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Warrensville (RTA Blue Line Rapid Transit station)
Encyclopedia
Warrensville is a station stop
on the RTA
light rail
Blue Line
in Cleveland, Ohio
, USA. It is the eastern terminus
of the Blue Line.
It is located at the median of Van Aken Boulevard near the intersection
of Warrensville Center Road, Chagrin Boulevard (U.S. Route 422
), Van Aken Boulevard, and Northfield Road (Ohio State Route 8) in Shaker Heights
.
The station has the same name as Warrensville station
on the Green Line. The Green Line station is located 0.9 mile (1.4 km) north on Shaker Boulevard.
. The extension opened on July 30, 1930 at the same time that trains began using Cleveland Union Terminal.
The station originally included a car yard
with a reverse U for turning the trains around. A passenger station building was constructed within the radius of reverse loop in 1932. However, because of the need to generate income, the building was never used as a passenger station but was leased for use as a Texaco
service station
. Today, the building houses a Starbucks
coffeehouse
. In 1948, the reverse U was replaced by a regular turnaround loop.
In 1980 and 1981, the Green and Blue Lines were completely renovated with new track, ballast
, poles
and wiring
, and new stations were built along the line. The Warrensville station was rebuilt with a new platforms, a new car yard and a new power substation
. The renovated line along Van Aken Boulevard opened on October 30, 1981.
The car yard was not needed after RTA opened its Central Rail Maintenance Facility on April 29, 1984 at East 55th Street
.
The loop was closed after RTA ended its use of PCC cars
and relied completely upon the LRVs that comprise the current fleet.
There have been several proposals to extend the Blue Line beyond Warrensville station.
The proposal most recently considered would be a 2-mile (3-km) extension into and around the 600-acre (2.4-km²) Chagrin Highlands development near Harvard Road and I-271
. The proposed route would travel along Northfield Road south, and then turns east along Mill Creek Pond Dr., traveling parallel to Harvard Road. The line would terminate somewhere between Richmond and Green Roads.
Tram stop
A tram stop is a place designated for a tram to stop so passengers can board or alight it. Tram stops share most characteristics of bus stops, but because trams operate on rails, they often include railway platforms, especially if stepless entries are provided for accessibility...
on the RTA
Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority
The Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority is the public transit agency for Cleveland, Ohio, United States, and the surrounding suburbs of Cuyahoga County. RTA is the largest transit agency in Ohio, providing over 44 million trips to residents and visitors of the Cleveland area in 2010...
light rail
Light rail
Light rail or light rail transit is a form of urban rail public transportation that generally has a lower capacity and lower speed than heavy rail and metro systems, but higher capacity and higher speed than traditional street-running tram systems...
Blue Line
Blue and Green Lines (Cleveland)
The Blue Line, Green Line, and Waterfront Line are the interurban/light rail component of the RTA Rapid Transit, a rapid transit rail system in greater Cleveland and Shaker Heights, Cuyahoga County, Ohio...
in Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
, USA. It is the eastern terminus
Terminal Station
Terminal Station is a 1953 film by Italian director Vittorio De Sica. It tells the story of the love affair between an Italian man and an American woman. The film was entered into the 1953 Cannes Film Festival.-Production:...
of the Blue Line.
Intersection (road)
An intersection is a road junction where two or more roads either meet or cross at grade . An intersection may be 3-way - a T junction or fork, 4-way - a crossroads, or 5-way or more...
of Warrensville Center Road, Chagrin Boulevard (U.S. Route 422
U.S. Route 422
U.S. Route 422 is a long spur route of US 22 split into two segments in the U.S. states of Ohio and Pennsylvania. The western spur begins in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, and ends at Ebensburg, Pennsylvania...
), Van Aken Boulevard, and Northfield Road (Ohio State Route 8) in Shaker Heights
Shaker Heights, Ohio
Shaker Heights is a city in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States. As of the 2010 Census, the city population was 28,448. It is an inner-ring streetcar suburb of Cleveland that abuts the city on its eastern side.-Topography:Shaker Heights is located at...
.
The station has the same name as Warrensville station
Warrensville (RTA Green Line Rapid Transit station)
Warrensville is a station on the Green Line of the RTA Rapid Transit in Cleveland, Ohio, USA. It is located in the median of Shaker Boulevard on the west side of Warrensville Center Road in Shaker Heights....
on the Green Line. The Green Line station is located 0.9 mile (1.4 km) north on Shaker Boulevard.
History
The station opened when the Van Aken line was extended east from Lynnfield RoadLynnfield (RTA Rapid Transit station)
Lynnfield is a station stop on the RTA Blue Line in Cleveland, Ohio, USA. It is located at the intersection of Lynnfield Road, Parkland Drive, Norwood Road and Van Aken Boulevard in Shaker Heights....
. The extension opened on July 30, 1930 at the same time that trains began using Cleveland Union Terminal.
The station originally included a car yard
Rail yard
A rail yard, or railroad yard, is a complex series of railroad tracks for storing, sorting, or loading/unloading, railroad cars and/or locomotives. Railroad yards have many tracks in parallel for keeping rolling stock stored off the mainline, so that they do not obstruct the flow of traffic....
with a reverse U for turning the trains around. A passenger station building was constructed within the radius of reverse loop in 1932. However, because of the need to generate income, the building was never used as a passenger station but was leased for use as a Texaco
Texaco
Texaco is the name of an American oil retail brand. Its flagship product is its fuel "Texaco with Techron". It also owns the Havoline motor oil brand....
service station
Filling station
A filling station, also known as a fueling station, garage, gasbar , gas station , petrol bunk , petrol pump , petrol garage, petrol kiosk , petrol station "'servo"' in Australia or service station, is a facility which sells fuel and lubricants...
. Today, the building houses a Starbucks
Starbucks
Starbucks Corporation is an international coffee and coffeehouse chain based in Seattle, Washington. Starbucks is the largest coffeehouse company in the world, with 17,009 stores in 55 countries, including over 11,000 in the United States, over 1,000 in Canada, over 700 in the United Kingdom, and...
coffeehouse
Coffeehouse
A coffeehouse or coffee shop is an establishment which primarily serves prepared coffee or other hot beverages. It shares some of the characteristics of a bar, and some of the characteristics of a restaurant, but it is different from a cafeteria. As the name suggests, coffeehouses focus on...
. In 1948, the reverse U was replaced by a regular turnaround loop.
In 1980 and 1981, the Green and Blue Lines were completely renovated with new track, ballast
Track ballast
Track ballast forms the trackbed upon which railway sleepers or railroad ties are laid. It is packed between, below, and around the ties. It is used to facilitate drainage of water, to distribute the load from the railroad ties, and also to keep down vegetation that might interfere with the track...
, poles
Utility pole
A utility pole is a pole used to support overhead power lines and various other public utilities, such as cable, fibre optic cable, and related equipment such as transformers and street lights. It can be referred to as a telephone pole, power pole, hydro pole, telegraph pole, or telegraph post,...
and wiring
Overhead lines
Overhead lines or overhead wires are used to transmit electrical energy to trams, trolleybuses or trains at a distance from the energy supply point...
, and new stations were built along the line. The Warrensville station was rebuilt with a new platforms, a new car yard and a new power substation
Electrical substation
A substation is a part of an electrical generation, transmission, and distribution system. Substations transform voltage from high to low, or the reverse, or perform any of several other important functions...
. The renovated line along Van Aken Boulevard opened on October 30, 1981.
The car yard was not needed after RTA opened its Central Rail Maintenance Facility on April 29, 1984 at East 55th Street
East 55th (RTA Rapid Transit station)
East 55th is a station on the RTA Red, Green and Blue Lines in Cleveland, Ohio, USA. The station entrance is located on the west side of East 55th Street just north of the intersection with Bower Avenue and the eastern terminus of Interstate 490....
.
The loop was closed after RTA ended its use of PCC cars
PCC streetcar
The PCC streetcar design was first built in the United States in the 1930s. The design proved successful in its native country, and after World War II was licensed for use elsewhere in the world...
and relied completely upon the LRVs that comprise the current fleet.
There have been several proposals to extend the Blue Line beyond Warrensville station.
The proposal most recently considered would be a 2-mile (3-km) extension into and around the 600-acre (2.4-km²) Chagrin Highlands development near Harvard Road and I-271
Interstate 271
Interstate 271 is an auxiliary interstate highway in the suburbs of Cleveland and Akron in the U.S. state of Ohio. The highway is officially designated the "Cleveland Outerbelt East", but rarely referred to by that name.-Route description:...
. The proposed route would travel along Northfield Road south, and then turns east along Mill Creek Pond Dr., traveling parallel to Harvard Road. The line would terminate somewhere between Richmond and Green Roads.