Airport to Downtown Cleveland: Review of Cleveland RTA Public Transport (Red Line)
Good evening Penny Pinchers! If you live in a big city like myself, it’s always useful to know about the local transportation system and where it goes. Today I am going to discuss about Cleveland’s Public Transportation system, the RTA Rapid Transit, and how you can use it to explore Cleveland.
RTA Rapid Transit, colloquially know as “The Rapid”, is a Rapid Transit (essentially a type of Public transport found in urban areas), light rail and bus system in Cleveland and its suburbs. It is owned by the GCRTA (Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority) and comprises 7 main lines. In this post, I am going to concentrate on the Red Line which is the line that connects Cleveland Hopkins Airport to the rest of the city.
History
Interesting fact: Did you know the RTA red line was the first rail link to an international airport in North America?
The GCRTA was established on 30th December 1974, and then took over the Cleveland Transit System which had been running the now Red Line and its associated bus routes and the “Shaker Line” which consisted of the modern day blue and green line. The Cleveland Transit System was formed in 1942 when the City of Cleveland bought out the Cleveland Railway which was a public transit operator from 1910 to 1942.
The problem before 1974 had been a dwindling population in the City of Cleveland therefore its revenue and so expansion to the suburbs was thought necessary. This along with strikes in 1970 formed the premise of expansion.
After 1975 when it finally took over the Cleveland Transit System, work started on renovating the Blue and Green line as well as rebuilding the Cleveland the downtown station of Cleveland Union Terminal to its current status of Tower City Center. In 1994, the Tower City Center was extended to the Gateway Sports and Entertainment Complex and in 1996, the Blue and Green lines were extended to the Waterfront lines.
In 2008 the two main Health Centers in Cleveland, Cleveland Clinic and University Hospitals had their very own “Health Line” and Cleveland State University got their very own bus route connecting downtown to the west suburb of Lakewood. Finally the last line, MetroHealth Line was finalized in 2017 for the 3rd main Health System in Cleveland. Now that you know a bit of history, let’s talk about the routes.
Red Line
The current red line runs from Cleveland Airport in the southwest to Tower City (downtown) to Stokes-Windermere Station (East Cleveland). The original route was Downtown to East Cleveland, but from the 1950s extended westbound until in 1968, it provided service to the airport where it was the first rail to connect to an International Airport in North America.
Here are the stops from West to East:
- Cleveland Airport: I will probably talk more about this airport and how to go to and leave from here in further posts, but in terms of public transport and getting to the the Airport, the Red Line is your only route
- Brookpark (free parking): The main station after the airport to head East, it is generally quite busy as commuters will understandably want to avoid going to the airport. It covers Brook Park and a lot of traffic from Parma. Brook park has the Rocky River Reservation and Berea Falls Dam. This is a nice place to go outdoors and Kayak. Parma is a little further out, but this is still probably the closest station to then perhaps get picked up or Uber/Lyft to Parma and visit the Cleveland Metroparks as well as the Zoo.
- Puritas-West 150th: Again more for its proximity to the airport and associated hotels, it is also close to Kamm’s Corner, a neighborhood known for its Irish heritage with bars, and plenty of food options.
- West Park: Again another station close to Kamm’s Corner, one of the Cleveland Clinic hospitals, Fairview is close to this station, and this station has a lot of bus routes for heading west to Lakewood and Avon.
- Triskett: This station is right next to i90, allowing an easy getaway to the West of Cleveland.
- West 117th-Madison: Station closest to the suburb of Lakewood. Lakewood is a fun suburb with a good nightlife and parks for outdoor activities.
- West Boulevard-Cudell: Closest station to Edgewater park where there is a beach area, pier for fishing, park area and jetty. This is a great place for a sunset picture.
- West 65th-Lorain: The closest stop to Detroit-Shoreway. Fun things to do here include Super Electric Pinball Parlor and a place that combines donuts and beer (Brewnuts!)
- West 25th-Ohio City: Ohio city has a lot of great places, the West Side Market is always an experience, you can watch a soccer game (football!) at Old Angle Tavern where there is always a great crowd, Great Lakes Brewing Company and eat at the Flying Fig!
- Tower City: This is THE stop for downtown, so much to do here that it should be left for other blogs and google searches 🙂
- Tri C-Campus District: This stop serves the Cuyahoga Community College (and to some extent the Cleveland State University) but it is most convenient for accessing the main Postal Office.
- East 55th Station: Provides easy access to i77 as well Central and North Broadway.
- East 79th Station: One of the least popular stations, it provides access to areas like Fairfax (and adjacent to this is the Cleveland Clinic)
- East 105th–Quincy: Close to Cleveland Clinic and Ambler Park. Notable nearby places include Karamu House (the oldest African American theatre house)
- Cedar-University: Very close to Case Western University and therefore close to University Circle with abundant food options. University circle has great museum that include Art, Natural History, Aviation and Music.
- Little Italy: As the name suggests, close to Little Italy which has great food and a great evening atmosphere. It is also very close to the Lake View Cemetery, which is a very nice place to visit.
- Superior Station: Close to Forest Hill Park and the general East Cleveland area.
- Stokes- Windermere: The last station on the line. Generally this station is for all connections East and to allow East Clevelanders to get to Downtown.
Fares
For a one way ticket it is $2.50 and day pass is $5.50. For weekly and monthly passes it is $25 and $95 respectively.
These are all easily obtainable via their app which also allows monitoring of trains.
Timings
The train usually leaves every 15 minutes and starts at 3.53am until 1.23am from the airport eastbound. During rush hour times the trains run every 10 minutes. The trains westbound from Stokes-Windermere start at 3.38am till 12.53am. It takes around 28 minutes from downtown to the airport once you are on the train.
Alternatives
It usually takes 5 minutes from the gate (if you are running..and believe me I have had t done this) to get to the train terminal. If your flight gets delayed and miss the train, there is the number 22 bus which goes to downtown and takes approximately 1 hour to get to the downtown area.
Another option is to take the bus by one stop and then take an Uber/Lyft as usually due to the crowds Uber/Lyft will increase the prices.
Conclusion
With a bit of planning you can definitely arrange cheap transportation from the Airport to somewhere in Cleveland. For a $2.50 ride with the possibility of a day pass/week pass it can certainly make your trip more affordable.
Enjoy your weekend Penny Pinchers!