The Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (GCRTA) has contracted Siemens Mobility to replace its Red Line fleet. The GCRTA is the public transit authority for Cleveland, Ohio, and the surrounding cities and towns of Cuyahoga County. With over 19 million passengers annually, it is the largest public transit operator in Ohio.
The purchase of 24 light rail vehicles of Siemens’ S200 model includes an option to purchase 36 additional rail vehicles to also replace the GCRTA’s Blue Line and Green Line fleets. This would provide a uniform fleet on the GCRTA network in the future. Currently, metro-style trains run on the Red Line, while older Breda light rail vehicles are used on the Blue Line and Green Line. All trains are between 39 and 42 years old and have thus long since exceeded the usual service life of rail vehicles. The delivery and commissioning of the new S200 light rail vehicles should be completed within four years. The new high-floor vehicles are equipped with two door heights, allowing access from high and low platforms. This means that the trains can operate on the Red Line as well as on the Blue Line and the Green Line.
As part of the basic contract, the rail vehicles for the Red Line will be provided first. Once the necessary modifications have been made to the Blue Line and Green Line platforms, additional rolling stock can be purchased. The GCRTA received a $130 million grant from the US Federal Railroad Administration (FTA) under the Rail Car Replacement Programme.
More info about Cleveland’s network here:
https://www.urbanrail.net/am/clev/cleveland.htm
