Greater Cleveland RTA provides update on future public transit projects

During the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority’s (GCRTA) 2024 Media Day event on Dec. 12, agency representatives provided updates on many projects the agency is currently working on, including its Rail Replacement Program, its MetroHealth Line bus rapid transit (BRT) and E. 79th St. Station projects. 

Rail Replacement Program 

Within the next decade, GCRTA aims to replace its railcars that are being used throughout its light-rail system. Most of the cars are 30- to 40-years old and have outlived their expected lifespan. In 2020, GCRTA began looking into designing the news cars and in 2023, named Siemens Mobility the preferred vender for the new cars. The project is expected to cost $393 million. 

The new light-rail vehicles (LRVs) will feature: 

• The first railcars built to RT1-2020 design standards. 
• Ice cutter pantograph on every train. 
• A dedicated heating, ventilation and air conditioning system for the operator cab. 
• A load-leveling system to adjust the floor height. 
• Heated windshield and pantograph. 
• 52 passenger seats, four wheelchair areas and two bicycle racks. 

The first vehicles are scheduled to be delivered by summer 2026. The agency expects revenue service to begin on the Red Line by August 2027 while it is still working on a timeline for revenue service to begin on the Green and Blue lines. Along with the addition of new LRVs, the Red Line platforms will be modified for ADA accessibility. 

MetroHealth Line BRT 

GCRTA’s MetroHealth BRT is part of its plan to make West 25th St. a viable transit corridor. The BRT will span the four-mile corridor from West 25th St. to Superior Avenue and Detroit Avenue, approximately 1.6 miles from downtown Cleveland. The bus lanes for the BRT are going to be shared with bike lanes, as GCRTA hopes the project will bring increased ridership to the area. The agency is at approximately 60 percent of its pre-COVID-19 pandemic ridership. 

“We all know that in Cleveland, it’s just as easy to get in your car and drive as it is to take public transit,” said GCRTA General Manager and CEO India Birdsong-Terry. “We cannot just put the bus out there and expect people to ride it. There has to be a reason for them to ride it. Our reason is to give people quicker, better access around the Cleveland area.” 

The project will cost $50.5 million and is currently at 60 percent in its design stage and GCRTA expects the line to be fully open to the public by fall 2027. 

E. 79th St. Station project 

The agency is also constructing a new station along E. 79th St. to serve as both an entrance to the rail station and bus waiting environment. The original E. 79th St. light-rail station was built in the 1980s and serves the Green and Blue Lines. According to the agency, the station has reached the end of its useful life. 

The goals of the project are as follows: 

• Provide new ADA compliant access to the station’s platforms from both E. 79th St. and Hillside Community Park. 
• Replace the existing platforms with new concrete platforms and construct new waiting areas to provide weather protection. 
• Upgraded security and lighting throughout the station, including cameras and emergency call boxes that will communicate directly with GCRTA Transit Police. 

The project is expected to be completed by September 2026 and the expected cost is $8.3 million. GCRTA received funding for the project through the Federal Transit Administration’s All Stations Accessibility Program. 

Sports playing a factor? 

While the agency is making all of these changes to better ensure public transit use throughout the Greater Cleveland area for decades to come, there is one factor that may alter those plans: sports. 

The NFL’s Cleveland Browns are expected to move out of their current location in downtown Cleveland to an urban suburb known as Brook Park by 2029. According to Terry, the move could impact the impact transit has for the downtown area. 

“There’s a lot of ingredients that need to be added to the soup when it comes to the Browns,” Terry said. “We have let [Browns Owners] Jimmy and Dee Haslam know our thoughts on how the move to Brook Park would impact transit. What we have set up already for transit connections in Brook Park is pretty comparable to what is downtown right now, but the idea is, ‘Is it comfortable? Is it attractive? Is it something that people actually want to do?’”