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RTA Rapid Transit

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Light rail vehicle on the Waterfront Line

RTA Rapid Transit (generally known as The Rapid) is a rapid transit and light rail system in Cleveland, Ohio, owned by the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (known as "RTA"). The system is made of three lines - the Red Line (heavy rail) and Blue and Green Lines (light rail).

All three lines join at Tower City Center in downtown Cleveland, the former Cleveland Union Terminal. The Red Line runs in both directions on fully grade-separated rights-of-way, built from 1955 to 1968. It serves Cleveland's southwest suburbs with its southwestern terminus is located at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport. Heading northeast, the Red Line serves University Circle before heading to its northeastern terminus in East Cleveland.

The Blue and Green Lines were built from 1913 to 1936 as grade separated lines closer to downtown and surface lines along street medians in the streetcar suburb of Shaker Heights. The two lines part ways at Shaker Square, a historic mixed use community in Cleveland proper, just east of the Shaker Heights border. The Green line continues due east along Shaker Boulevard (Ohio State Highway 87) until reaching its terminus at the intersection with Green Road. The Blue Line veers southeast along Van Aken Boulevard until reaching its terminus at the intersection of Warrensville Center Road, Northfield Road (Ohio State Highway 8) and Chagrin Boulevard (U.S. Route 422).

The Waterfront Line, opened in 1996, extends the Blue and Green Lines from Tower City north to Lake Erie and east along the lakeshore. The Waterfront Line provides access from Tower City Center to the Flats Entertainment District, Cleveland Browns Stadium, the Great Lakes Science Center, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Burke Lakefront Airport.

From Tower City to East 55th the three lines share track and stations. This sharing of one route between light and heavy rail is quite unusual, and the shared stations have platforms of varying heights to accommodate the two kinds of trains.

File:Euclidrender.jpg
A rendering of the Euclid Corridor project as it will look when completed.

RTA is currently installing a bus rapid transit line, coined the "Silver Line", which will run along Euclid Avenue, providing a direct route between Cleveland's primary tourist attractions from Downtown Cleveland through Midtown Cleveland and University Circle to East Cleveland.

The Red, Blue and Green Lines share trackage from Tower City east to roughly 68th Street.

See also

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