Red Line (RTA Rapid Transit)

The Red Line (formerly and internally known as Route 66, also known as the Airport–Windermere Line) is a rapid transit line of the RTA Rapid Transit system in Cleveland, Ohio, running from Cleveland Hopkins International Airport northeast to Tower City in downtown Cleveland, then east and northeast to Windermere. 2.6 miles (4.2 km) of track, including two stations (Tri-C–Campus District and East 55th), are shared with the light rail Blue and Green Lines; the stations have high platforms for the Red Line and low platforms for the Blue and Green Lines. The whole Red Line is built next to former freight railroads. It follows former intercity passenger rail as well, using the pre-1930 right-of-way of the New York Central from Brookpark to West 117th, the Nickel Plate from West 98th to West 65th, and the post-1930 NYC right-of-way from West 25th to Windermere. The Red Line uses overhead lines and pantographs to draw power and trains operate using One-man operation.

Red Line
A Red Line train at Hopkins Airport
Overview
Owner	Cleveland Transit System (1955–1975) GCRTA (1975–present)
Locale	Cleveland and East Cleveland, Cuyahoga County, Ohio
Termini	Hopkins International Airport Louis Stokes Station at Windermere
Stations	18[1]
Service
Type	Rapid transit
System	RTA Rapid Transit
Services	Red (66: Airport–Windermere)[2]
Operator(s)	Cleveland Transit System (1955–1975) GCRTA (1975–present)
Rolling stock	60
Daily ridership	26,500 (weekday)
History
Opened	March 15, 1955[3]
Technical
Line length	19 miles (31 km)[4]
Track length	19 miles (31 km)[4]
Number of tracks	2
Track gauge	4 ft 8 ^1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Electrification	Overhead catenary, 600 volts DC[5]
Operating speed	60 miles per hour (97 km/h)
Route map Chicago Line Airport Brookpark Puritas West Park Triskett West 117th–Madison Lake Erie District Chicago Line West Boulevard–Cudell West 65th–Lorain West 25th–Ohio City Cuyahoga Viaduct (Cuyahoga River)  Waterfront  to South Harbor Tower City Lake Erie District Tri-C–Campus District East 55th  Blue   Green  to Shaker Heights East 79th Cleveland Line East 105th–Quincy Cleveland Short Line Subdivision Cedar–University Little Italy–University Circle Euclid–East 120th Cleveland East Cleveland  HealthLine  Superior Cleveland Short Line Subdivision Louis Stokes–Windermere proposed extension Shaw Noble East Cleveland Cleveland London Cleveland Euclid East 193rd Dille East 222nd Babbitt Lake Erie District

History

The corridor along which the Red Line runs had been planned for use since before 1930, when the Cleveland Union Terminal opened. The first short section, between East 34th and East 55th Streets, was in use by the Cleveland Interurban Railroad in 1920, and in 1930 the line between East 34th and the Union Terminal was completed. It was not until March 15, 1955 that the eastern half of the Red Line opened, from the existing line near East 55th northeast next to the New York, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad (Nickel Plate Road) to Windermere. The line from downtown southwest to West 117th Street opened August 15, 1955. This line ran next to the Nickel Plate to the crossing of the New York Central Railroad near West 101st Street, and then next to the New York Central. On November 15, 1958, an extension to West Park opened, and the final section, continuing to Cleveland Hopkins International Airport, opened in 1968, the first airport rail link in North America.

Schedule and headways

A Red Line train at West 117th-Madison station.

The Red Line runs from approximately 3:15 a.m. to 1:45 a.m. daily. Trains run approximately every 10 minutes during rush hours and approximately every 15 during all other times.[2] (Service to Cleveland Hopkins International Airport is provided by # 22 Lorain buses between 1:00 a.m. and 4:00 a.m.)

Rolling stock

Red Line cars at the West Park station in 1968

The Red Line uses a fleet of 60 stainless-steel subway-type cars manufactured by Tokyu Car Corporation and delivered to RTA between 1984 and September 1985.[6] The cars have three sets of doors on each side, one in the center and one at each end adjacent to the operator cab. The cars' exteriors originally had orange and red stripes along the sides, but these stripes were removed when RTA changed to a red, white and blue color scheme. Twenty of the cars are operable in single units, and they are numbered as 181-200. The other 40 cars are operable in pairs, and they are numbered as 301-340.

The current fleet of Red Line cars underwent an in-house rehabilitation under the direction of former director of rail Michael Couse. The cars were overhauled over the course of five years using federal grant money. Cars received pantographs and controllers, along with rebuilt trucks, traction motors, resistor banks, new flame-retardant flooring, LED lighting, new seat frames, revised interior paneling, and additional open space for improved ADA compliance. The first of the rebuilt cars was unveiled to the public on December 10, 2013.[7][8]

The current cars represent the third generation of cars that have been used on the line. The line opened using a fleet of shorter cars manufactured by the St. Louis Car Company in 1954 and 1955. The cars were 48 ¹⁄₂ feet (14.8 m) long with blue and gray exteriors and are often referred to as "Blue Birds." They were virtually identical to the cars built by St. Louis Car at the same time for what is now the MBTA's Blue Line. Twelve cars were operable as single units with cabs at each end, and 56 cars operable as pairs. The single units were numbered as 101–112, and the paired units as 201–256. Additional cars in this fleet were purchased in 1958 when the line was extended to West Park. These comprised six additional single unit cars (numbers 113–118) and 14 additional double unit cars (numbers 257–270).

When the extension to Hopkins Airport was being built in 1967, a fleet of 20 longer cars was purchased to supplement and replace the Blue Birds. These second generation cars, numbered as 151–170, were 72 feet (22 m) long and were built by Pullman-Standard Car Manufacturing Company. The cars, which had a stainless steel exterior with red and white trim and featured interior luggage racks, were promoted as "Airporters." The Airporters supplanted the Blue Birds, except during rush hour when extra cars were needed. In 1970, ten additional Airporters were purchased, numbered as 171–180. With the purchase of the Tokyu cars in 1985, all Airporters and Blue Birds were retired.

Stations

Station[2]	Date opened	Date rebuilt	Location	Connections / notes[1][2]
Airport	November 15, 1968[3]	May 1994[3]	Hopkins	RTA Bus: 22
Brookpark	April 20, 1969[3]	April 10, 2017	Hopkins / Brook Park	RTA Bus: 22, 54, 78, 86
Puritas–West 150th	November 15, 1968[3]	May 17, 2011[3]	Kamm's Corners / Jefferson	RTA Bus: 78 Formerly Puritas
West Park		May 1996[3]	Jefferson	RTA Bus: 22, 49, 75, 83, 86
Triskett		August 15, 2000[3]	Kamm's Corners
West 117th–Madison	August 14, 1955[3]	October 16, 2007[3]	Edgewater / Cudell / Lakewood	RTA Bus: 25, 78
West Boulevard–Cudell		April 1999[3]	Edgewater	RTA Bus: 25, 26, 81 Formerly West 98th–Detroit
West 65th–Lorain		September 21, 2004[3]	Detroit–Shoreway	RTA Bus: 22 Formerly West 65th–Madison
West 25th–Ohio City		September 1992[3]	Ohio City / Tremont	RTA Bus: 22, 45, 51, 51A, 51B, 51C, 79, 79A, 81 Formerly West 25th–Lorain
Tower City	March 15, 1955[3]	December 17, 1990[3]	Downtown	RTA Rapid Transit: Blue Line, Green Line, Waterfront Line, HealthLine RTA Bus: B-Line, C-Line and E-Line Trolleys; 1, 3, 8, 11, 14, 15, 19, 22, 26, 38, 39 / 39F, 45, 51, 51A, 51B, 51C, 53F, 55 A–B–C, 76, 77F, 79A–B, 81, 90F, 246, 251, 263 METRO RTA: X60, X61 PARTA: 100 SARTA: 4 Laketran: 10, 11, 12, 13
Tri-C–Campus District	March 1, 1971	August 18, 2003 September 24, 2018	Central	RTA Rapid Transit: Blue Line, Green Line RTA Bus: 15, 19, 76 Formerly East 34th–Campus
East 55th	March 15, 1955[3]	October 11, 2011[9]	North Broadway	RTA Rapid Transit: Blue Line, Green Line RTA Bus: 16
East 79th		2021 (planned)	Kinsman	RTA Bus: 2
East 105th–Quincy		November 4, 2005[3]	Fairfax	RTA Bus: 10, 11
Cedar–University		August 28, 2014[10]	University Circle	RTA Bus: 7, 8, 32, 48, 48A Formerly University Circle
Little Italy–University Circle	August 11, 2015[11]			RTA Bus: 9 Replaced Euclid–East 120th, which closed on August 11, 2015[11]
Superior	March 15, 1955[3]	September 1996[3]	East Cleveland	RTA Rapid Transit: HealthLine RTA Bus: 3, 40
Louis Stokes–Windermere		June 22, 1997[3]		RTA Rapid Transit: HealthLine RTA Bus: 3, 28, 28A, 30, 37, 41, 41F Formerly Windermere

In popular culture

The Red Line is prominently featured in the final scenes of the film Proximity, starring Rob Lowe and James Coburn. The finale involves a hostage on a Red Line train and a gunfight and chase scene through the Tower City station.

See also

• Northern Ohio Railway Museum

References

1. "RTA Rapid Transit & Connecting Bus Routes - System Map" (PDF). Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority. Retrieved April 12, 2015.
2. "Red Line (Airport–Stokes/Windermere" (PDF). Cleveland, Ohio: Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority. September 8, 2015. Retrieved September 27, 2015.
3. "History of public transit in Greater Cleveland". Cleveland, Ohio: Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority. 2012. Retrieved April 12, 2015.
4. "Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority 2014 Annual Report". Retrieved September 27, 2015.
5. "Catalog of "Common Use" Rail Corridors" (PDF). Office of Research and Development, Federal Railroad Administration, United States Department of Transportation. April 2003. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 16, 2008. Retrieved July 19, 2008.
6. About RTA: History of Public Transit in Greater Cleveland. RTA Website. Retrieved on June 14, 2007.
7. RTA unveils new Red Line cars. RTA Website. Retrieved on 2017-01-22.
8. Grant, Alison (December 10, 2013). "RTA Red Line rail car decked out with new interior". The Plain Dealer. Retrieved January 22, 2017.
9. "New E. 55th Rapid Station official grand opening". Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (via Archive.org). October 7, 2011. Archived from the original on January 3, 2012. Retrieved April 12, 2015.
10. "Aug. 28: RTA plans ribbon-cutting ceremony at Cedar-University Station". Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority. August 18, 2014. Retrieved April 12, 2015.
11. Little Italy - University Circle / Euclid - E 120 Station. RTA Website. Retrieved on August 13, 2015.

External links

• U.S. Urban Rail Transit Lines Opened From 1980 (PDF)
• nycsubway.org - Cleveland, Ohio
• Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority - Maps and Schedules
• Jon Bell - Cleveland, Ohio: Red Line