This is America's Weirdest Metro System (feat. Classy Whale)

[@WilliamThorsson-zg4yy]

I live in Cleveland and I love the Red Line. I love that it has the same schedule all day, every day. I know a train leaves Tower City westbound at 12 after the hour, so I know every day it leaves in that direction at 12/27/42/57 after the hour. Some stuff could be better, but for a city of our size I'm really satisfied.

[@Rattlesnake153]

Same here. Being originally from Houston and living in Cleveland, it's really nice to have the system. It is especially useful getting to the airport. It's nice that I only have to pay $2.50 to get to the airport vs. Uber or parking the car.

[@jayo_z]

The next time you are in NY you need to take the LIRR to Ronkonkoma and count the number of times they say Ronkonkoma. I feel like this would be quality content.

[@MilesinTransit]

Bing...........bong. This is the train to...Ronkonkoma.

[@AverytheCubanAmerican]

@@MilesinTransit The next station is...rOnKoNkOmA Although I love the C3s for the views, I prefer the M7s and M9s for the announcements and outlets. The downside to riding the C3s on the Montauk Branch is the automated announcements RARELY work!

[@coastaku1954]

I did that ride back in 2013 when I went to NYC for my 12th birthday, and holy shit was it a long, tedius train. I'm used to commuter train journeys being like 30mins tops, this wasn't, and the train was PACKED

[@ryanwilliams9892]

"Its like the skokie swift grew up" is such a good roast

[@johnepants]

I should also point out that most of the population in NE Ohio lives outside of Cleveland, and the terminus of the Red Line on either end obviously doesn’t help ridership. If the Red Line was extended into Strongsville on the WestSide, there would have been more ridership from that area of Cuyahoga County (the park and ride by the Turnpike was always packed pre-Covid). Same for the eastern terminus. It should have extended into Euclid so that folks that live in Western Lake County would find it more feasible than driving. The population is in the metro area, but the Red Line is stuck in the main part of the region that is shrinking

[@SpaceBearEngineer]

That is largely due to the suburbs themselves. Whenever an initiative to extend transit starts the elected officials from the suburbs at both the local and state level reject it or fail to fund it, often because it would allow "other people" to easily get to the suburbs. Atlanta has a similar problem with MARTA. The lasting impact of segregation.

[@zythr9999]

Exactly. If you recall their used to be "combiner" bus routes where one could take one bus route from one side to the other without having to get off downtown to transfer to another bus. One east west combiner route bypassed downtown all together, I believe the only original combiner route left is the #41

[@99ferns]

the rust belt cities ought to have a comeback, this line is a great asset to cleveland and could really succeed as the backbone to a frequent bus network

[@QuarioQuario54321]

Not even a new system. Line hasn’t been expanded since the 60s.

[@busandrail]

Hi fern

[@mirzaahmed6589]

They won't. Nobody wants to live in a cold, grey, post-industrial wasteland.

[@99ferns]

@@busandrail elevators escalators and more

[@busandrail]

@@99ferns yup that’s me

[@troybellamy4615]

The red line was actually built on the row of the CUT line that linked all four railroads into the unified Cleveland Union Terminal (Present Day Tower City) hence the reason Tower City terminal is so big is it is actually the former Train Station! Cleveland Union Terminal was owned by the New York Central Railroad and when the line was closed the locomotives were moved to the NYC Hudson line where they finished their days running between Grand Central Terminal and Harmon NY! What's interesting about the Red Line is that entire line parallels the Euclid ave BRT and you can compare the two in a single round trip! The red line actually does have decent ridership during rush hours and most times there are automated announcements! Turnstiles are also used at Tower City Station!

[@zythr9999]

Those were the good old days of Downtown Cleveland. I recall seeing the trains pass through Terminal tower while waiting for the rapid.

[@chubaozor]

As a student in Cleveland, the Red Line was my first real introduction to public transit. The train never really gets filled but there are very noticable peaks from commuters and local high school and middle school students. From a college student perspective it has 2 stops on campus, one on the south side and another on the north, which makes it very convenient when traveling to and from the airport. It also goes to the Ohio City area, which contains many good resturants and other activities including West Side Market, which is arguably the most accesibble quality grocery source from campus. Tower City used to also have a theater but that was closed following Covid.

[@zythr9999]

It must have changed a lot, then. I recall during rush hour the red line trains, especially coming from the west side, would be packed, with many people standing; even though they ran more often during that time.

[@asdaneedsfunds]

No water fountain test? Unsubbed, dislike.

[@brayand8022]

NVM just realized he said feel free to unsub and dislike. My bad, my fault

[@_cyan4657]

it's indeed the weirdest metro system, but it's my weirdest metro system, and growing up riding the same red line for years and I can confirm, there's a lot of different bits about our RTA that makes itself such an oddball to others, thanks for the visit though, you guys are always gonna be welcome back around Ohio anytime! Except probably winter, don't come during the winter, more often than not it's chaotic around there lol

[@MilesinTransit]

I gotta come back for the Blue and Green Lines sometime!

[@SupremeLeaderKimJong-un]

Going during the one time when most of the system is closed...only in Cleveland! No water fountain test? Miles, I’m shaking and crying. How dare you betray your loyal community like this? I thought I could trust you! My disappointment is immeasurable, and my day is ruined. That aside, I can confirm that Pyongyang doesn’t have a light rail representing to be heavy rail. We have three tram lines and two Metro lines and the trams don’t go underground and the Metro doesn’t go above ground (as it’s the deepest in the world). Because we’re a transit city that makes sense. Like us or not, at least highway infrastructure doesn’t plague rail.

[@teddygudelski6814]

Thank you Kim

[@DanTheCaptain]

Miles in Transit Pyongyang Edition LET’S GOOOOOOO

[@moraimon]

金正恩は草

[@DuluthTW]

I completely concur regarding the lack of water-fountain review. I hope this abomination is not repeated.

[@feedtheflameforfacts]

I'm from Cleveland and grew up riding the Rapid to the airport, downtown, the Flats, the lakefront, etc. I always loved it when the trains crossed the river and you got to see the view of the city. I also totally forgot about how cool the airport station is. What a delightful video this was - I learned so much about my hometown and this brought back some memories! Thank you!

[@MilesinTransit]

Thank you so much!

[@cmbakerxx]

RTA plans to replace the rolling stock on all lines with the same high floor light rail cars. Both train fleets are about 40 years old and have serious reliability and maintenance issues. Tower City was built as Clevelands "union" terminal when it was constructed in the 1920s and was originally much bigger than it is now. Many of the original platforms were converted to parking. The tunnel portion on the track is on the side of the Cuyahoga river valley and runs below the street and buildings that make up the Tower City development, so it not really a subway for long but does run below streets into the station. Unfortunately RTA is poorly funded and service as you noticed is quite poor. That combined with plenty of highways and parking in downtown means low ridership on what could be a decent system. which leads to less investment ... ☹

[@zythr9999]

That blame rests on the previous RTA GM who really messed up what they were trying to do.

[@3wbasie]

Tower city was a huge revitalization project in the 90s and it was basically a big mall which has almost entirely folded. With little reason to head downtown the building died and downtown went through a real rough patch. The fact that there even is transit is a miracle

[@zythr9999]

That blame is on the former former mayor,

[@killianmcgrath219]

If you want to see packed traincars, time your visit during a home Browns game, Guardians opening day, or St. Patrick's Day. Cleveland's current population is about a 1/3rd of what it was at its peak when it was the 6th largest city in the US. As a result, a lot of the infrastructure is built to accommodate a much larger population. Presently, there is hardly a rush hour for commuters. You can cross the entire metropolitan area easily within 20-30min on the highway in a car. When driving/parking is inconvenient, such as during a big event downtown, people are more likely to utilize the rail system. Until there is more congestion during rush hour and less easily accessible parking downtown, I imagine daily ridership will remain low.

[@chrispartin2904]

I live 3 hours away and go to a few baseball games per year. Its very nice to park for free miles away from the bs and take the train. Stress free.

[@zythr9999]

Laketran has launched a sports bus to take fans downtown for Browns home games, similar to what GCRTA used to do.

[@thetrainmon]

Nonexistent or garbled train stop announcements. Long stops due to "traffic ahead" when you KNOW there hasn't been a train in over 15 minutes. Random slow zones. Sounds like the current state of the MBTA version of the Red Line!

[@MilesinTransit]

I...uh...okay, yeah, you're so right

[@qjtvaddict]

Why? What is the point of the slow zones

[@CarlGerhardt1]

@@qjtvaddict So the bureaucrats in charge can finish their coffee break.

[@Blank00]

They have ordered a bunch of Siemens S200 LRVs to replace existing Red Line trains. They might also use S200s to replace the Breda LRVs

[@CoachHoffmanOL]

The Siemens stock will replace all three lines eventually. Red Line first and I think the Blue & Green by 2030.

[@williamerazo3921]

@@CoachHoffmanOL they got the full funding so 2026 all the line will be replace

[@duploman0003]

So it’ll change from heavy rail to light rail?

[@svenmanning]

​@@duploman0003seem like that's the case

[@bernielanger5679]

Cleveland's infrastructure was built in anticipation that it would grow to TWICE the size it now is. Trains, roads, sewers, etc. If you want to move there, they have room for you.

[@cmbakerxx]

Actually it was built for a population that existed in Cleveland in 1950s that was almost 3 times the current population.

[@williamerazo3921]

Albert Porter screw us over. He decline the loop Subway for freeways and wanted the interstates to built to go to the suburbs and exurbs. Basically our Robert Moses

[@williamerazo3921]

Super cheap

[@bodazephyr6629]

Housing must be affordable

[@anamarvelo]

@@bodazephyr6629 it is, i pay 600 a month for a decent two bedrooms

[@realIncognitoTGT]

4:02 Some parts of DC metro that parallels the NE Corridor and CSX lines

[@WatchSparkkTV]

Shuttle buses have become to normal thing here in Cleveland. Our rail cars are soooo old. I'm 40 yrs old and these rails cars have been here my entire life. Sometimes they even have a burning smell in them. RTA claims they are working to get new rail cars but it has yet to be seen. I've read they are looking at Siemens cars and want to get one car that can do both Light & Heavy rail. But it would make RTA extend Red Line platforms and change some of the tracks. I personally feel the future of the rail in Cleveland is shuttle buses. And the Waterfront Line has been closed for 3+ years now and has been the talk of being discontinued for years. It was a giant waste of money because the only time people ride it is during browns season. As a kid I went to the opening in 1996 and the rail cars that were wrapped in the history of people livery. But the flats started going downhill shortly after and Spaghetti Warehouse closed and just it all became abandoned. They're trying to bring the flats back to life now and have a lot down there again but now the bridge is collapsing (REAL reason why Waterfront Line is suspended). And it's funny there has been no work done on it in these 3 years. Ridership on that line is dead and RTA isn't in a hurry to bring that line back.

[@himbourbanist]

I am so fascinated and weirdly in love with these weird "heavy rail" trains. They look so strange with their pantograph and their stainless steel shells. I am not at all surprised that they're getting replaced with newer LRVs. Cleveland has a pretty cool little transit network it just needs to actually run more trains and use the Blue line instead of just let it sit there unused. It's another classic case of a Rust Belt city with "great bones" that just needs some key reworking to get it on the "revitalization" train. I believe there's also some activism surrounding getting Amtrak to stop in Tower City Station instead of that weird siding on the lakefront. I think it could bring some more action to the rest of the transit system in that way. Tower City is a cool idea that's just fumbled execution for decades.

[@digitalbuzz]

I grew up near the Skokie Swift and I lived in Cleveland for 20 years. Your video on the Silver line in DC brought me here (I now work in NOVA.) You guys brought my life in full circle.

[@benjaminwagner8141]

I know the red line well. Anytime i go to Cleveland, i park at puritas and ride in. Its great for sporting events and saves on parking

[@zythr9999]

LOL, don't know if they still do it, but it was funny seeing some families riding downtown to an event and the parents/grandparents pointing out to the children/grandchildren the sights, especially the Cuyahoga river when the train would cross the bridge before heading to Tower City. (like they've never seen a river before)

[@MTobias]

The red line needs more service and more TOD. Cleveland has potential!

[@williamerazo3921]

That’s what we trying to do out here. Infill stations as well

[@tonywalters7298]

Instead we spend 110 million dollars on the opportunity corridor

[@tkynerd]

In the early 1990s, when I was living in DC and was a budding transit fan, I got the idea to write to the US transit agencies that had heavy rail systems and ask them to send me some maps and info. (There was no Web yet.) There was one agency that sent me...bus maps and schedules. And it was the RTA.

[@JacksonBetz]

8:04 glad to see SEPTA Track Juice is not a unique phenomenon lol

[@johnepants]

The west side of the redline could definitely get busy during events downtown as people will use the park and ride stops to avoid going downtown, and Tower City has an internal walkway that drops you off inside Rocket Mortgage Field House Next Door to Progressive Field. If anything, I think the Blue and Green Line are redundant because they only serve Shaker Heights.

[@tommyw.7850]

To be fair, Nov 5th was the weekend, and the rapid has a lot more commuters during the week, that's probably why there''s so few people.

[@MilesinTransit]

Even on weekdays, the ridership numbers are pretty darn low for a metro line!

[@trainman1971]

@@MilesinTransit They've never really recovered since COVID. I was in Cleveland in November 2020, and downtown Cleveland was practically deserted.... on a mid-week midday! I rode most of the Red and Green Lines that trip, and ridership was abysmal. It wasn't much better on a trip there in July 2021, when I rode the entire system. And now all that remains is for me to tackle the Waterfront line when that reopens after the bridge replacement.

[@tpajay]

@@MilesinTransit Not sure how many times you've traveled the line, but we've been on it many times where the cars between CLE & downtown get nearly full. Also, those empty parking lots are because a lot of people were still working remote due to COVID (a lot still are in 2024). With high rise condos/apartments under construction in places like Ohio City & Van Aken District, it should mean more commuters in the coming years.

[@berserkr1979]

When I go to Cleveland for concerts I stay at the LaQuinta off of West 150th because it's across the parking lot from the Puritas Rapid stop. I can leave my car at the hotel and ride the Rapid and not have to mess with paying $10-$20 for parking close to the venue. I generally get the day pass (was $5 last time I was there) and I get my money's worth out of it. The only caveat is if the concert runs late enough (or it's at the Agora which is around East 55th and Euclid) and I miss the last Red Line train back to Puritas (used to be 12:44 AM from Tower City) I would have to take the 22 Lorain bus to West Park and then walk back to the hotel from there, which is like a half hour walk. I've done that a few times when I've been in Chicago and stayed in the Rosemont/Schiller Park area so it's not a deal breaker for me.

[@fluffskunk]

The "very industrial" Brookpark stop is a still active Ford engine plant.

[@SeanA099]

Actually just rode it over the weekend. Just between Airport and Tower City

[@lydiakelly6958]

3:29 the side and front signs on the Red Line trains USED to work up until like 15-20 years ago (the current Red Line rolling stock is 40 years old)

[@AverytheCubanAmerican]

Ah, Cleveland. Whose river caught fire at least fourteen times, did a balloon world record that clogged waterways and ended a coast guard search for missing fishermen because of said balloons, and heavy rail and light rail uses the same tracks! A pedestrian-level crossing at a heavy rail stop is definitely not something you’re used to saying. But hey, at least they have heavy rail! It could be worse though, ✨at least they’re not Detroit✨! I agree, the airport station is definitely pretty cool! I mean they didn’t have to create a mini-runway with old aircraft on the walls but the fact they did is a touch that I appreciate. It unleashed my inner kid because it reminds me of the airport playmat I used to sit on and play with Matchbox planes. It truly is the small things that count. Not to mention, extra point for it being the first! As for 3:58, you can most definitely do this on the PATH on the section between Newark Penn and Journal Square! And I know you can on holy PATCO too! Also, wild Cuban flag at 9:05 in the background...a surprise to be sure, but a welcome one. I approve.

[@MilesinTransit]

The wall art at the Airport station was so freaking cool!

[@williamerazo3921]

It’s history because the nasa Glen Center right on the grounds that friend works at and the old national air races of the 20s and 30s plus it was the first municipal airport in the US

[@adnamamedia]

3:30 no no, you don't get it. they're literally displaying a *red line* to tell you it's the red line

[@MilesinTransit]

That's so SILLY!

[@hyun-shik7327]

Oh thank you for reminding me my city has a metro. I’m not sure I wanted to be reminded.

[@mattsmocs3281]

So RTA is made of the old Cleveland terminal railroad association/ NYC plus a few other roads which used the Cleveland electric district.

[@mattsmocs3281]

Also, if they are gonna get rid of the heavy cars. I want to buy em all for.. reasons 👀 dollar a piece for a new commuter railroad

[@williamerazo3921]

@@mattsmocs3281 go ahead and ask them. I believe 3 will go into preservation and the rest scrap yards when they will standardize the fleets and have one car fleet to hand low floor and high floor like Buffalo and San Francisco. We are trying to get both those cities to get involved that way to reduce economy of scale cost for all 3 systems

[@RailBuffRob]

You mentioned the MBTA Blue Line, the majority of that line is third rail. It used to be entirely third rail but along the ocean the third rail kept rusting too fast so they switch to overhead power at Maverick station.

[@MilesinTransit]

I'm pretty sure it's always had the power switch, as far as I can tell? If anything it used to be entirely overhead, since it began as a trolley.

[@williamerazo3921]

Before the 2010s refurbishment of the redline cars the seats were brown vinyl puff seats and orange interior.

[@feedtheflameforfacts]

Native Clevelander who grew up riding the RTA when I was younger before we eventually moved and WOW, core memory unlocked right there.

[@rayizard5687]

5:54 Tower City Station is not underground. Most of downtown Cleveland sits atop a bluff whereas the base of Tower City was built at river level against the side of the bluff so its main entrance is up on top of the bluff

[@MilesinTransit]

Ahh, gotcha! That's super interesting.

[@erik_griswold]

The “L” line (Gold), soon to be the “A” Line (Blue), in eastern Los Angeles, run alongside a BNSF operated freight line.

[@MilesinTransit]

True, although I'd describe those as light rail!

[@Parborway]

4:01 There are 10 American metros where you can do 'this'. New York Subway; L & N Washington Metro; several Chicago L; several MBTA; Orange & Red BART; several PATH MARTA PATCO Baltimore RTA + Miami, depending on how broad you want your definition of 'this' to be.

[@iannarita9816]

Watch a class I railroad from a moving train?

[@tiffanytc89]

You can totally race freight trains (well, they don't race, but they share tracks) in the Twin Cities on the Northstar Commuter Rail (I don't think you rode it when you were in town, at least for the video). It also means we have to switch boarding/disembarking platforms depending on which rails the freight trains are on. And freight trains barrel right past people waiting on the platform. It's pretty crazy, but it's the only way they could get the line approved.

[@constanttraveler]

The passenger train serving Dublin, Ireland is operated by Irish Rail (Iarnród Éireann) and is known as the DART (Dublin Area Rapid Transit) and Commuter services. I rode it in June and it was slow going. It has pantographs that uselessly watch the diesel trains roll on underneath. Supposedly the authorities lost their will to switch to electric.

[@jecarlin]

LOL shout out to the Skokie Swift! I don't think they call it that anymore now that there are intermediate stops. It's no longer swift.

[@MrProzaq]

The South Shore Line from South Bend, Indiana to downtown Chicago, IL and the Metra Electric line in Chicago both run on overhead electric wires, too.

[@zachperkins688]

Honestly the Red Line isn't that bad when you consider so many US cities don't have any rail infrastructure. If they started building transit oriented development at every West Side stop, it would be used so much more. I think they're also finally talking about opening up a new station at Fulton Road in Ohio City, which would be great given how that area is becoming a popular neighborhood. But at the moment, the only areas worth going to on the train from Downtown are Ohio City and Little Italy/University Circle. The good news is that the RTA owns huge parking lots at like every station which makes it easier for potential redevelopment. The W. 117th, West Blvd, and W. 65th stations are already right next to popular neighborhoods, there's no reason why developing these more wouldn't succeed.

[@zythr9999]

West Park

[@AverytheCubanAmerican]

*Fun times in Cleveland again! Still Cleveland! Come on down to Cleveland-town everyone! Under construction since 1868! See our river that catches on fire! It's so polluted that all our fish have AIDS! We see the sun almost three times a year! This guy has at least two DUIs! Flats look like a Scooby-Doo ghost town! Don't slow down in east Cleveland or you'll die!* The famous sights of Cleveland, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, the bridge without a streetcar...and the river that caught on fire. When Cleveland was founded in 1796, it was part of the Connecticut Western Reserve, the time Connecticut was a long boi/Diet Chile. Connecticut relinquished most of this Western Reserve in 1786 for the Northwest Territory, but they laid claim to what is now northeastern Ohio until 1800. An alternate timeline where Cleveland was still Connecticut and had better transit would've been based. And if you're wondering who Louis Stokes is, he was the first Black congressman elected in Ohio. He represented Ohio's 21st and 11th districts from January 1969 to January 1999. He passed in 2015 at the age of 90 due to both lung and brain cancer.

[@edwardmiessner6502]

That would be something else! Imagine more miles of subway than there are IOTL subway, light rail, and BRT. Then miles of trams on top of that. It would probably trigger Hartford to build their own subway/metro system.

[@FGH9G]

Fun fact: That Cleveland tourism video guy made a THIRD Cleveland tourism video! That's right! a *THIRD* one released very recently in 2019, much more optimistic and positive this time haha

[@davidroddini1512]

This whole video and this comment collectively sums up Cleveland Ohio.

[@aeotsuka]

The massive size of the Cleveland Terminal Tower-Public Sq station at about 6:00 is a testament to how the place was originally built. The Rapid (Red/Blue/Green/Waterfront) are the only passenger rail left of what was once the MASSIVE Cleveland Union Terminal station (which you note in the text on screen), but was roughly two dozen tracks and hosted all manner of intercity and commuter trains in addition to the Rapids. CT Tower controlled the switches on the east end of the station right as you exited the "tunnel" to enter the station and at one point it was the busiest interlocking in America. Normally RTA uses three tracks, an Eastbound and Westbound track and a single stub track where Blue/Green trains not going to the Waterfront get short-turned -- as you note, but Blue/Green use the outer tracks too when they continue to the Waterfront. They also left the original track infrastructure from the previous design of the station intact behind a bulkhead wall and revert to it during construction outages in the station. (Fun fact: The site of the Higbees Department Store from "A Christmas Story" was in the building above you when you pulled into that station...it became a Dillards in the early 1990s and is now completely gone). My grandparents lived along the Blue Line when I was a kid and I'd often ride into Terminal Tower-Public Sq...and had no idea of the history of the place or the intensity of what used to run there until I did a bit more research as an adult. If the USA is going to make a transit oriented comeback or a housing affordability comeback, places like Cleveland are going to have to play a role. And neighborhoods and ridership along the RTA lines will have to play a role.

[@wavesnbikes]

So what you're saying is the infrastructure is there to "cut-in" the Capitol and the Lake Shore Limited back into CUT when DeWine funds it?

[@aeotsuka]

@@wavesnbikes You'd have to reinstall several miles of mainline railroad track from scratch on either end of the terminal, build a new interlocking or two, and possibly have to either single track or find some sort of separation system vs. the Eastbound Waterfront Line connection track (constructed in the mid-1990s long after mainline rail service ended), but for the most part, the track bays are still there. As I recall, Lakefront Station was built because there was not enough intercity rail traffic to justify all that track in/out of CUT once it came down to levels we see today. And even back in the glory days, the 20th Century Limited zoomed past in the middle of the night rather than meandering off the mainline into the terminal...

[@MilesinTransit]

Thanks for the additional info!

[@aeotsuka]

@@MilesinTransit thanks! One clarification. The tracks from the old design behind a bulkhead are specifically the previous Rapid station, not the full two-dozen track physical plant for mainline commuter and intercity rail. But I was surprised to hear they still had the old CTS (Cleveland Transit System) platform to revert to when they were doing work on the main station a few years back...

[@Oden-Heinrich]

It's like the EL in Chicago except not elevated they just gave up on the train, city, everything, lol. Cleveland always makes me laugh

[@marka5478]

The GCRTA is considered by even local advocates to be managed by a bunch of of fools. The staff acts like they are in hermetically sealed capsules and won't take public input on projects. They even let their Community Advisory Committee peter out without any explanation.

[@zythr9999]

That blame lies on the former GM. The guy before him made a lot of good changes, such as the "combiner routes" the circulators and Off Peak Pass.

[@ztl2505]

Man there are some full-on Acela/NER stations that have worse amenities than these random Cleveland metro stops

[@fenderbender4294]

I'm so excited to see a glimpse into the cleveland transit system. I'm a big cleveland fan and I love it even more knowing they have a (n albeit sparse) train system!

[@adithyaramachandran7427]

This is the kind of heavy rail fast growing cities like Houston & Raleigh should have. Instead it's all the way up in Cleveland...Feel sorry for the RTA, they had a good vision, but the government's lack of investment in a diverse job base screwed Cleveland. But, it does look like the region is poised to grow once again. As Florida & Louisiana goes underwater and the southwest along with Northern Mexico runs out of water (Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, Colorado, and the Mexican states of Sonora and Chihuahua), you are going to have companies moving north to keep their manufacturing lines running. A lot of automotive plants in Mexico are within 100 miles of the US border. Which means that geographically, they will face the same stress as the southwest when it comes to lack of fresh water.

[@henryefry]

Legally a subway

[@JacksonBetz]

4:45 those are some PCC-lookin-ass-doors on those light rail cars!!!

[@JacksonBetz]

specifically, those gnarly European PCCs ;)

[@trainluvr]

This low budget PATCO's original rolling stock was unique and I've never heard it compared to the East Boston Line. The doors and seats were different, for starters. And it is heavier rail than St. Louis or most lines in LA.

[@trainman1971]

Low budget PATCO!!! I'm DYING!!!! 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@KronoGarrett]

@@trainman1971 They were a less lame color back when the designers didn't have a dislike of warm colors...

[@1kCam05]

What u mean patco is high budget red line cause it’s older

[@celestewilliams5681]

I grew up in Cleveland, and Brook park (2nd to last) was my closest station. I took the train a lot, now there’s a nice station there, but for most of my life there was only a really shitty temporary station with a 1/10 elevator, and a level crossing to platform, next to the abandoned green brick previous station. Shame you didn’t do station tours, I’d love to see your thoughts on the whole system in the future if you ever have the chance! Also it’s pretty amazing to see how much the train is less popular and so much slower than when I grew up. It’s a shame they can’t afford the maintenance. Also tower city is/was really cool! I think you may like it.

[@BunneRabb]

Thank you for having enough sense to not be hanging around the Windermere station at night

[@fenway941827]

Miles - The Cleveland line was built at the same time as the Revere extension and shared the same rolling stock..

[@edwardmiessner6502]

Yet now the modern roling stock for the Cleveland Red Line is much longer than the rolling stock for the MBTA Blue Line. The present day Blue Line cars look short enough to be able to negotiate Chicago's Elevated Loop!

[@MrLegendra]

I’ve used Clevelands subway a few times to get from the airport to the center of the city. I thought it was great and reliable. Although It was just a few times

[@williamerazo3921]

I use it to park my car when I fly out

[@davidbarts6144]

2 car trains every 15 minutes. Wikipedia reports the average weekday ridership as 8000 per day. (Most rapid transit lines carry more than that *per hour*.) A sad reminder of how much Cleveland has declined. At least the system is still operating. Thanks for shooting this video; I had long wondered what Cleveland's lone rapid transit line was like.

[@Straypuft]

This video and Classy Whales secret platform video inspired me to go to Cleveland yesterday to try and photograph some red line cars, I dont have any good shots in my album and wanted to snap them before they get replaced, it didnt work out too well, I need to get a step ladder for better shots, but Classy Whales secret platform video made me want to try that platform out so it all worked out.

[@jimryan5280]

For the record the MBTA Blue Line in Boston operates with third rail and Pantagraph. It uses third rail current from Bowdoin Station in Downtown Boston to Logan Airport. At Logan Airport trains switch to the overhead Pantagraph to the end of the line at Wonderland. As a native Bostonian it's long baffled me as to why the MBTA or "T" as we locals call it does not switch the entire line to third rail current. My guess is it's probably a question of cost. I enjoyed your overview of Cleveland's system, next time I'm there I will have to check it out. Nice job on your video!

[@MilesinTransit]

Historically I believe the reason has been corrosion and flooding since the line gets so close to the ocean.

[@jimryan5280]

Thanks for the response, been a local here in Boston my life and didn't know that about the Blue Line, it makes sense though, you're a wealth of knowledge! Keep up the great job on your videos, I enjoy watching!

[@MilesinTransit]

@@jimryan5280 Thanks so much!

[@ianweniger6620]

Maybe a pantograph makes sense when the T runs at street level?

[@patrickmartin3322]

1:32 I have actually once seen doors like this before, at NGO airport in Japan

[@Geotpf]

Visiting it on a weekend when all the other rail lines were closed probably explains a lot of the reasons why ridership was low. On a normal weekday with everything open it would probably be much busier.

[@MilesinTransit]

I suppose, but the average weekday ridership is quite low too!

[@zythr9999]

Maybe not.

[@Ohio-Transit]

As someone who has been to cleveland and ridden the rail a bunch of times. They're rail system is pretty weird and confusing and it will be weirder once their new trains come in.

[@jeff91199]

Whoa, the red line upgraded to two cars!

[@sctpoch]

I lived in Little Italy for about ten years and rode the Rita all the time. Mostly to W. 25th to do my shopping at the West Side Market, but also to the Airport every now and again. I always thought it was a great little system and deserves a lot more love than it gets. But my grandfather once told me about how comprehensive the streetcar network was and you realize it could be - and indeed was - so much better.

[@andrewdiamond2697]

It kind of reminds me of the NJT Princeton "dinky line"...large car, overhead pantograph, small train, slow.

[@jimspies2775]

I travel to CLE about once a month, and use the RTA system. The Red Line to the airport is great. I stay at the Renaissance Hotel downtown, and I can get to and from the airport without going outside at all. I get the $25/week pass, and save the company $200 on a rental car. Does anyone ever thank me? No, but it makes me happy. For getting to the work site, I take the Blue Line to 55th Street and then the #16 bus to a stop and then a 10 minute walk. It's great.

[@paulhealy2557]

If you didn't go to an attraction by wade oval. You didn't really visit Cleveland

[@MilesinTransit]

Good to know :)

[@darylcheshire1618]

as a kid, I watched “The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis”, the character Maynard G Krebbs played by Bob Denver of Gilligan’s Island. Krebbs would see the movie “The Monster That Devoured Cleveland” multiple times. I wondrred if that was a pop culture reference that non-Americans didn’t understand. It might have been a reference to the many monster movies that were made in the 1950s. I don’t know if the Cleveland movie actually existed. It might have just emphasised Krebbs’ beatnik culture. On further reflection, Krebbs was an alternate lifestyle character that predated Hippies and Vietnam who had no problem watching the same movie several times, something no average American kid would do, and the movie title was probably a made up title for legal reasons.

[@ianweniger6620]

Thank you for this memory. I don't know the TV show you watched. I do know that the Great Lakes industrial network built America. Cleveland expanded its trains even as neoliberal outsourcing drained its population and tax base: a train that ate a city. I bet civic planners believed the jobs would eventually come back and the city needed to be ready. Forty years later, the

[@DavidSSabb]

8:09 - I'm actually impressed how short that transfer is compared to the long walk you have to take at O'Hare or the Midway station where you have to go outside.

[@thomascanary6313]

You can race CSX trains while riding the D.C. Metro to and from Maryland’s least-used Amtrak station, Rockville!

[@TomHoffman-uw7pf]

That is the most dreary station I've seen anywhere. It looks like something out of Orwell's 1984.

[@yodorob]

The Red Line in Cleveland might be classified as "heavy rail" (which by itself is a step above peer cities like Pittsburgh, St. Louis, or Detroit), and yet in practice it's a cross between heavy and light rail, making it a good step or two down from Chicago, Philly, Boston, or New York (and even from Washington DC, Atlanta, San Francisco, etc.).

[@Straypuft]

3:35 you mentioned the side signs, they used to be roll signs but they couldnt get the parts needed to keep them working or it was just cheaper to put led lines in them.

[@MilesinTransit]

Ugh, that's so sad...the LED line is one of the saddest pieces of wayfinding I've ever seen.

[@Straypuft]

@@MilesinTransit Same thing for the Breda cars, they used to be roll signs too.

[@ulfw]

Why do US trains look like prison transports? All this exposed metal, dirt, no colors...

[@nicelol5241]

sad but some of them are effective, that’s what it matters

[@symphonicoctet]

Once upon a time the Dual Hub Corridor plan proposed putting rail underneath Euclid Avenue, maybe even a reroute of the Red Line, and that's eventually the plan that led to the HealthLine BRT. Its a fascinating and sad story, as is the even sadder story of Cleveland's voter-approved but never built Downtown subway loop in the 1950s.

[@zythr9999]

West Park Station parking lor, RTA uses it to park some of their coaches and/or to train new drivers.

[@Tolya1979]

In the early 1900's, the City of Cleveland passed a smoke ordinance in which prohibited larger steam locomotives from operating within city borders. Smaller steam locomotives were allowed to stay. Because of this, the New York Central Railroad electrified through passenger and freight trains through the City, mainly trains moving from New York to Chicago. The intent of the electrification through the City was the eventual electrification of the entire NYC New York to Chicago mainline, roughly where the Lake Shore Limited travels today. This was before diesel-electric freight and passenger mainline trains were invented in the 1940's. From the NYC Collinwood Yard, on what what was then Cleveland's eastern border (Today's Louis Stokes-WIndmere Station) it was electrified west to Terminal Tower in Downtown Cleveland, then west to NYC's Linndale Yard (Cleveland Hopkins Airport lies just west of Linndale). This set up existed, with both eastbound and westbound electric trains taking over from steam passenger and freight trains through the City, until 1953. In 1953 the NYC abandoned all of its steam locomotive operations west of Cleveland, thus making the expensive mainline electric line through the City very expensive but redundant, being that diesel-electric locomotives me the criteria for the smoke ordinance. The electrified section through the City of Cleveland was called the Cleveland Union Terminal Railroad, or CUT.

[@amprosk]

Now that is a fun fact

[@jayjonesii4049]

That's what I had take downtown the red line because the blue & green lines were closed until the fall. 😭

[@JacksonBetz]

That edit at 0:20 is the CREEPIEST GOD DAMN THING I HAVE EVER SEEN

[@tsnovak20]

Cleveland used to have almost a million people living in the city. Now everyone is gone

[@rileyenia9388]

so triskket is also the main west side bus depto most bus operators ride the red line on the west side to get to their reilf point

[@musicmanfelipe]

You mentioned the MBTA Blue Line, it’s half panto and half third rail. The switch is at Airport Station.

[@Sammie1053]

I'm confused by the "only heavy rail system in the US other than the MBTA that runs on pantograph power", unless there's an implied qualifier I'm missing like "only heavy _metro_ rail system in the US". The northeast obviously has a ton of pantograph powered rail networks (SEPTA, some NJ Transit lines, Acela) but they're all regional or intercity... Does the Metra Electric District in Chicago count? Metra is technically commuter rail but the Electric District like, barely leaves the city. Surely there's more than just MBTA and RTA, right?

[@h_in_oh]

Regarding the bike rack, the train is the only way to get into the airport if you are traveling by bicycle. All other ways in require a car as the airport is accessed from highway ramps. With a bicycle, you have to ride to at least the Brookpark RTA station and take the train in one stop. If you are traveling by air with the bicycle, you would have to still pack the bike into a carrier box before an airline would accept it as baggage.

[@MilesinTransit]

Why wouldn't you just lock up your bike at your home station then?

[@h_in_oh]

@@MilesinTransit You might not want to leave your bike outdoors at the station platform near your house (where the bike post is not the same rack like you showed there), or you just might want your bike out of sight for as little as possible if you were not going to be at the airport long.

[@bencarterviola]

Thank you for giving the RTA a try 🫡 I learned a lot about my city's metro system. Also I heard the Cle RTA has the lowest ridership per mile of track? While driving around, I see so many stops that are surrounded by nothing, or serve as a park and ride for folks in the suburbs.

[@NoGoodHandlesComingToMind]

9:30, thank u for your service.

[@ejim27]

Lol the way you tracking with his face 😂

[@Roland314]

Just FYI, the RTA is investing in some major upgrades with new trains right now, so you may want to come back for another ride. Also, ridership fluctuates pretty heavily, and that week in particular it was crazy low because of the many closures (the sign you saw at the beginning). RTA certainly needs work, but I feel like the timing of your visit really affected your experience.

[@KronoGarrett]

At least they're getting new rolling stock and will be doing a major fixed infrastructure overhaul akin to the 1979-1980 rebuild...hopefully it'll be more reliable then.

[@lohphat]

Aren't station announcements mandated by the ADA for the visually impared?

[@ClassyWhale]

Yes, they are!

[@Qazwsxedc165]

These cars are probably old enough to be grandfatherd in and are not mandated to have them. Or it's just broken.

[@lohphat]

@@Qazwsxedc165 There's a human operating the train. They are to give live station announcements before arriving at a station. This isn't related to ADA mobility and wheelchair access.

[@qjtvaddict]

Stupid

[@trainsdestinations3960]

I never even knew Cleveland had a rail system until this video. Guess it's never talked about.

[@kitchin2]

If Ohio had HSR, which it never will, people would commute with Columbus, the mega growth city of the state. Cleve and Cincy are the cultural capitals. Toledo and Chicago aren’t bad either.

[@qjtvaddict]

This train should be automated

[@josiahdillard7428]

As somehow who has family in Cleveland and had family in beechwood heights and riding all the lines it’s so different from NYC

[@Milo-nq9ep]

rta red line my beloved

[@eugeneking1462]

I hope you guys follow up when Cleveland gets their new S200 cars.

[@eugeneking1462]

Unfortunately the Skokie Swift [CTA Yellow Line] was converted to all 3rd rail in the early 2000s.

[@Jeremiah3322]

Well, if you ride during rush-hour, you will see a huge passenger difference. This is probably recorded on a weekend so it’s probably not a lot going on and on there is normally four cars. On game day Browns games or Cavaliers. Or the guardians

[@jonathanstensberg]

This is actually my favorite metro line in the entire country, precisely because it demonstrates that your small city can in fact have a proper heavy rail system while also demonstrating how design and operating choices have consequences.

[@MilesinTransit]

That's a really good point!