Congresswoman Shontel M. Brown | Shontel M. Brown Official Website
Congresswoman Shontel M. Brown | Shontel M. Brown Official Website
CLEVELAND, OH – On May 5, Rep. Shontel Brown (D-OH-11) visited the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (GCRTA) Central Rail Facility with U.S. Senator Brown (D-OH) and Federal Transit Administration (FTA) Administrator Nuria Fernandez to announce that the U.S. Department of Transportation’s FTA has invested $130 million to replace GCRTA’s aging rail cars.
“Revitalizing our public transit systems is key to keeping our riders safe and our communities better connected,” said Rep. Shontel Brown. “This $130 million investment from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to Greater Cleveland Rail Transportation Authority’s Rail Vehicle Replacement Program will promote increased ridership and encourage transit-oriented development along RTA’s rail system. The Biden Administration knows that rebuilding our nation’s infrastructure is fundamental to ensuring stronger, more resilient communities, and I will continue to champion legislation that further strengthens our infrastructure here in Northeast Ohio.”
“Replacing these ancient rail cars will save taxpayers money, keep workers on the job, and improve service for Clevelanders. If you’re an hourly worker, whether a train is on-time can mean the difference between making your shift or not,” said Sen. Sherrod Brown. “I fought to secure this investment in the bipartisan infrastructure bill because transit like RTA is ultimately about the dignity of work. It creates jobs, it connects people with jobs, and it attracts jobs.”
GCRTA’s new rail car fleet will save the agency money by reducing repair costs and providing more comfortable and reliable service for passengers. GCRTA is studying new routes and travel options for its riders because the new rail cars will be capable of operating across the agency’s entire rail network.
Brown was joined by Senator Sherrod Brown; Federal Transit Administrator Nuria Fernandez; India Birdsong Terry, General Manager and CEO of GCRTA; Bryan Moore, GCRTA Rail Car Replacement Project Manager and Daniel Tighe, Vehicle Maintenance Instructor. Birdsong Terry and Moore spoke about their experiences promoting accessible and efficient public transit in Ohio, and the importance of this infrastructure investment, and Tighe spoke about the efforts of GCRTA’s maintenance workers that will transition from maintaining the old rail fleet to the new rail cars. GCRTA’s rail lines provide more than 12,000 trips every weekday, and the agency’s ridership totaled 18.8 million passenger trips in 2022 across all bus and rail routes.
“One-third of our nation’s subway and commuter rail vehicles are more than 25 years old,” said FTA Administrator Nuria Fernandez. “This program focuses mainly on medium-sized transit agencies like Cleveland GCRTA to provide them with additional means to address overdue improvements. We are proud to select projects like these to improve passenger rail service for riders across the nation.”
The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is providing Ohio transit agencies more than $1.3 billion of funding over five years. Additional Information on the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law’s investments in Ohio can be found HERE.
Original source can be found here.
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