HealthLine

The HealthLine (formerly known as the Silver Line[2] and as the Euclid Corridor Transportation Project) is a bus rapid transit (BRT) line run by the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority in Cleveland and East Cleveland, Ohio, United States. The line runs along Euclid Avenue from Public Square in downtown Cleveland to the Louis Stokes Station at Windermere in East Cleveland. It began operation on October 24, 2008.[3] Its current name was the result of a naming rights deal with the Cleveland Clinic and University Hospitals of Cleveland.[4] The HealthLine is denoted with a silver color and abbreviated simply as HL on most RTA publications.

For the medical website, see Healthline.

HealthLine
A HealthLine rapid transit vehicle drives through University Circle.
Overview
Type	Bus rapid transit
System	RTA Rapid Transit
Locale	Cleveland and East Cleveland, Cuyahoga County, Ohio
Termini	Public Square Louis Stokes Station at Windermere
Stations	59
Operation
Opened	October 24, 2008[1]
Owner	GCRTA
Operator(s)	GCRTA
Technical
Line length	6.8 mi (11 km)
Route map RTA Rapid Transit Public Square/West Roadway Public Square/Tower City East 2nd Street East 6th Street East 9th Street East 14th Street East 19th Street East 24th Street East 30th Street East 36th Street East 40th Street East 51st Street East 59th Street East 66th Street East 71st Street East 79th Street East 83rd Street East 89th Street East 93rd Street East 100th Street East 105th Street Stokes Boulevard Adelbert Road Cornell Road East 115th Street East 118th Street East 123rd Street  Red Line  Lakeview Road Delmont Avenue/Roxbury Road Emily Street/Garfield Road Superior Avenue Eddy Road/Wellesley Avenue Lakefront Road/Belmore Avenue Debra Ann Lane Louis Stokes–Windermere

The HealthLine's ridership peaked at 5.08 million rides in 2014, but has since declined by over 25% through 2018, with 3.7 million rides that year.[5]

The Healthline is tied with Connecticut Transit's CTfastrak as the second-top rated BRT system in the United States each with Silver rating according to the BRT Standard.[6][7] Only ABQ RIDE's Albuquerque Rapid Transit has achieved the top rating of Gold.

History

Going back to the 1950s, the city of Cleveland considered alternatives for rapid transit along Euclid Avenue between downtown and University Circle. In 1985, the city commissioned a study called the Dual Hub Corridor Alternatives Analysis/Draft Environmental Impact Statement. The study estimated the cost of a subway along this corridor to be $1 billion and an option that involved a light rail component at $750 million.[8] A further study in 1993 examined additional alternatives, including a bus rapid transit plan, which ultimately was selected by the RTA in 1995. Upon adoption by the Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency in December 1995, the name of the project was changed from the Dual Hub Corridor to the Euclid Corridor.[9]

The plan included the Euclid Corridor busway, relocating five Red Line stations and right-of-way improvements on East 17th and East 18th Streets. At the time, the estimated cost of the project was $210 million with the federal government funding 80% of the cost.[9] In 1996, the Federal Transit Administration provided $4.0 million in funds for initial engineering studies. The initial ridership projections were 29,500 boardings per day by 2025. In 1999, the plan was scaled back to include only the busway and a budget of $228.6 million was established with the city seeking a 59% federal government share, or $135.0 million.[10] The final design was completed in 2002 and the project was funded in 2004, with completion in 2008. The total cost was $197.2 million, which accounted for some additional changes to the initial scope.[11]

In 2008, the RTA secured a naming rights deal with the Cleveland Clinic and University Hospitals for $6.25 million over 25 years and the route was renamed the HealthLine.[12]

Route description

HealthLine logo

The HealthLine route travels 6.8 miles (11 km) along Euclid Avenue from Public Square in Downtown Cleveland to Louis Stokes Station at Windermere in East Cleveland. It passes through the neighborhoods of Downtown, Midtown, Fairfax, University Circle and the suburb of East Cleveland.[3]

There are 59 stations along Euclid Avenue that serve the HealthLine. All stations are equipped with a fare card vending machine, 24-hour lighting and an emergency phone. An illuminated text display informs passengers of expected arrival times. Between Public Square and East 107th Street, all stations have raised platforms that align with the floor of the rapid transit vehicle, easing boarding and alighting.[13]

Between Public Square and East 105th Street, Euclid Avenue has two "bus only" lanes close to the inner median which only allow HealthLine vehicles passage, reducing delays due to conflicts with general traffic during busy times. Complementing the HealthLine is a set of bike lanes on the outer edges of the stretch Euclid Avenue that connects Cleveland State University with Case Western Reserve University.[14]

As late as July 2010, the trip from East Cleveland to downtown during rush hour was more than 40 minutes – longer than the planned 33 minutes. This was due to traffic light timing and the 25 mph speed limit along most of the route. The speed limit was raised to 35 mph for buses and traffic light timing was adjusted further to combat this issue.[15][16]

The decision to turn off signal priority along portions of the line has been referred to as a form of BRT creep.[17]

Bus fleet

A HealthLine bus at the Adelbert Road bus stop

The HealthLine runs a fleet of 21 articulated DE63LFA-BRT vehicles, manufactured by New Flyer Industries, each with a seating capacity of 47 and able to accommodate 53 more standing up. The vehicles have two doors on each side and run on a diesel-electric hybrid motor system that produce 90% less emissions than regular buses.[18][19] A low sulfur diesel engine (Caterpillar C-9) generates electrical power to run smaller electric motors mounted on each of the wheels.[20] Each vehicle also has a GPS locator on board, which allows automated traffic signals to give the HealthLine buses priority at busy intersections.

Bus stops

The RTA classifies its bus rapid transit stops as "curb stations" and "median stations". Median stations are located within the Euclid Avenue busway and can only be accessed using crosswalks. Median stations can utilize left- or right-side boarding, as buses have doors on both sides. Curb stations are more traditional bus stops where buses open their doors to the right curb of the street.

Schedule

On weekdays, the HealthLine runs every 7-10 minutes from 6:10am-7:10pm, and every 15-30 minutes outside that window. On weekends and holidays, it runs every 15 minutes from 4:40am-11:40pm and every 30 minutes outside that window.[21]

Stations

All stations are ADA-accessible

Station	Platform style	Doors opened	Location	Connections / Notes
Public Square/West Roadway	curb	left	Downtown	West side of Public Square; eastbound only
Public Square/Tower City		left		RTA Rapid Transit RTA Bus: most lines serving downtown and Public Square; Adjacent to Tower City station; eastbound only
East 2nd Street	median	left		Serves The Arcade
East 6th Street		left
East 9th Street		left		Serves Playhouse Square
East 14th Street		left		Serves Playhouse Square and TV station WVIZ Ideastream
East 19th Street	2 median	right		Serves Cleveland State University
East 24th Street		right		Serves Cleveland State University and Stephanie Tubbs Transit Center
East 30th Street		right	Central
East 36th Street		right
East 40th Street		right		Serves Children's Museum of Cleveland
East 51st Street		right		Serves The Agora
East 59th Street		right		RTA Bus: 16
East 66th Street		right
East 71st Street		right
East 79th Street		right	Fairfax	RTA Bus: 2
East 83rd Street		right
East 89th Street		right
East 93rd Street		right		RTA Bus: 7, 9, 32, 48, 48A Serves Cleveland Clinic
East 100th Street		right		Sunday service only
East 105th Street		right	University Circle	RTA Bus: 10 Serves Cleveland Public Library MLK branch, Ronald McDonald House Easternmost stop on exclusive BRT right-of-way
Stokes/Stearns	2 curb	right		RTA Bus: 7, 9, 32, 48, 48A Stokes westbound, Stearns eastbound
Adelbert Road		right		Serves Case Western Reserve University
Cornell Road		right		RTA Bus: 9 Serves University Hospitals
East 115th Street		right		RTA Bus: 38 Serves Cleveland Institute of Art
East 118th Street		right
East 123rd Street		right		RTA Bus: 38 Former RTA Red Line connection at Euclid–East 120th station (closed 2015)
Lakeview Road		right	East Cleveland	RTA Bus: 38
Delmont Avenue / Roxbury Road		right		Delmont westbound, Roxbury eastbound
Emily Street / Garfield Road		right		Emily westbound, Garfield eastbound
Superior Avenue		right		Red Line (adjacent to the stops) RTA Bus: 3 and 40
Eddy Road / Wellesley Avenue		right		Eddy westbound, Wellesley eastbound
Lakefront Road / Belmore Avenue		right		Lakefront westbound, Belmore eastbound
Debra Ann Lane	curb	right		Westbound
Louis Stokes–Windermere		right		Red Line (direct connection) RTA Bus: 3, 28, 28A, 30, 37, 41, 41F

• 
  Public Square/West Roadway
• 
  Public Square/Tower City
• 
  East 2nd Street
• 
  East 6th Street
• 
  East 9th Street
• 
  East 66th Street
• 
  Adelbert Road
• 
  Cornell Road
• 
  Louis Stokes Station at Windermere

See also

• RTA Rapid Transit
• List of bus rapid transit systems

References

1. Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (24 October 2008). "HealthLine opens, pumping new life into Cleveland". Retrieved 26 January 2020.
2. Clinic, UH pay to name Euclid Corridor buses. The Plain Dealer. Retrieved on March 4, 2008.
3. "Where it goes" - http://www.gcrta.org/healthline/healthline-flash.html
4. "Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority". www.riderta.com. Retrieved 2015-04-12.
5. "The Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (GCRTA) | National Transit Database". www.nationaltransitdatabase.org. Retrieved 2019-08-13.
6. "Albuquerque, NM Opens First USA Gold Standard BRT on Historic Route 66". Transport Matters. Institute for Transportation and Development Policy. November 27, 2017. Retrieved April 26, 2020.
7. "BRT Rankings". Institute for Transportation and Development Policy. 2020. Retrieved April 26, 2020.
8. "Cleveland, Ohio, Euclid Avenue BRT" (PDF). Transportation Research Board. Retrieved 2020-05-01.
9. Report on Funding Levels and Allocations of Funds for Transit Major Capital Investments: Report of the Secretary of Transportation to the United States Congress Pursuant to 49 U.S.C. 5309(m)(3) (formerly Section 3(j) of the Federal Transit Act). Federal Transit Administration. 1997. Retrieved 2020-05-01.
10. Department of Transportation and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill, 2003. United States Congress. p. 123. Retrieved 2020-05-01.
11. Euclid Corridor Transportation Project Before-and-After Study (2012) (PDF). Federal Transit Administration. 2012. Retrieved 2020-05-01.
12. "Clinic, UH pay to name Euclid Corridor buses". The Plain Dealer. 2008-02-28.
13. "What it is - Station" - http://www.gcrta.org/healthline/healthline-flash.html
14. Rapid Transit Vehicles - http://euclidtransit.org/rapid_transit_system/euclid_corridor_vehicles.asp Archived 2008-06-21 at the Wayback Machine
15. McIntyre, Michael (17 July 2010). "Cleveland allows RTA buses to drive faster on Euclid Avenue". Cleveland Plain Dealer. Retrieved 1 August 2010.
16. Farkas, Karen (6 July 2010). "HealthLine buses moving slower than expected on Euclid Avenue". Cleveland Plain Dealer Blog. Retrieved 1 August 2010.
17. Ross, Benjamin. "Big Philanthropy Takes the Bus". Dissent Magazine. Dissent Magazine. Retrieved 5 October 2016.
18. RTA HealthLine - http://www.gcrta.org/healthline/healthline-flash.html
19. "What it is - Vehicle" - http://www.gcrta.org/healthline/healthline-flash.html
20. Euclid Corridor Transportation Project - http://euclidtransit.org/rapid_transit_system/euclid_corridor_vehicles.asp Archived 2008-06-21 at the Wayback Machine
21. "Schedule Effective April 21, 2013" - http://www.riderta.com/sites/default/files/schedule-pdfs/HealthLine.pdf

External links

Template:Attached KML/HealthLine

KML is from Wikidata

• Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority
• RTA HealthLine