Cleveland RTA awarded state funds for rail-car replacement

The Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) earlier this week awarded $15.3 million in grant funding to the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (GCRTA), which will use some of the funds for its rail-car replacement program.

Under the Ohio Transit Preservation Partnership Program (OTP3), the ODOT awarded to GCRTA $5 million toward rail-car replacement. With the additional funds, GCRTA now has a total $57.2 million committed from a mix of local grants, reserve funds and expected future federal grants for rail-car funding, agency officials said in a press release.

Additionally, to date the GCRTA has been awarded $60.8 million from various sources, which brings the agency closer to the $240 million needed to purchase new rail cars, they said.

In April, a study conducted for GCRTA recommended that its heavy-rail fleet should be replaced within five years and the light-rail fleet within 10 years.

Also part of the ODOT $15.3 million grant funding is $6 million toward the cost of preventive maintenance of buses and trains. The funds will enable GCRTA to "flex" federal funds for the rehab of track on the agency's light-rail line, agency officials said.

Another $600,000 in grant funds will be used to buy property along the GCRTA Red Line's East 79th Street Station.

"We'll make use of every dollar, and we look forward to investing in the improvements needed to achieve a state of good repair," said GCRTA Chief Executive Officer and General Manager India Birdsong. "With this ODOT grant, we're one step closer to ensuring continuous improvement in RTA's infrastructure and services."