u/Different-Truck134

If the RTA was to expand in only one way, this is how I think they should expand. A new "Orange Line" from tower city out to Lakewood and Rocky River. This line to me would end up being the busiest line with the highest ridership of any line if done. It would capitalize on the already established high density of Lakewood and the start of Rocky River. The line would use the already established ROW land.

With the new train cars coming in, you could also make the Orange Line just a continuation of the Blue Line. This would give the east side more access to the west side and the west side more access to the east side. Rocky river to Shaker Heights without transferring.

The headways would need to be 20 - 15 minutes with times closer to 10 minutes for peak hours.

I thought that the station I put on the map made sense in some capacity but if you think there are better places for stops comment down below.

Comment yours thoughts! The good, the bad and the ugly!

https://youtu.be/rdLOlV-o9BM?si=7cDTDPEhsWnXjYYM

Give this video a watch and let me know your thoughts, even if you just skip through it. I will say, I like the direction that they are trying to go here.

https://youtu.be/3nqfsG3HCGk?si=kIMvXxz0_36LWzQR

Cleveland and the RTA have the potential to be a highly successful transit system. It will take investment, but this is my take on how the RTA should improve our train system in a very possible and efficient way. The map does not hit all the areas I want it to hit but that is the thing... this is what I think it attainable.

Let's break it down. 

Current lines:  

Red line:  

The red line is currently being renovated for the new train cars and could use a small extension. I propose a one, maybe two, stop extension of the red line. Stop 1 - Shaw. Stop 2 - Either Noble or Ivanhoe. I struggle to see the ROI on extending the line past these two stops. This increases the RTA presence in East Cleveland and helps this area become more connected to the city.  

Green line:  

The Green line will continue to serve its usual route but with the addition of a downtown loop. It would continue to serve Tower City first, followed by the loop. The loop of the green line would be one direction listed below.  

Blue Line:  

The blue line now goes from Van Aken to the Airport. The blue line has more apartments and density than the green line and people who would benefit from a direct link to the airport / maybe do not have a car. With the new train cars being able to go onto the red line, the blue line can now add a direct link to Ohio City and the west side from this part of the East side.  

Waterfront:  

The waterfront line will always struggle with ridership for as long as there are little housing and businesses. The waterfront line is only open during events at The Browns Stadium (Huntington Bank field) and should continue that way. My proposal for a downtown loop would have the Orange line and Green line feed the Settlers Station and the Flats East Bank Station which people and businesses live around. This would take over the two most underutilized stations in the flats that should have a constant train.  

 

New Lines:  

Orange Line:  

The Orange line should have happened yesterday. The orange line would break off from the red line at the Cudell station. It would use existing ROW and cut through the heart of Lakewood and Rocky River. This area would capture HUGE density. The stops it can be debated, but I suggest these:  

W 117th, Cove, Bunts, Cook, Ethel, W Clifton, Linda, and Wager.  

A direct link to downtown for sporting events and work would be incredible for this part of Cleveland. This would also connect the West side to Ohio City, UH, The Cleveland Clinic, Museums, and CWRU like never before. This is a no brainer RTA extension in my opinion and would be huge for everyone but especially young professionals who are debating on calling Cleveland home. The Orange line would also have a new downtown loop for it. I will detail that below.  

Purple / Health line:  

The new Healthline / Purple line is not as bold as people may think. Euclid Rd is going to need repaired in the next 5-10 years. When it does, it should be converted into light rail instead of the bus. Busses would STILL be able to drive over the tracks. The current bus station platforms would not need to be changed as the new train cars would work. The BIG change is at Stearns / MLK. The new train would turn right off Euclid and go towards Cedar rd using the grass between MLK and Stearns. The line would go up Cedar Road hill, onto Euclid Heights BLVD and end at Coventry. These are my suggested new stops:  

Cedar - University Station, Cedar rd / Euclid heights BLVD, Edgehill, Coventry.  

These new stops would capture one of the most dense areas in the state. It would also make living in this part of Cleveland Heights very desirable. Having a train to take you to your job at UH, Cleveland Clinic, and downtown would be huge for young professionals.  

This would get rid of part of the current Healthline BRT route, but that can be made up by changing other bus routes to serve that small gap.  

New Downtown Loop:  

The new downtown loop would be done using the Green Line and the new Orange Line. The Green line goes in one direction and back out east while the Orange line serves the other direction before heading back out to the west side. This would require a new tunnel from Tower city up onto Huron, but the rest of the loop would be above ground on the road and serve two existing stations.  

Green line loop:  

Tower City, Settlers, Flats East Bank, Lakeside/ W 3^(rd), Lakeside/ E 9^(th), Superior, Huron / Prospect, and then back into tower city before heading to the east side.  

Orange Line Loop:  

Tower City, Huron/ Prospect, Superior, Lakeside/ E 9^(th), Lakeside/ W 3^(rd), Flats East Bank, Settlers and then back into Tower City before heading to the West side.  

All of this would make The Cleveland Clinic, Ohio City, The Airport, University Hospitals, Cleveland State, CWRU, The Museums and more, all connected via rail. Not to mention this would benefit all of the city to the new brown's stadium in Brook Park.  

 

Another note: Tower city should get renovated / updated to be the center of transit for the region. Amtrack should move BACK to its former home at Tower City. This would make it possible to travel the country and get to various parts of the city without a car.  

 

Is all of this a lot and bold? YES! But it is also very logical and attainable to make the city of Cleveland more connected by capturing density using the new RTA light rail trains! I saw the other post on here and I also like their ideas!