US MUST ADOPT EFFECTIVE PASSENGER RAIL TRANSPORTATION

Submitted by Jeff Buster on Thu, 05/21/2009 - 11:44.

 

The Obama Administration has this week taken steps to cut auto pollution and improve automobile mileage requirements under the CAFE (Corporate average fuel economy)  standards.  The Corporate Average Fuel Economy has been a stupid auto industry lobbied for "standard" that allows Detroit to sell poor  mileage, heavily polluting vehicles (Hummers, Excursions) if the Corporations "balance" these environmental violators with other "more efficent" vehicles.   Who keeps score isn't clear.

In the long term the transportatiion answer in the US isn't cars at all - it is rail.  In Ohio the 3C rail corridor appears to be moving forward. 

Rob Pitingolo reports on Extraordinary Observations some of the practical issues with rail transit in Cleveland today, including the awkard location of the present Amtrac Station, and entertains ideas on how to connect future high speed rail to RTA's inner city rail in NEO.   I picked this up from Mr. Pitingolo's post on Brewed Fresh Daily.  Map Photo from Extraordinary Observations.

 

 

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If this train becomes

If this train becomes reality then cantilevering over the track and combining the RTA and Amtrak into one station would be ideal. Off the back of the convention center with an entrance to the convention center and a hotel and a parking garage, much like the Willard Park garage but on the top deck should be plaza. That’s a link to local transit, it connect to the Flats, Tower City, Ohio City people can or could transfer. They really need to look at the area around the “opportunity corridor” it is possible to create connector between the red and blue/green lines, a line that travels between shaker and university circle none stop. At about E68th and Grand Ave. Currently it takes a transfer at 55th then doubling back and nobody does it, to time consuming. Then at E105 and Quincy is a station, they could set the rail center line there at E105 and take it into Euclid. That would give rail access to the basically the Clinic campus, it could lead into the campus and have multiple stops. That would be three rail lines, one coming from the west runs to the clinic campus rather than Windermere. Then from the east the blue and green cars terminate at the clinic campus other than tower city. Basically switching to the red line tracks at 68th were they first converge. This could be done by adding cars and switches/connecting rail at E68th That’s in the “opportunity corridors path. That could be a location for retail and housing, a E68th street station.


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Grand Avenue Station? Could

Grand Avenue Station?

Could the Opportunity corridor be called Grand Avenue? Is there funding for transportation? Is there any more Hope IV money? How about a station and a open food market? Like the west side Market? Grand Market? Perhaps that could be the center for a regional planning district, one based on the historic township boundaries? That’s Newburg, that area. 

In Europe taking the rail is like an adventure, and it is also a way to get around. Living in one area and then working in another things have to be rail centric to make it all work.

Consider .25 miles out like a circle around each station.

So if people come to Cleveland then they can transfer to the local line and every station should have a hotel. Every station should rent little cars and trucks, every station should have residential housing. Each having it own character and charm, some can be industrial centers and have educational facilities….

What is opportunity?

 

Just make sure David

Just make sure David Ellison has final approval on all designs.   

"the awkard location of the

"the awkard location of the present Amtrac Station" [sic] might not end up being so awkward if the <a href="http://planning.city.cleveland.oh.us/lakefront/">waterfront district plan</a> gets done right. (big "if" of course...)