 19th year as a commissioner, decided when her term ends Dec. 31, 2010, there won't be a sixth term for her. Blair got very emotional when telling the audience at yesterday's commission meeting how much the experience has meant to her, and how because of her husband Chuck's death this year, she doesn't think she can continue without his support and their shared approach to public service. READ MORE AT: http://www.morningjournal.com/articles/2009/12/04/news/mj1979790.txt "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
January 27, 201015 yr WestShore Commuter Rail Task Force Seeks Advisor Virginia Haynes, Administrative Coordinator The West Shore Commuter Rail Task Force in Northeast Ohio is a group of volunteers working to promote passenger rail service linking Erie, Lorain and Cuyahoga Counties. To facilitate its participation in the $400,000 Federally- and locally-funded West Shore Corridor Alternatives Analysis, the Task Force is accepting applications for a part-time Task Force Advisor. The Advisor will report to the Task Force co-chairs and represent the Task Force’s interests in the Alternatives Analysis study, which is being sponsored by the Lorain County Board of Commissioners. The Advisor will take this position under contract to the Lorain County Board of Commissioners. Knowledge of the region’s and the State’s local government processes and political leaders and experience with land use planning & zoning are essential background requirements. Demonstration of success in leading local and countywide tax initiatives along with an understanding of state and federal transportation funding mechanisms & processes is a plus. The Advisor will perform a number of tasks, including coordinating activities of the Task Force in advocacy group activities and working with West Shore Corridor communities to help effect public policy changes, especially with regard to land use plans, zoning & transportation funding. The Lorain County Board of Commissioners is an Equal Opportunity Employer and will make reasonable accommodations for qualified applicants with disabilities. Pay for the Task Force Advisor will be negotiated and commensurate with background and experience. Resumes should be submitted to: Virginia Haynes Lorain County Community Alliance 226 Middle Avenue, 5th floor Elyria, Ohio 44035 or emailed to [email protected] The initial resume submittal deadline is 5:00 p.m. Friday, January 29th, 2010 however the position will remain open, and resumes accepted, until filled. The West Shore Commuter Rail Task Force Advisor Selection Committee will make a hiring recommendation as soon as possible to the Lorain County Board of Commissioners, with the Board making the final hiring decision. The Advisor will begin work once the West Shore Corridor study gets underway. http://www.lccommunityalliance.com/announcements.shtml?f=60
February 11, 201015 yr maybe they can wait until betty blair retires, if she'd agree to do it she'd be perfect!
February 12, 201015 yr Ooops...I forgot to post this earlier in the week: Commuter rail will create jobs, economic growth, economist says Published: Saturday, February 6, 2010 By RICHARD PAYERCHIN [email protected] ELYRIA — Investing in commuter rail will create jobs, reduce congestion and improve the quality of life in Lorain County, one transit supporter said. Meanwhile, an economist praised Lorain County’s collaborative approach among government, educators and industry as a model for counties seeking to attract new jobs. More than 200 elected officials from around Lorain County gathered for yesterday’s Fourth annual Groundhog Economic Development Forecast, hosted at Lorain County Community College. READ MORE AT: http://www.morningjournal.com/articles/2010/02/06/news/doc4b6d01cf384b9785867142.txt "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
March 12, 201015 yr I'm sure it is located in the various news articles, but what is the scope of this project? In particular, how far west does the Alternative Analysis go? Does it go to the Sandusky/Port Clinton area?
March 12, 201015 yr Yes, from my understanding it will go as far west as Sandusky -- if enough funding can be found. The main priority is from Vermilion eastward. "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
March 12, 201015 yr BTW, from last week's Sun News...... Study to see if commuter rail can get on track By Alison Meaney, Sun News March 04, 2010, 2:45PM A stress-free ride into Cleveland on a winter weekday morning and the ability to navigate the west side without a car are among dreams brought to you by regional rail enthusiasts in the public and private sectors. Attempting to make their dreams for Northeast Ohio a reality, the rail proponents are using funds procured by U.S. Rep. Betty Sutton’s office as well as from agencies like Ohio Department of Transportation, the Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency and the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority. The funds are being used to study the feasibility of an expansive network of commuter rail lines. “We deserve better mobility by public transit here,” said Richard Enty, Lorain County’s project contract manager. “We should be able to get from one end of the region to another without owning an automobile.” READ MORE AT: http://blog.cleveland.com/thesun/2010/03/study_to_see_if_commuter_rail.html "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
March 13, 201015 yr “We’re focused on community transportation — we have not been as focused on a rail line that would go out as far as Sandusky,” FitzGerald said. “One the one hand, I could see some advantages to having commuter rail to downtown Cleveland and to University Circle. On other hand, the biggest beneficiaries would be Lorain County and Erie County." What always gets me in this town is how, on so many potentially positive development projects, people are so damned preoccupied with the advantages to someone else. It'd be nice if mayor FitGerald touted the benefits of rail travel to his dense downtown Lakewood rather than the benefits of Lorain and Erie Counties ... thus giving reasons why Lakewooders should be against it; or at least, not strongly for it.
March 14, 201015 yr Tell him. "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
May 30, 201015 yr Glad to see the progress, but I wish the roof was higher. "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
May 30, 201015 yr I wish we had an explanation of how these transit centers will interact. Seems like we're moving even closer to having two separate bus systems, east and west.
May 30, 201015 yr I was wondering what that structure was when I was in the neighborhood a few weeks back.
June 4, 201015 yr FYI from the co-chair of the West Shore Commuter Rail Task Force: Good Morning, As I reported to you in a previous email, I have a graduate from Bryant and Stratton, Nathan Harris, who is volunteering his time to create a website and social media outlets for the West Shore Commuter Rail Task Force (WSCTF). We need input and information from the Task Force members as to what you would like to see on this site. Additionally, we will need specific links and information that will support the project along with pictures. A WSCRTF Social Media and Website meeting with Nathan regarding website construction, Facebook and Twitter contents is scheduled for 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday, June 8, in Commissioner Blair’s Office located on the 4th floor of the Administration Building. Any input or assistance on this project is welcome and encouraged; so please feel free to contact me or attend the Social Media Meeting. I have received input from Brian McCann that the beautiful brochure that was created by an employee of Bettcher Industries is translatable to a website. If you cannot attend feel free to email me your ideas for consideration and I will gladly share them on Tuesday. The West Shore Commuter Rail Task Force is now on Facebook and Twitter. If you look under notes on Facebook, there is a list of Collaborating and Supporting Organizations. I would like to add a section indicating the individual private support sector and a list of Task Force members. This information would also be included on the website. If you wish to have your name included please send me a letter indicating your support for the project. This letter has a dual purpose. First, it allows me permission from you to add your name as a supporter and or Task Force member, and secondly, most importantly, the letter will be forwarded to specific agencies and or government officials to increase and expedite funding and show sustainability for this project. Later today, I will send out information that you may include in the letter if you so choose. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions or suggestions. Respectfully, Virginia Haynes Administrative Coordinator Lorain County Community Alliance 226 Middle Ave. Room 515 Elyria, Ohio 44090 440-328-2362 [email protected] www.lccommunityalliance.com "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
June 12, 201015 yr http://lccommunityalliance.org/announcements.shtml?f=68 ALLIANCE COMMUNICATION News Release/For Immediate Release June 8, 2010 Grant Submitted for Phase I Alternatives Analysis On Monday, June 7th, 2010 Lorain County Transit submitted its grant application to the Federal Transit Administration to pay for Phase I of the WestShore Corridor Transportation Project Alternatives Analysis. It's anticipated that the grant funds will be available for award within the next 30-60 days. Since shortly after its establishment in 1996, the Lorain County Community Alliance (LCCA) has been actively involved in seeking to identify and implement cost effective regional transportation investments that will speed travel and improve multi-county access and mobility within the WestShore Corridor. This Transportation Project is centered at the City of Lorain in Lorain County, Ohio and extends west to Sandusky, Ohio in Erie County and east to Cleveland, Ohio in Cuyahoga County. Follow along on FACEBOOK and Twitter and participate in discussion on this exciting project. FACEBOOK at WestShore Commuter Rail Task Force and Twitter at Twitter.com/WCRTF Respectfully Submitted, Virginia Haynes Co-Chair of the WestShore Commuter Rail Task Force (WCRTF) Administrative Coordinator Lorain County Community Alliance 226 Middle Ave. Room 515 Elyria, Ohio 44090 440-328-2362 [email protected] www.lccommunityalliance.com "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
June 14, 201015 yr Is there any reason why every rapid stop and major bus exchange doesn't have some sort of retail attached? I'm sure at least a few people would love to be able to grab basic necessities when they are exiting the bus or train. Nothing fancy, basic things like bottles of water, aspirins, magazines, newspapers. Heck I'd even be OK with coffee drinks and candy bars, since people don't follow the no eating/drinking rule and wait times for the rapid trains can be fairly long. The closest thing I have seen is some temporary coffee kiosk thing at the W 117th rapid station. Wouldn't something like a Hudson News look great wedged into the tubbs-jones transit center?
June 14, 201015 yr Is there any reason why every rapid stop and major bus exchange doesn't have some sort of retail attached? I'm sure at least a few people would love to be able to grab basic necessities when they are exiting the bus or train. Nothing fancy, basic things like bottles of water, aspirins, magazines, newspapers. Heck I'd even be OK with coffee drinks and candy bars, since people don't follow the no eating/drinking rule and wait times for the rapid trains can be fairly long. The closest thing I have seen is some temporary coffee kiosk thing at the W 117th rapid station. Wouldn't something like a Hudson News look great wedged into the tubbs-jones transit center? Especially with CSU right there.... I agree.
June 14, 201015 yr sounds like opportunity knocking...this has the potential for revenue for RTA too...not just the independent vendors
June 15, 201015 yr I'm pretty sure the STJ Transit Center has a small retail space for rent inside the 'terminal' building. However, as of early April, they have not had anyone interested in the space. This info was announced at the April TIAC meeting (Citizens Advisory Board's Transit Improvement Advisory Committee)
June 15, 201015 yr There is also a spot of land next to the West 65th EcoVillage station that RTA has marketed for years but with no takers. But I haven't their advertisement to judge for myself how it was marketed. "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
June 15, 201015 yr Methinks it has more to do with the overall bunkness of the Ecovillage plan. Had they done apartment blocks instead of little houses it might have taken off. And I don't blame potential merchants for taking a wait and see approach to the STJ center, since it isn't clear to anyone exactly how that's going to work. Given its proximity to CSU, and the lack of convenience stores in that vicinity, I'm sure it will find a tenant at some point.
June 15, 201014 yr If RTA rapid stops don't have ridership to support station agents and fare gates, I doubt there's enough traffic flow to support retail. The transit center could be different given its location and accessibility to non riders. I love the last rendering from oallostavros's post- not sure it really depicts RTAs ridership.
June 15, 201014 yr IMO, the lack of solar on the canopy is a damn shame; heightened by the fact that the garage next door utilizes panels on the roof. The people in the comp generated photo appear to be from Sim City, but I do like the provision of casual seating along the foundation wall of the glassy terminal.
June 16, 201014 yr WestShore corridor project to receive grant money Published: Wednesday, June 09, 2010 ELYRIA — The Lorain County Transit turned in a grant application to the Federal Transit Administration to pay for the first phase of the West Shore Commuter Rail Corridor Transportation Project Alternatives Analysis. The funds were earmarked from Congresswoman Betty Sutton and the grant money should be available within the next 30 to 60 days, Commissioner Betty Blair said at Wednesday’s commissioners meeting. The Lorain County commissioners, last year, approved the Alternatives Analysis study, to be compiled during eight months by consultant Parsons Brinckerhoff Inc., of Cleveland. The intent of the study is to identify and compare the costs, benefits and performance of different technologies for providing commuter rail service using existing rail corridors or for enhancing bus services, according to All Aboard Ohio. All Aboard Ohio is a statewide nonprofit organization that promotes improvements to passenger rail and public transportation. READ MORE AT: http://www.morningjournal.com/articles/2010/06/09/news/doc4c0fbb5f95f35523130460.txt "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
June 18, 201014 yr I don't think we have a West Side Transit Center thread yet, so this could go here or in the larger RTA thread: RTA reignites downtown transit center idea By STAN BULLARD 4:30 am, June 14, 2010 New grants and a new strategy have exhumed the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority's long-buried idea for a transit center west of Public Square in downtown Cleveland. ... "Transit centers in other cities serve as parts of multiple-use projects that can include parking garages as well as residential, retail or office space. With such an idea in mind, the Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency recently awarded RTA a $75,000 Transportation for Livable Communities Initiative grant to study potential sites and designs for the center in the Warehouse District. The nonprofit Downtown Cleveland Alliance also contributed $10,000. RTA and the Historic Warehouse District Development Corp. last month formed a committee to select a consultant to perform the study, said Maribeth Feke, RTA director of programming and planning, who also serves on the development corporation's board. She said the study would establish a transit center plan that would spur economic activity on vacant or underutilized parcels in a manner consistent with the neighborhood." http://crainscleveland.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100614/SUB1/306149992/1039/TOC&Profile=1039 Since you need a subscription to read the rest of the article, here's the gist: The idea was proposed in 1998 as part of the Euclid Corridor plan. RTA currently has no money to build the transit center, but federal grants could be a source. Cimperman says that the WHD neighborhood's input is important. Tom Yablonsky, executive director of the HWD and vice president of the DCA, suggests that the project could help with finding financing for a mixed-use project in the current lending environment, and architecturally speaking, address the historic building stock of the neighborhood.
June 18, 201014 yr I'd really like to know more of the logisitical plan behind these transit centers before we spend any more money on them. I mean, we're cutting bus routes left and right, and we never seem to have a dime to investigate any rail expansions. Yet we have grants from all directions to spend on more and more bus infrastructure. Caution, pedestrians... bus is costly... bus... is costly.
June 18, 201014 yr I think this project is so important to the GCRTA system. Espeically if this means consollidating downtown RTA routes off of all four corners of public square and onto an extremely underutilized surface lot west of public square. It would make public square much more desirbable place and open up the door for innovative public square designs.
June 19, 201014 yr I'd really like to know more of the logisitical plan behind these transit centers before we spend any more money on them. I mean, we're cutting bus routes left and right, and we never seem to have a dime to investigate any rail expansions. Yet we have grants from all directions to spend on more and more bus infrastructure. Caution, pedestrians... bus is costly... bus... is costly. Agreed.
June 19, 201014 yr I think this project is so important to the GCRTA system. Espeically if this means consollidating downtown RTA routes off of all four corners of public square and onto an extremely underutilized surface lot west of public square. It would make public square much more desirbable place and open up the door for innovative public square designs. That all sounds great. But how does it mesh with the idea that downtown routes are also being consolidated at STJ transit center near CSU? If we were building one single transit center, I'd say WHD is a great place to put it, because of its relative proximity to the rail nexus at Tower City. Although... Public Square still works better for that purpose because it's directly adjact to the rail nexus, rather than a few blocks away. Public Square can never not be directly adjacent to the city's rail nexus, not until Tower City is torn down. So there's an extent to which it will never totally make sense to divert the bus system from there. It's not like the buses currently go there because they hate greenspace. They go there because it's rational to do so. Maybe this bipolar transit center plan is equally rational, but I'm not seeing it. Can anyone explain how it would work? Not a rhetorical question.
June 22, 201014 yr I'm just curious... why hasn't RTA (or anybody here) mentioned extending a branch from the Red Line Rapid (at West Blvd) west along the N-S railroad to the center of Lakewood, about 3 miles away? This distance is about equal to the Van Aken Blue Line east from Shaker Square (shorter than the Green Line)... Lakewood is the 2nd most densely populated city between Philadelphia and Chicago. Such a Red Line extension would pass within 2.5 blocks from the uber-dense/beautiful Gold Coast. The Detroit corridor along the route is growing with new condos/townhouses, like Rockport (?) just west of W. 117th Street. Downtown Lakewood near Detroit & Warren Rd is also growing as a restaurant/entertainment hub. The N/S (and potential Rapid terminal there) is 1/2 block behind the building line. As the West Shore commuter rail plan is slowly moving forward, it would make great sense to have a combined Rapid/Train transfer terminal/station for RTA commuters (say from Univ. Circle) to go into Lorain county (or Lorain county folks to transfer for an Airport connection, among others). Personally, I'd try and seek Fed money to elevate the railroad and eliminate the Lakewood generations-old fuss about the trains at street level -- which could easily be done because the elevated train ROW, like the Chicago L (and the East Cleveland RR/Red Line) would be invisible behind the Detroit building line. But a cheaper (I know Cleveland loves cheap) surface-level Rapid extension could work, too -- unlike Chicago with live 3rd rails at street level in some limited areas, our trains use centenary, which is safely up and away from track level -- just that a surface route would not quite as efficiently. ... btw, Chicago has a number of L (rapid transit) commuter train transfer/interfaces... probably the closest one that I envision for downtown Lakewood is the Green Line/Union Pacific terminal/station near the Oak Park/Forest Park border west of the Loop.
June 22, 201014 yr Great thoughts, clvlndr. I would have it go all the way through Lakewood to West Clifton, maybe even across to downtown River. I'm sure the fact that it's only one line, with a lot of freight traffic, is an obstacle. Could those be re-routed while a 2-line elevated replacement is built? We'll never know if we don't try... and right now it appears we won't, because RTA's capital project priorities are mostly bus-oriented. Sure we're fixing up some older stations on the existing Rapid network, and even moving one of them, but major functional expansions seem a million years away. I think that timetable could be accelerated a great deal, if we had some vision and desire in play at RTA. As long as our transit agency is philosophically opposed to rail expansions we're guaranteed not to see any.
June 23, 201014 yr Thanks 327. Yeah, I know RTA is a beast that's tough to move... thankfully though the process of rail expansion, though in its infancy, is moving forward. In the pipeline we've got West Shore, 3-C Ohio Hub and the Blue Line -- which even if its extended only 800 feet through the Chagrin-Warr intersection, represents some progress and sets up for future expansion to 1 or 2 points on the SE Outerbelt freeway system. The commonality in all these? Individual groups have moved ahead without RTA with driven, like-minded folks and well executed plans: in this case All Aboard Ohio and the City of Shaker Heights. Even though there was no expansion, Eco-City Cleveland gave a grass roots push to rebuilding the W. 65 Red Line stop when there had been talk of closing the station. As to the Lakewood Red Line expansion: I'd love to go to Clifton Hts and across the river to Rocky River -- but I sense that NIMBY action (a la Berea) would threaten the former, and expense (featuring a Rocky River high-level bridge), the later. That's why, for now at least, I'd be content with getting the Rapid into the core of Lakewood density (downtown), while also serving the high-rise Gold Coast as well as the busy, potential-laden W.117 corridor. The potential cross- pollination of the different rail services is historically what the old-line rapid rail cities like NYC, Chicago, Boston & Philly have done -- you know, back in the good old days when expensive Rapid rail like DC Metro and BART didn't double as lower expense/frequency commuter rail fanning deep into lower density suburban areas... But while the West Shore Line thru Lakewood opens up tons of regional opportunities, its close-in portion in such a busy, dense and growing (at least, building-wise) urbanized core needs to be supplemented by a higher frequency/capacity service that only a rapid transit like the Red Line can provide. Bing maps Birdseye View shows there are behind the building line surface lots in downtown Lakewood that could be built upon – vertically, that is. And with the Red Line brushing past the area as it currently does, this project (to you and me, at least) is the equivalent of transit low-hanging fruit.
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