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That's a tad bit better. At least it's clear and looks somewhat professionally made.  I would hope RTA would post similar, even larger signs, in the TC portico at both enterances into the mall. I wouldn't just wait until unsuspecting passengers are all the way to the big escalator down. If one's in a hurry he/she could miss it, or, learn of the change when they're already heading down to the wrong station.

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That's a tad bit better. At least it's clear and looks somewhat professionally made.  I would hope RTA would post similar, even larger signs, in the TC portico at both enterances into the mall. I wouldn't just wait until unsuspecting passengers are all the way to the big escalator down. If one's in a hurry he/she could miss it, or, learn of the change when they're already heading down to the wrong station.

 

I'd be curious though if Tower City management has restricted RTA in any way about placement of signage at certain locations. I don't know. But not everything is always RTA's fault (although they don't do themselves any favors in preventing us from jumping to that conclusion).

Have the August service cuts taken place yet? When are they planned?

 

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Have the August service cuts taken place yet? When are they planned?

 

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Sunday, August 7 IIRC.

That's a tad bit better. At least it's clear and looks somewhat professionally made.  I would hope RTA would post similar, even larger signs, in the TC portico at both enterances into the mall. I wouldn't just wait until unsuspecting passengers are all the way to the big escalator down. If one's in a hurry he/she could miss it, or, learn of the change when they're already heading down to the wrong station.

 

I'd be curious though if Tower City management has restricted RTA in any way about placement of signage at certain locations. I don't know. But not everything is always RTA's fault (although they don't do themselves any favors in preventing us from jumping to that conclusion).

 

If Tower City is in any way impeding RTA, we've got real problems in this town.  A rapid transit station/terminal has existed decades before Tower City mall came into existence, and certainly eons before Dan Gilbert came on the scene.  RTA has a public easement to its trains and Gilbert/TC shouldn't have any say in the placement of directional signs in the building so long as they are no distasteful and harm TC business... and the sign I see in the photo certainly doesn't fall within that range.

That's a tad bit better. At least it's clear and looks somewhat professionally made.  I would hope RTA would post similar, even larger signs, in the TC portico at both enterances into the mall. I wouldn't just wait until unsuspecting passengers are all the way to the big escalator down. If one's in a hurry he/she could miss it, or, learn of the change when they're already heading down to the wrong station.

 

I'd be curious though if Tower City management has restricted RTA in any way about placement of signage at certain locations. I don't know. But not everything is always RTA's fault (although they don't do themselves any favors in preventing us from jumping to that conclusion).

 

If Tower City is in any way impeding RTA, we've got real problems in this town.  A rapid transit station/terminal has existed decades before Tower City mall came into existence, and certainly eons before Dan Gilbert came on the scene.  RTA has a public easement to its trains and Gilbert/TC shouldn't have any say in the placement of directional signs in the building so long as they are no distasteful and harm TC business... and the sign I see in the photo certainly doesn't fall within that range.

 

I only bring it up because I know there have been issues with Forest City regarding this issue before. Hopefully in the Gilbert era we can more fully embrace Tower City as a rapid transit station, and finally add some damn signage outside to indicate it as such!

^I understand your point; I just wanted to note that it's an unfortunate tug-of-war between transit and private interests that seems to play out all to often in Cleveland when, really, the 2 should compliment one another.

I met a guy from Brook Park who is an avid Indians fan who drives downtown and pays up to $40 to park.  Brook Park? Drives/pays top dollar?? When I asked him why not the Rapid, he says he's had too many bad experiences with crime and problems, including his last trip of watching guys roll and smoke weed in front of his young son.  He now says: never again for the Rapid. Where is security?  Lately I've seen them neither on trains or at stations... Is it because they're all hanging around Tower City?  Stories like this sadden me.

I met a guy from Brook Park who is an avid Indians fan who drives downtown and pays up to $40 to park.  Brook Park? Drives/pays top dollar?? When I asked him why not the Rapid, he says he's had too many bad experiences with crime and problems, including his last trip of watching guys roll and smoke weed in front of his young son.  He now says: never again for the Rapid. Where is security?  Lately I've seen them neither on trains or at stations... Is it because they're all hanging around Tower City?  Stories like this sadden me.

 

That is a shame; the worst I have had to deal with on the Red Line is youths playing their stereos/headphones too loud.  I do hope this is the exception and not the norm, though I can't say that I use the rapid every day either... mostly just to get between downtown and the airport 3 or 4 times a month.

I met a guy from Brook Park who is an avid Indians fan who drives downtown and pays up to $40 to park.  Brook Park? Drives/pays top dollar?? When I asked him why not the Rapid, he says he's had too many bad experiences with crime and problems, including his last trip of watching guys roll and smoke weed in front of his young son.  He now says: never again for the Rapid. Where is security?  Lately I've seen them neither on trains or at stations... Is it because they're all hanging around Tower City?  Stories like this sadden me.

If they are not hanging around at TC, then they are harassing railfans taking photos. That was what happened to me at Windermere shortly after the new facility opened.

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If they are not hanging around at TC, then they are harassing railfans taking photos. That was what happened to me at Windermere shortly after the new facility opened.

 

That was a long time ago!

"In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck

^^ I never have seen or have experienced any harassment and didn't windermere open in like '97? That's almost 20 years ago. I also think playing music too loud is an overblown complaint. Especially for a system that serves an urban/city environment. Issues that like come, it isn't a frequent thing. Try taking the subway in larger cities you surely will have those experiences more frequently maybe worse.

... I also think playing music too loud is an overblown complaint. Especially for a system that serves an urban/city environment. Issues that like come, it isn't a frequent thing. Try taking the subway in larger cities you surely will have those experiences more frequently maybe worse.

 

It's most definitely a frequent thing. I'd say 75% of the time that I'm on the HealthLine or Red Line, someone is blasting music. And yes, it's not unique to Cleveland by any means, but it's still extremely annoying (except for the guy who was playing Motown music on my bus yesterday, it was only slightly annoying then). My biggest frustration is when it is happening in close proximity to the bus/train operator and they say nothing about it. I just can't fathom how someone thinks that doing that is socially acceptable

... I also think playing music too loud is an overblown complaint. Especially for a system that serves an urban/city environment. Issues that like come, it isn't a frequent thing. Try taking the subway in larger cities you surely will have those experiences more frequently maybe worse.

 

It's most definitely a frequent thing. I'd say 75% of the time that I'm on the HealthLine or Red Line, someone is blasting music. And yes, it's not unique to Cleveland by any means, but it's still extremely annoying (except for the guy who was playing Motown music on my bus yesterday, it was only slightly annoying then). My biggest frustration is when it is happening in close proximity to the bus/train operator and they say nothing about it. I just can't fathom how someone thinks that doing that is socially acceptable

I guess different experiences for different folks. I usually never experience it on the trains or HL when I ride. In regards to the operators, with the experiences that they have experienced with violence from passengers they may not want to speak up and risk a passenger attacking them. I've also seen operators speak up and the passengers not listen to them. Sometimes you can't force some one to do anything and they may not see the risk in pushing the issue as worth it.

 

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I experience riders playing music without headphones a lot. If police randomly rode the trains or the train operator would make an announcement when someone violates the rules, I'm sure it would be less common.

"In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck

If they are not hanging around at TC, then they are harassing railfans taking photos. That was what happened to me at Windermere shortly after the new facility opened.

 

That was a long time ago!

Yes, it was. It still happens, but infrequently. Not only was this newly minted police officer in the wrong, but also the Duty Sargent working that day as well, despite the fact that I was quoting to them RTA policy.(I was on RTA's Citizens Advisory Committee at the time) The following Monday I called Chief John Joyce and he agreed with me that I was in the right. I was told later that both were "on the carpet" in the chief's office.

It's pretty crazy that people in wheelchairs or with strollers can't get on or off at the main transit stop downtown (westbound) for 3 months thanks to the seemingly permanently out of service elevator.

It's pretty crazy that people in wheelchairs or with strollers can't get on or off at the main transit stop downtown (westbound) for 3 months thanks to the seemingly permanently out of service elevator.

 

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Will they ever fix the air at the Windermere station? That heat had been blasting year round for a long time now. It's like death during summer months.

 

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Spotted Transit at the E.105th and Quincy stop for those asking where they were or if they have a presence. I guess they still do.

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You can also see RTA police giving tickets to cars for being in the bus lanes on Clifton during rush hour.

I've noticed more and more trains being wrapped with advertising from other companies. Is that a new thing to help with cost here and there?

 

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I've noticed more and more trains being wrapped with advertising from other companies. Is that a new thing to help with cost here and there?

 

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It's new here, but other cities have been doing it for over a decade.  As a rider, I don't particularly like them because the synthetic they plaster over the windows makes it harder for passengers to see out-- you notice it's not on the driver's window, and that's for a reason.

Transferring from the Green Line to the Red heading to Ohio City the other day from the new/old/temporary station in Tower City made me realize how easy this temp system is compared to transferring in the old one, where you seemingly walk for ever and then have to go through fare barriers.  It made me muse on something I thought a long time ago: how much easier and better TC would have been for riders had RTA built a 4-track, through station with the Blue/Green LRT using the outer 2 tracks and the Red Line HRT using the inner 2.  This would allow for simple cross-platform transferring between our 2 rail systems as well as allowing trains to freely access their platforms without having trains waiting in line to move through TC with the current 2-through tracks, and 2 stubs serving opposite-end platforms.

 

The design problem would have been for the Tower City mall, itself, for rather than having their graceful North-to-South long escalators accessing the station from the Public Sq level, 2 East-to-West would have been built to accommodate the 2 platforms.  So it's likely that TC's design interests trumped RTA's... so what else is new.

Don't (nearly) all trains pass through Tower City now that the Waterfront Line is on a regular schedule again?

 

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Don't (nearly) all trains pass through Tower City now that the Waterfront Line is on a regular schedule again?

 

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Now they do, but that won't necessarily be the case when the cuts take effect. But the fact they do just makes the regular arrangement less efficient than if there was a 4-track TC station... Anyway this is just my musing because, obviously, such a reconfiguration isn't likely to ever happen...

 

Now using the auxiliary station for some future service like a converted HL to LRT?....

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Furthermore, a four track station would become irrelevant if RTA acquires a standardized rail car fleet.

"In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck

^Meaning RTA could just close the current light rail half of TC station and consolidate everything into the exiting Red Line half? That would be great. Would mean standardizing fare collection and allowing free, same-platform rail transfers, which would also be big improvements. As we've discussed before, it would also open up some new route possibilities, like Warrensville/Van Aken to the Airport, which would be pretty awesome.

Furthermore, a four track station would become irrelevant if RTA acquires a standardized rail car fleet.

 

True re the transferring part. RTA will still have the headache of the one-at-a-time issue through TC regardless of the train types.

Any news about service outage on east side red line today?

Any news about service outage on east side red line today?

 

Another one!?  These rail line outages/shutdowns are happening nearly once a week.  It's getting ridiculous.

Furthermore, a four track station would become irrelevant if RTA acquires a standardized rail car fleet.

 

I know it's years in the future, but I worry RTA will acquire these dual-mode cars on the cheap with a beggars-can't-be-choosy mentality.  The current Red Line cars, though getting old and somewhat creaky in places (and whose doors 'explode' open), are still the best rail cars I've ever experienced in my long career of Cleveland transit riding (and they rate among the best of all rapid transit cars I've ridden throughout the country and abroad).  The Red Line Tokyu cars are attractive design-wise both from the outside and within (love the silver-steel rapid transit look of the car bodies), spacious, possess fast, quality propulsion and braking systems and provide a smooth, "big car" ride.  I truly hope RTA doesn't replace these with narrow, cramped streetcar-ish LRTs. 

 

Those SF Muni dual-height platform cars you showed earlier are exactly what don't want for the Red Line: ugly/boxy, narrow, tight-seating that probably deliver a bumpy streetcar-ish ride -- the type, not unlike the current Blue/Green cars that jostle riders when they run over switches -- the same switches that you often barely feel on Red Line's current Tokyus.

 

Just my thoughts.

...The current Red Line cars, though getting old and somewhat creaky in places (and whose doors 'explode' open), are still the best rail cars I've ever experienced in my long career of Cleveland transit riding (and they rate among the best of all rapid transit cars I've ridden throughout the country and abroad).  The Red Line Tokyu cars are attractive design-wise both from the outside and within (love the silver-steel rapid transit look of the car bodies), spacious, possess fast, quality propulsion and braking systems and provide a smooth, "big car" ride...

 

I disagree with that. Speaking strictly from the experience of a rider on those cars, I don't think they provide a comfortable or smooth ride at all. My biggest gripe with them is how they significantly sway back and forth when moving. Does anyone know why that is? I haven't been on a transit system anywhere that has cars that do that. I have a family member who can't ride the Red Line without getting feelings of nauseousness. And it's not the fault of the cars themselves, but the seats are arranged in such a way that makes it uncomfortable to sit for anyone who is just a little bit on the taller side. I, for one, will be glad to see those cars go. (But I do agree that I hope we don't end up with a crappy product because of needing to go with the lowest bidder, like how we got stuck with the Bredas)

More than my concern for RTA purchasing sub-par railcars is my concern RTA has no funds to make such a big capital-intense purchase, and the system deteriorates and deteriorates. Especially considering the newest rounds of sales tax revenue loss. 

...The current Red Line cars, though getting old and somewhat creaky in places (and whose doors 'explode' open), are still the best rail cars I've ever experienced in my long career of Cleveland transit riding (and they rate among the best of all rapid transit cars I've ridden throughout the country and abroad).  The Red Line Tokyu cars are attractive design-wise both from the outside and within (lov

 

I disagree with that. Speaking strictly from the experience of a rider on those cars, I don't think they provide a comfortable or smooth ride at all. My biggest gripe with them is how they significantly sway back and forth when moving. Does anyone know why that is? I haven't been on a transit system anywhere that has cars that do that. I have a family member who can't ride the Red Line without getting feelings of nauseousness. And it's not the fault of the cars themselves, but the seats are arranged in such a way that makes it uncomfortable to sit for anyone who is just a little bit on the taller side. I, for one, will be glad to see those cars go. (But I do agree that I hope we don't end up with a crappy product because of needing to go with the lowest bidder, like how we got stuck with the Bredas)

 

 

 

^

 

I know what you're talking about, but think what you're expressing goes more to the age of the Tokyu cars and poor maintenance.  But that's not always the case.  Heading out to the airport on the Red Line a few days ago, the ride was a smooth as silk as well as being fast (seems like the Slow Zones are thankfully slowly disappearing) and not jerky at all either on acceleration or braking... KJP mentioned some time ago that RTA purchased a year or so ago a state-of-the-art lathe to smooth out those train-wheel flat spots IIRC... They seem to have made a difference on all RTA's rail cars.  But I stand by my comments about the quality of the Tokyus.

 

Yeah, I don't want dual mode for a single car. Siemiens looks cheap A three car, all 48feet  cars. The end cars will be high platform with 4 set of doors and middle car will be low floor with 4 set of doors with old cleveland Peter Witt door configuration

Yeah, I don't want dual mode for a single car. Siemiens looks cheap A three car, all 48feet  cars. The end cars will be high platform with 4 set of doors and middle car will be low floor with 4 set of doors with old cleveland Peter Witt door configuration

It seems that you are not well informed about this subject. I have rode transit in cities in the US, Canada and Germany, plus a little foray into France. Your assertion that Siemens (note spelling) "looks cheap" has no basis in operational reality. I have rode Siemens built cars in Pittsburgh, St. Louis, Norfolk and Sacramento, along with cities in Germany like Cologne, Bonn (folding step dual platform height cars on the former KBE), Karlsruhe, including the dual voltage tram-train cars and Frankfurt.  If these cars were "cheap" like you claim, then why is it that Siemens is so successful in the business? As for your car design idea, just explain to everyone how this type of design would look like and work, especially for a wheelchair bound passenger boarding at a low platform station and getting off at a high platform station. Furthermore, designing in-car steps to access floors of differing height increases risk of passenger injuries. For example, look at the floor modifications made to the Cleveland Railway 1200 series cars, both examples are seen at the Northern Ohio Railway Museum.

 

^^ I never have seen or have experienced any harassment and didn't windermere open in like '97? That's almost 20 years ago. I also think playing music too loud is an overblown complaint. Especially for a system that serves an urban/city environment. Issues that like come, it isn't a frequent thing. Try taking the subway in larger cities you surely will have those experiences more frequently maybe worse.

 

 

errrr...ummm..regarding your 100% accurate maybe worse comment...yeahhh. and this is just from a glance at today's local newspaper lol!

 

http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/subway-rider-smokes-crack-naked-no-3-train-article-1.2746618

 

i dk who is worse there, is it cracky or the exploiters? its all sad as it gets.

Plenty of junkies and derelicts ride and sleep on public transportation in New York and Chicago -- but this is a rare extreme. Usually it doesn't get worse than some guy masturbating

Yeah, I don't want dual mode for a single car. Siemiens looks cheap A three car, all 48feet  cars. The end cars will be high platform with 4 set of doors and middle car will be low floor with 4 set of doors with old cleveland Peter Witt door configuration

It seems that you are not well informed about this subject. I have rode transit in cities in the US, Canada and Germany, plus a little foray into France. Your assertion that Siemens (note spelling) "looks cheap" has no basis in operational reality. I have rode Siemens built cars in Pittsburgh, St. Louis, Norfolk and Sacramento, along with cities in Germany like Cologne, Bonn (folding step dual platform height cars on the former KBE), Karlsruhe, including the dual voltage tram-train cars and Frankfurt.  If these cars were "cheap" like you claim, then why is it that Siemens is so successful in the business? As for your car design idea, just explain to everyone how this type of design would look like and work, especially for a wheelchair bound passenger boarding at a low platform station and getting off at a high platform station. Furthermore, designing in-car steps to access floors of differing height increases risk of passenger injuries. For example, look at the floor modifications made to the Cleveland Railway 1200 series cars, both examples are seen at the Northern Ohio Railway Museum.

 

 

My concerns were not about any perceived lack of quality of Siemens or any other railcar maker, but were more geared to replacing RTA's current quality heavy railcars with smaller, narrower LRTs delivering more cramped and inferior ride capability.  I also did not care for the boxy design of San Francisco's MUNI cars.  I hope that's not what RTA will go for when they replace the current fleet with dual-mode cars.

It's not the quality, it's the durability, narrowness of European railcars that are not built to North American standards( New York,Chicago, PCC). They tend to last very little. St. Louis, Pittsburg,Sacramento don't have a dual system like we do. As for wheelchair accessibilities a simple lift in the middle car will suffice. They have them on the Boston Breda Cars. I like my railcars to look like railcars not trolleys. If you go the LRT route expect a new procurement in 25- 30 years instead of a heavy stainless railcar that will last another 45-55 years

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You're going to be disappointed. Given the light-density traffic of Cleveland's rail system, it doesn't justify a high-capacity car like the current Tokyu heavy rail cars. Even the Red Line carries fewer weekday riders than many light-rail systems. Each Shaker line carries fewer passengers than the HealthLine. So you may wish you had a heavy-rail system. But you barely have enough ridership for a light-rail fleet on the Red Line.

 

BTW, light-rail doesn't describe the rail car. It describes the extent of infrastructure. Cleveland's light-rail Breda cars are actually heavier than the heavy-rail Tokyu cars. So the labels were throwing around to describe (and even deride) what may be GCRTA's next rail fleet aren't accurate (most times, broad-based labels aren't accurate). The next fleet will likely be standardized in that they can use all rail lines and stations interchangeably. In that regard, they would be similar to Pittsburgh's LRV fleet which serves high-level subway station platforms (including the North Shore stations where large crowds board and disembark for Steelers and Pirate games) and low-level platforms where boardings are light.

"In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck

Question: Since the quality of the Tokyu cars have been pretty good, would it be out of the question to go back to them or is their use of EMU cars over DMU (from what I've seen) cause for them to not be considered?

 

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Question: Since the quality of the Tokyu cars have been pretty good, would it be out of the question to go back to them or is their use of EMU cars over DMU (from what I've seen) cause for them to not be considered?

 

 

Not sure I understand. What DMU cars? RTA isn't considering them because they have no non-electrified routes.

 

The Tokyu cars are more durable because their carbodies are stainless steel and their floors are steel, not wood like the Breda cars. The Tokyu cars also don't cross streets at grade so they don't get any road salt in their undercarriages and wheel bogies.

 

So the durability of the Tokyu cars means that GCRTA could split the 45-car order roughly in half to spread the cost across two four-year federal formula capital periods. The feds award state-of-good-repair and other capital funds to urban transit systems based on a formula of population stats, transit ridership and other demographic factors that don't favor shrinking cities like Greater Cleveland. Those formula funds can be taken one project or one year at a time, or if there is a big capital expense (like buying a new fleet of railcars), the transit agency can get its entire capital allocation it would normally get over four years for a single expenditure. GCRTA could probably get the federal government to pay about half of the $280 million cost of a 45-car standardized fleet (RTA would like pay the remainder unless it somehow gets the state to kick in some meaninful funds). Even so, if RTA takes that $140 million from its next, entire four-year federal capital funding allocation, GCRTA will be unable to afford any other capital improvements in that period. GCRTA should probably spread that rail fleet purchase over two four-year periods, with the Tokyu fleet replaced last.

"In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck

The next order should be for dual modes. You don't know when the region would expand so today weekdays ridership would be different then the ones 30 years from now. Look at the NYC Subway, in the late 70s and early 80s no one wanted to ride the subway and the city population was at 4 million. It's 2016 and ridership is at all time high with a city population of 8.7 million and nearing 9 million at the end of the decade. We don't know what new industry will boom here in the region that will increase our population and the need of rail transportation. That's why cynicism here in town is why business don't want to move here and why the Browns left. That's why we are a joke until recently. I'm hopeful that the region would be better and be great

RTA should start laying tracks starting now on Euclid if they order DMU/EMU. Kill two birds with one stone. Showcase it as P

You're going to be disappointed. Given the light-density traffic of Cleveland's rail system, it doesn't justify a high-capacity car like the current Tokyu heavy rail cars. Even the Red Line carries fewer weekday riders than many light-rail systems. Each Shaker line carries fewer passengers than the HealthLine. So you may wish you had a heavy-rail system. But you barely have enough ridership for a light-rail fleet on the Red Line.

 

BTW, light-rail doesn't describe the rail car. It describes the extent of infrastructure. Cleveland's light-rail Breda cars are actually heavier than the heavy-rail Tokyu cars. So the labels were throwing around to describe (and even deride) what may be GCRTA's next rail fleet aren't accurate (most times, broad-based labels aren't accurate). The next fleet will likely be standardized in that they can use all rail lines and stations interchangeably. In that regard, they would be similar to Pittsburgh's LRV fleet which serves high-level subway station platforms (including the North Shore stations where large crowds board and disembark for Steelers and Pirate games) and low-level platforms where boardings are light.

 

Yes, the drumbeat continues: less and/or downgraded rail.  Pols starve rail and transit, generally, while continuing to feed the rubber-tired beast so, as usual, we rail riders must lower our expectations.

 

I'm surprised the Breda cars are heavier than the Tokyus.  You'd never know from riding them -- the LRVs have a considerably bouncier, jerkier ride.  Some of it may be due because on the LRV's, you're really riding in a half a rail car connected by the accordion section.  I've been on Pittsburgh's rail cars and am not overly impressed.  They seem like typical, narrow LRVs. Probably the biggest-car ride/feeling I recall on an LRV are those in Baltimore.  I just hate the ugly-blocky look of those Balto railcars.

 

But hey, LRVs on the Red Line is better than no rail.  At least that's the Hobson's Choice transit riders are constantly stuck with in Cleveland.

 

 

Question: Since the quality of the Tokyu cars have been pretty good, would it be out of the question to go back to them or is their use of EMU cars over DMU (from what I've seen) cause for them to not be considered?

 

 

Not sure I understand. What DMU cars? RTA isn't considering them because they have no non-electrified routes.

 

The Tokyu cars are more durable because their carbodies are stainless steel and their floors are steel, not wood like the Breda cars. The Tokyu cars also don't cross streets at grade so they don't get any road salt in their undercarriages and wheel bogies.

 

So the durability of the Tokyu cars means that GCRTA could split the 45-car order roughly in half to spread the cost across two four-year federal formula capital periods. The feds award state-of-good-repair and other capital funds to urban transit systems based on a formula of population stats, transit ridership and other demographic factors that don't favor shrinking cities like Greater Cleveland. Those formula funds can be taken one project or one year at a time, or if there is a big capital expense (like buying a new fleet of railcars), the transit agency can get its entire capital allocation it would normally get over four years for a single expenditure. GCRTA could probably get the federal government to pay about half of the $280 million cost of a 45-car standardized fleet (RTA would like pay the remainder unless it somehow gets the state to kick in some meaninful funds). Even so, if RTA takes that $140 million from its next, entire four-year federal capital funding allocation, GCRTA will be unable to afford any other capital improvements in that period. GCRTA should probably spread that rail fleet purchase over two four-year periods, with the Tokyu fleet replaced last.

 

I solely mentioned DMU because I see it mentioned so frequently on the board that I assumed that was the direction RTA was going.

 

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