This is Cleveland Ohio. Home to 1.2 million people, this US city is connected by a network
of subway and light rail lines, which service 70 stations across three adjacent cities.
Consisting of one subway line, two light rail lines and 1 median busway, the system connects
various neighborhoods across Cleveland, with trains and buses running frequently from downtown
to the suburbs. But how did the system grow from its original stations to the network
it is today? My name’s Zach, and this is the Evolution of the Network.
Rapid transit service in Cleveland began in December 1913, when the first section of the
Shaker Line opened. The line started from Fontenay Road, running west in the median
of the roadway to Coventry. The line then continued into downtown Cleveland, running
as a streetcar line in mixed traffic. In May 1915, the line was extended east from
Fontenay, servicing two new stations to Courtland. The line was also extended south down Courtland
Boulevard to the Shaker Heights Country Club, servicing passengers to this newly constructed
facility. Cleveland’s streetcar subway opened in October
1918, with streetcars running on the lower level of the Detroit-Superior bridge. Starting
from West 6th and Superior, the four-track subway descended under the roadway, servicing
two underground stations at West 9th and West 25th. The line then split, with portals back
to the street on Detroit east of West 29th, as well as on West 25th south of Church.
In April 1920, Cleveland’s second rapid line opened, with dedicated service beginning
between Lynnfield and East 55th. The line continued west from East 55th to East 34th
in a dedicated right-of-way, before running in mixed traffic into downtown. The Shaker
line was extended along the route in August of that year, bridging the gap between Coventry
and Moreland Circle. In 1923, service to the Shaker Heights Country
Club ended, with all trains now ending at Courtland. In August 1928, coinciding with
more development in the area, the stop at Moreland Circle was renamed to Shaker Square.
In December of that year, a one-stop eastward extension of the Shaker line also opened,
bringing trains to Warrensville. Various changes were made to the network in
July 1930, bringing rapid service into downtown Cleveland. Service on the Moreland and Shaker
lines was extended into downtown, with all trains on the route now ending at
the newly opened Union Terminal. As part of this, a new station also opened at
East 34th. Later that month, the Moreland line was also extended east, with two new
stations opening to Warrensville. A three stop eastward extension of the Shaker
line also opened in November 1936, with service on the line now running to Green Road.
In January 1948, a new station was added to the Moreland line at Drexmore, in order to better
service developments around Shaker Square. Streetcar service in Cleveland ended in January
1954, with the streetcar subway on the Detroit-Superior
bridge being closed. While the portals have
been paved over, the two underground stations remain largely intact, and are opened occasionally
for tours. In March 1955, Cleveland’s first subway
began operation with a line running from Windermere
to Public Square. This line was owned by a
different company than the Van Aken and Shaker lines, with a separate fare being required,
and different platforms being serviced at Union Terminal and East 55th. In August of
that year, the subway was extended west, adding four new stations to West 117th-Madison.
In November 1958, another two stop extension of the rapid transit line opened, with the
line being extended to West Park. In November 1968, the Cleveland subway became
the first in North America to link downtown to the city’s Airport, with a two stop extension
opening. In April 1969, an additional station opened just north of the Airport, with service
beginning to Brookpark. In March 1971, Campus station was opened on
the subway, servicing platforms adjacent to East 34th station on the Shaker and Van Aken lines.
However in September 1975, operations of both systems were merged, and the stations at East
55th and East 34th-Campus were merged. In December 1990, service at Union Terminal and
Public Square was also merged into a central station named Tower City Centre, with the
structure undergoing major renovations. In September 1992, the Airport/Windermere line
station at Lorain West 25th was also rebuilt, with the new stations being called West 25th-Ohio
City. An extension of the Shaker and Van Aken lines
opened in July 1996, with the Waterfront line beginning service north from Tower City Centre.
Four new stations were serviced along the extension, with trains ending at South Harbor.
The easternmost station on the Airport-Windermere line was renamed in November 1997, with the
renovated stop at Louis Stokes Station at Windermere opening for service. In December
1997, a new stop also opened on the Waterfront extension of the Shaker and Van Aken lines,
with trains now providing an interchange with the city’s Amtrak station.
In April 1999, the Airport-Windermere line station at West 98th-Detroit was also rebuilt,
with the new station being named West Boulevard-Cudell.
In August of that year, an additional station
was added to the Waterfront Line at West 3rd, servicing the nearby Cleveland Browns Stadium.
An additional station was renovated on the Airport-Windermere line in September 2004,
with West 65th-Madison begin rebuilt as West 65th-Lorain.
Cleveland’s first bus rapid transit line opened in October 2008, with the Health Line
beginning operations. Starting from Tower City Centre, the line runs east along Euclid
Avenue, with dedicated median lanes to East 105th, and mixed traffic operations along
the rest of the route. In October 2012, Woodhill station on the Shaker and Van Aken line was
also reconstructed, with the stop reopening as Buckeye-Woodhill.
Further station reconstructions were undertaken on the Airport-Windermere line in August 2014,
with University Circle station being renamed to Cedar-University.
In August 2015, Euclid-East 120th station
was closed due to low ridership, with a new
station being opened nearby at Little Italy-University
Circle. In September 2018, East 34th-Campus station was also reconstructed with the renovated
station being named Tri-C-Campus District. Finally in March 2019, a reconstructed East
116th station opened on the Shaker and Van Aken lines, with the stop also being renamed
to East 116th-St Lukes. This brings us to the Cleveland subway, light rail, and bus
rapid transit map that we know today.
That was the evolution of Cleveland’s subway, light rail, and bus rapid transit network,
giving us the three lines and one median busway that we know today.
If you haven’t already, be sure to watch our Evolution of the Network videos on other
American cities, which you can access by clicking the button in the top right corner. Don’t
forget to leave a like if you enjoyed this video, and comment down below to join in the
discussion. My name’s Zach, and I’ll be Vanishing Underground, until the next one.