Riding the rails in Cleveland

[Spartan]

Another great thing about Cleveland is a very comprehensive network of rail-based rapid transit and modern, new BRT lines. I'm personally not a big fan of the BRT, but it has been integral to the impressive transformation of the Euclid Avenue Corridor which has seen over $4 billion of reinvestment in the last five years including 4,500 new residential infill units.

I thought I'd do a diverse photo set of Cleveland life that is sewn together as a series of destinations along the Rapid system.


Starting in Shaker Heights, one of the nation's best remaining example of a historic streetcar suburb.


Modern TOD in the Shaker Towne Center


Stairs going down to the LRT, with condos in the background

Shaker Heights City Hall

LRT at Lee and Van Aken Boulevard

Lee Road in Shaker Heights

Flats East Bank TOD along the Waterfront Line

Taking the Rapid to the Browns game!




Inside the Tower City terminal, where the Red, Blue, Green, Waterfront, and Health lines converge

Healthline BRT route

Downtown trollies



Triskett station in the inner ring suburb of Lakewood - my neighborhood Rapid stop

W. 25th - Ohio City Rapid station


The incredible Westside Market in Ohio City

Public Square, where all the city bus routes converge

Healthline stop in Playhouse Square

Healthline stop at E. 4th



Sayonara University Circle Rapid stop

To be replaced with this $17.5 million station on Mayfield Road in Little Italy




Cedar Road's morning backup underneath the University Circle station

University Circle peaking through the foliage


Healthline along Euclid Avenue in University Circle






Euclid Avenue in University Circle.. phase 1 of the Uptown UARC development

Phase 2 is breaking ground in January

Red Line coming into tower City




Flats West Bank redevelopment on the other side of the Detroit-Superior bridge


Waterfront Line in the Flats

Lolly the Trolley!


Healthline night lights in Playhouse Square


W. 117 and Madison Rapid station

Walking out of Tower City

Healthline whips around Public Square to start its journey from in front of Tower City all the way down Euclid

[catch22]

I was living in Cleveland for about a month earlier this year. Rode the train from the airport hotel to Tower City-center quite often. I miss Cleveland, might go up there sometime this spring to relive some memories

Thanks for posting this.

[Just the facts]

Good stuff Spartan.

[Spartan]

I was living in Cleveland for about a month earlier this year. Rode the train from the airport hotel to Tower City-center quite often. I miss Cleveland, might go up there sometime this spring to relive some memories

Thanks for posting this.

Cool, you whizzed past Lakewood several times then, where I reside. Red Line service has really improved as they released new schedules last month, with 15 minute headways most of the day and trains every 7 minutes during the rush hours, all the way from the airport to University Circle.

Being back in OKC for the holidays, it just feels weird to drive to downtown and not take a train or bus... And then to successfully find free parking downtown!?! Ah OKC...

[CaptDave]

Oh come one Spartan - we all know that even though the development patterns around rail based transit have been repeated every time in every city is has been built that it will not do the same in Oklahoma City. We're special like that........

(Nice photos though, thanks for sharing them.)

[Spartan]

TOD is the rallying cry of Cleveland. Every big time leader knows about TOD. What's more is that the Cleveland metro has 0% growth - the only way for us to create lasting value in new development is working along with transit. Cleveland ranks among the top cities for transit use by the non-poor - so transit connectivity matters.

Tower City, in my opinion, is the most impressive TOD in the nation. And here are some stats on the Healthline BRT system:
RTA Healthline - Euclid Corridor Transportation Project