Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority has won $20 million in federal funding for a Green Line ADA platform rehabilitation. The work covers seven of the line’s eleven stations.

Painted shell of GCRTA’s new common railcar inside a manufacturing facility
An official GCRTA project image shows the painted shell of a new common railcar during production. Photo: Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority

The money comes from the All Stations Accessibility Program, created by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021. GCRTA is adding a local match of $5 million, so the announced budget reaches $25 million. Program rules also cap the federal share at 80 percent of net project cost.

Seven stations appear in the award announcement: Belvoir, Courtland, Coventry, Eaton, South Park, Southington and West Green. Crews will tear out platforms built about 40 years ago and pour new concrete ones with tactile warning panels. They will also install redesigned ramps, rebuild sidewalks and add curb ramps at parking stalls. The work will also raise a section of platform to provide access to trains.

Three federal rounds for GCRTA

The Green Line award is the third ASAP selection involving GCRTA. The FY2022-23 round brought $8 million for East 79th Street, a station serving both the Blue and Green lines. The FY2024 round then brought $16 million for eight Blue Line stations, with almost the same scope wording. Together, the three selections have awarded GCRTA $44 million for work at 16 station locations.

GCRTA general manager and chief executive officer India L. Birdsong Terry tied the award to the end of that process.

“Once this work is complete, every rail station in our system will be ADA accessible.”

Greater Cleveland RTA grants under the All Stations Accessibility Program, fiscal years 2022 to 2026. Amounts are federal funding only; totals are Railway Supply calculations.
Round What it pays for Stations Federal funding
FY2022-23 East 79th Street light rail station 1 $8,000,000
FY2024 Blue Line platform rehabilitation 8 $16,000,000
FY2026 Green Line ADA platform rehabilitation 7 $20,000,000
Total Three rounds 16 $44,000,000

Source: Federal Transit Administration, All Stations Accessibility Program project selections for FY2022-23, FY2024 and FY2026.

Narrower railcars also require reshaped platforms

Accessibility is not the only reason to rebuild these platforms. GCRTA is running a $435 million Railcar Replacement Program. It swaps 40 heavy and 34 light railcars for 54 common vehicles able to run across the 33-mile network. Because the new cars are narrower, platforms need reshaping so that doors and platform edges line up. The new vehicles measure 8.7 feet across, against 10.33 and 9.25 feet today.

There will be a transition period. However, GCRTA says the completed platform modifications will ultimately prevent the existing vehicles from clearing the modified platforms. The authority therefore plans to retire the old fleet instead of retaining it as a service backup.

Greater Cleveland RTA railcar dimensions: the two existing fleets and the common vehicle replacing them, as currently published by the operator.
Measure Heavy rail car today Light rail car today New common railcar
Length 75.83 ft 80 ft 84.6 ft
Width 10.33 ft 9.25 ft 8.7 ft
Floor height 3.5 ft 3.33 ft 41 in
Weight 85,000 lb 103,000 lb 89,604 lb

GCRTA says the narrower body requires platform modifications so the new vehicles align properly with station platforms and provide safe passenger access. Source: Greater Cleveland RTA, Railcar Replacement Program.

Overhead view of GCRTA’s painted new railcar shell during inspection
An official GCRTA project image provides an overhead view of the painted new railcar shell and its inspection area. Photo: Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority

New Green Line cars are due to enter service in summer 2028

The first Siemens railcar has arrived in Cleveland. GCRTA anticipates further deliveries at about two vehicles a month. The authority expects the new cars to enter revenue service on the Red Line in summer 2027, followed by the Blue, Green and Waterfront lines in summer 2028. The current $435 million program budget includes vehicle design, manufacturing and testing as well as platform and maintenance-facility upgrades.

Neither the grant announcement nor the federal award table sets a construction timetable.

Eight projects share $232.8 million

In this round FTA spread $232.8 million across eight projects in five states. SEPTA took the largest share, at $80 million for three trolley stations. By comparison, earlier rounds were bigger: $686 million in FY2022-23 and $343 million in FY2024.