CLEVELAND — Several federal, state, and local officials including U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown and Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb were on hand for a special presentation to the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (GCRTA) on Friday morning.
The GCRTA received a $130 million grant award from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Transit Administration. The announcement was made at the GCRTA Rail Equipment Building on Grand Avenue in Cleveland.
The funding will enable the GCRTA to purchase approximately 60 new rail vehicles to replace its aging fleet. Specifically, GCRTA General Manager and CEO India Birdsong Terry says the authority will be able to replace rail cars "purchased in 1981 and 1982 respectively, with best-in-class technology and efficiency that will elevate our system to the next level.”
The GCRTA says the new rail car fleet will save the agency $7 million per year, "by reducing repair costs and provide more comfortable and reliable service for passengers." In addition, GCRTA is studying four new routes and travel options.
The GCRTA's says the new rail cars will be "high floor light rail vehicles with doors that allow access from existing heavy rail platforms and street level light rail platforms." The rail cars will have the ability to operate across the authority’s entire rail network.
“Replacing these ancient rail cars will save taxpayers money, keep workers on the job, and improve service for Clevelanders. If you’re an hourly worker, whether a train is on-time or not, can mean the difference between making your shift or not,” said Brown. “I fought to secure this investment in the bipartisan infrastructure bill because transit, like RTA, is ultimately about the dignity of work. It creates jobs, it connects people with jobs, and it attracts jobs.”
Since 2017, GCRTA has been working on a plan to fund its rail car replacement program. So far, the authority has secured $213 million to go with Friday's grant award of $130 million. The overall projected price tag of the program is $393 million.
Brown and Bibb were joined by the following individuals at the press conference:
- Nuria Fernandez, Administrator, Federal Transit Administration
- U.S. Rep. Shontel Brown (D-OH-11)
- Cuyahoga County Executive Chris Ronayne
- India Birdsong Terry, General Manager and CEO, Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority
- GCRTA Employees
The grant for the GCRTA comes from the federal government's Rail Vehicle Replacement Program, as part of President Joe Biden's Infrastructure law. The program was created to improve safety, service, and customer experience on subways, commuter rail, and light rail systems.
In addition to Cleveland, transit agencies in Chicago, Sacramento, Salt Lake City, St. Louis and South Florida also are receiving grants.
“One-third of our nation’s subway and commuter rail vehicles are more than 25 years old,” said Fernandez. “This program focuses mainly on medium-sized transit agencies that lack the funding they need to address overdue improvements. We are proud to select these projects to improve passenger rail service for riders across the nation.”
EDITOR'S NOTE: The video above previously aired on 3News on Sept. 30, 2021.