Passenger Trains > 50th Anniversary of Cleveland Rail Rapid Transit to Airport

On November 15, 1968, the Cleveland Transit System opened its rail line to the airport, this making Cleveland the first American metro area with a rail rapid transit link to its airport. 

Here's a link to an article with more information:

Cleveland Plain Dealer article

Although I never had occasion to use Hopkins International Airport, every time I visit Cleveland I always try to make time to ride the Red Line.  The Red Line section between Downtown and Cleveland is one of my favorite transit lines because it:

1) Provides access to Ohio City (first station west of Terminal Tower), an interesting destination with the West Side Market and Great Lakes Brewery
2) Parallels Norfolk Southern's ex-New York Central line for much of the way.  The Cleveland Union Terminal catenary support structures were still present on my most recent ride.
3) Offers an amazing view of Downtown Cleveland in the eastbound direction approaching Terminal Tower.


 

Sadly the RTA which operates Cuyahoga County rail transit and bus systems is grossly underfunded.  There is about an estimated $500M backlog in repairs, maintenance, etc. to bring the current system up to good condition.

Second, the RTA board is full of political hacks who don't know and don't care about transit.  The jerk who was chairman of the board was finally dismissed after many years of incompetence, and all the while collecting full medical benefits while paying not a penny.  The mayor of Cleveland appoints some RTA board members, and he is clueless about transit.  The chairman of the Cuyahoga County Board of Supervisors likewise appoints some RTA board members and he is clueless about transit.  It got so bad, that All Aboard Ohio, local transit advocates and newspaper reports have put some heat on the RTA board to step up to the plate and seriously worry about the future of transit, rather than worry about their lunch selection at board meetings. The RTA board could see the system falling apart, but they were so weak, that they did not want to ask for needed funding from the city or the county or the state.   

Third, the state of Ohio under Gov. John Kasich has no vision for transit at all.  The state had about $15M in their budget for transit for the WHOLE state.  Neighboring Pennsylvania had 100 times that amount.  

The Red Line will be shut down again this next summer for major track work, which is desparately needed.  

Can't you just enjoy the fact America's first rail rapid transit line to an airport was built in Cleveland and there was a nice (modest) event to observe the occasion or that someone from outside of Cleveland has something positive to say about its transit system.?  There have been and will be plenty of other opportunities to comment on Cleveland RTA's issues on TO.

In the 60's, my dad used to commute on the Rapid from Triskett to Downtown.  I used to ride the Red Line in the early 70's from W 117 to University Circle on Saturdays.
Always enjoyed watching the freight activity on adjacent tracks and going through Terminal Tower, watching for reminders of CUT days.  I remember being able to sit rear-facing next to the motorman's cab and enjoying the views.

 

Think back to what transit funding was like nationwide 50 years ago, and it’s remarkable this thing got built at all. What else was being built then?  Lindenwold, the early stages of BART, maybe??

anything else, nationwide?