Red Line (Cleveland)
The RTA Red Line (also RTA Route 66, popularly known as Red Line Rapid) ( German after their detection Color: Red Line, line 66, Red -speed rail ) is a standard gauge, electrically operated high-speed rail in Cleveland, Ohio. It was opened in 1955, is 19.2 miles ( 30.7 kilometers ) long and has 18 stations. Owned and operated by the regional public transport company Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (RTA ).
The Red Line is the only passenger rail of the city, the ( heavy rail ) is built according to the parameters of a high-speed railway, so it can be classified as "real" subway. The train runs almost entirely along conventional railway lines and is designed for a high transport capacity, it has never reached.
- 7.1 Literature
- 7.2 External links
- 7.3 Notes and references
Course
The Red Line starts at the Louis Stokes Station at Windermere in East Cleveland, about 9.7 km as the crow northeast of the city center and 2 km outside the city limits of Cleveland. The train station is next to the Nickel Plate Line of Norfolk Southern ( NS) of Buffalo, which runs here in northeast-southwest direction.
Both rail lines initially run several kilometers parallel to each other towards the city center. About 4.5 km south-east of the station East 55th, flows from the east, the Shaker Heights Rapid Transit Line, which is traversed by the Blue and Green Lines. At the same time the roadbed expands greatly; the northern half takes the freight station yard of Norfolk Southern 55th Street, which opened in 1984, the southern half RTA main workshop ( Central Rail Facility). Both routes now a swing to the northwest and pass through in their further course, the largely degraded, eastern track ahead of the former inner-city central train station in Tower City Center.
While the Nickel Plate Line unthreads here to the southwest and crosses the Cuyahoga, the Red Line stops at Tower City Center, located on the southern edge of the city center on the right bank. The station Tower City - Public Square is located in deep level below the sprawling office complex next to the former passenger station. Immediately behind it threaded to the north of the Waterfront Line the Blue and Green Lines. The Red Line swings back to the southwest and crosses on a long and high viaduct now also the Cuyahoga.
Behind the station West 25th Ohio City, the Nickel Plate Line is again reached, has taken a shortcut across the river in comparison to the high-speed railway. Both trails are now further west to pass under the Chicago Line of Norfolk Southern. Behind the station West Boulevard Cudell at the height of West 102nd Street There, the Red Line again turns to the southwest and follows the Chicago Line up to the level of the suburb Brook Park. There she leaves the roadbed and discharges into a tunnel leading towards a piece of the west to the underground airport station Airport just outside the terminal building. This station is located approximately 15.5 km as the crow south-west of Tower City Center.
Appearance
The track is laid completely above ground except for the short tunnel at the airport and the railway station at Tower City Center. The route runs there - like many suburban trains in European metropolitan areas - on a separate pair of tracks along said railway lines. The route is continuous double track, electrified by overhead line and virtually created completely free of intersections. The stations are relatively equally far apart. The gauge is oriented with a width of 3.15 m to conventional railways.
Many of the stations are located at crossing points of the railway lines with major urban road transport routes. The access is via the road bridge or is - in subways - next to the side. Similarly, there is access via the building next to the track with connected persons underpass. All stations have high platforms and daytime staffed.
Up to the airport train station and West 25th Ohio City all stations are equipped on the western Streckenast with park-and- ride facilities. On the eastern Streckenast have only the two outermost stations, Windermere and Superior, about such systems. Parking is created shortly after the opening, as in the suburbs, a strong trend apparent to take the car to the station.
The stations were originally quite simply equipped. The platforms had a simple structure and were planked with wood panels. The station buildings were very small, the canopies were simple structures made of steel profiles and corrugated iron or similar. Since the 1990s, the stations will be gradually discontinued and built much more generous, high quality and disabled again. The work is currently being completed (2009) in about half of the stations.
Between the mouth of the Shaker Heights Rapid Transit Line at the East 55th station and the branch of the Waterfront Line behind the Tower City, the Red Line runs along with the Blue and Green Lines in mixed mode. Because these two other lines are built according to tram standards that have three stations on this section high and low platform sections.
The Red Line was designed from the outset to high transport services. The platforms were 90 meters long trains. As these capacities are no longer required today, platforms have been reduced accordingly. Some of the newly built stations are a bit oversized, given the volume of traffic.
Formation
The history of the Red Line goes back to the real estate and railroad empire of the brothers Van Sweringen. They had developed a large real estate project in Shaker Heights east of Cleveland and the area with an interurban tram, the Shaker Heights Rapid Transit Line, connected to the city center. Their great success encouraged the Van Sweringens to plan another such line, this time along the railway line, the Nickel Plate Road and today's Nickel Plate Line of Norfolk Southern. The route should be doing about the new Central Station Cleveland Union Terminal (CUT ) into the Tower City. Construction began in 1928 on the eastern stretch, but the collapse of the Van Sweringen Empire during the Great Depression made the work come to a standstill.
The plans were only resumed in 1942 under the Municipal Transport Company Cleveland Transit System (CTS ). The construction work for the Downtown Rapid Transit Line began in 1952, and on 15 March 1955, the first section of Windermere to Tower City - Public Square was opened. The section to West 117th -Madison followed on 14 August of the same year, West Park was reached on 15 November 1958. The route for the high-speed railway acquired the CTS from the Nickel Plate, the entrance to Tower City, together with the over 1 km long viaduct over the Cuyahoga from the Cleveland Union Terminal Railroad. The project was financed by a loan of $ 29,500,000 from federal funds the Reconstruction Finance Corporation ( RFC).
Ten years later, on November 15, 1968, the 18 million dollar extension went to the airport in operation. This Cleveland was the first city in the United States with direct high-speed rail link to the airport. Again, there was support from the federal government, but this time in the form of grants.
Expansion plans
Over time, numerous plans for network expansion came on. In 1953 the construction of a subway line was decided by the city, but in 1959 this decision was reversed. More plans from the 1960s, routes to Cleveland Heights in the east, Maple Heights to the southeast and to build Bay Village in the West, failed to financial barriers.
The current plans of RTAs provide for the modernization of other stations in the coming years. Some of the stations on the eastern route section also should be doing far laid a piece. Thus they should move closer to the building and get a better bus links.
In 1997, the RTA decided to extend by 5.6 km and a station to the southwest to the suburb of Berea. To this end, the route to be changed within the airport. The Red Line will operate on an elevated railway and the existing Metro Station will be closed in the future will. However, the project seems to have receded into the distance.
Operation
Rolling stock
So far, came on the Red Line three different types of vehicles used. The Bluebirds, the Airporters and now exclusively used Tokyu cars.
The vehicles initially acquired technically built on the PCC cars and were supplied by St. Louis Car. The 46.5 feet ( 14.18 m) long four-axle offered about 40 seats and were called because of their blue paint " Bluebirds ". 1955 68 cars of this type were first obtained; for the extension to West Park in 1958 were added for a further 20 vehicles. The maximum design speed was 55 mph (88 km / h). From the total of 18 solo and 35 two-car trains with up to six cars in length were formed initially.
For the extension to the airport, however, no more Bluebirds were procured, but 30 pieces of a completely new type of vehicle. The 30 solo railcars from Pullman Standard were with 21,34 m significantly longer and have been specially tailored to the new purpose - they got inside large luggage racks, air conditioning and were called " Airporters " ( " airport car" ) markets. The body was made of stainless steel and had a beveled front glass fiber reinforced plastic. With the Airporters trains with a length of one to four cars were formed.
Both of these types have been due to their high maintenance costs replaced in 1985 by a total of 60 vehicles of the same Japanese manufacturer Tokyu Car. The solo railcars are 23.11 m long, have three pocket sliding doors on each side and turn air conditioning. My car body is made of stainless steel and is not painted. The design speed is 60 mph (96 km / h). The cars are considered very reliable.
Driving
The trains on the Red Line consist normally of two Tokyu cars. The operation time is from 4:30 bis 1:00 clock on the west, and from 3:00 bis 0:00 clock clock on the eastern Streckenast. This is due to the different work habits of the inhabitants of each city district. The journey between Windermere and Tower City is 20 minutes between Tower City and the Airport 26 minutes.
The cycle time is during rush hour at 15 minutes in the evenings and on the weekends at 20 minutes. Operate during rush hours between Brook Park and Tower City four additional trains per hour in each direction. The offer was, however, significantly thinned in recent decades as a result of strongly declining ridership. 1970 reversed the trains still all 6-8 minutes and at rush hour every 4 minutes.
Tickets can only be purchased at counters in the stations. Evening and on weekends, when most stations are unoccupied, and instead they Controlled entry. The previously existing turnstiles at the stations were dismantled in anticipation of a new payment system based on smart cards.
The Red Line carried around 5.9 million passengers in 2008. This represents only a fraction of the original values , because the train was from the beginning the trend for the automobile and the suburbanization felt. Ridership went to a high of 18.3 million 1959/60 further and further behind, separated by a short stabilization during the oil crisis. The low point marked the year 1993 with just over 4 million passengers. Since then, a slow increase has been seen again.
Reviews
Experts criticize the Red Line a total of only " a fraction of their potential " ausschöpfe. While state and operation range are considerably better than in comparable U.S. cities, but is the result so far "disappointing".
Especially cause the trains unnecessarily slow, although permitted vehicles, routing and also the wide station spacing higher speeds without any problems. Since the introduction of the electronic command, the speed limit of 55 mph would be held (88 km / h), thus increasing the travel time would be extended by one-third.
Similarly, it is striking that the ridership on the eastern stretch by a third subject is lower than on the western. This is attributed to the lack of park-and- ride facilities, and an unfavorable compared to the position of the inner city route. Also the east of the city will shunned because of its higher crime rate.
Above all, the development of the city and several other important objectives ride was not right enough. The Red Line have with Tower City - Public Square is only one station in the city center, but would also only at their southern border. Numerous attractions outside, as in the University Circle station were, indeed served by shuttle buses, their timetables are coordinated but poorly to the high-speed railway.
Another problem lay in the fact that the vehicles of the Red Line are designed for high-level platforms. This increases the construction cost and make the operation inflexible because all sections should be broken down and without crossing any streets could be traveled. This would be in contrast to Shaker Heights line so that two incompatible types of vehicles and platform heights existed and the trains could not cross over to the other track.