Cleveland Lakefront Station

Coordinates: 41°30′20″N 81°41′47″W / 41.505653°N 81.696468°W / 41.505653; -81.696468
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Cleveland Lakefront Station
Chicago Line / Cleveland Line
Platforms1 island platform
Tracks4
Construction
Structure typeAt-grade
ParkingYes
AccessibleAmtrak platform accessible,
RTA car stop not accessible
Other information
Station codeAmtrak: CLE
History
OpenedOctober 28, 1975; 48 years ago (1975-10-28)[1]
Rebuilt1977
Passengers
FY 202248,887[2] (Amtrak)
Services
Preceding station Amtrak Following station
Elyria
toward Chicago
 Capitol Limited Alliance
toward Washington, D.C.
Lake Shore Limited Erie
toward New York or Boston South
Preceding station Rapid Transit Following station
East 9th–North Coast
toward South Harbor
 Waterfront Line West 3rd
toward Tower City
Former services
Preceding station Amtrak Following station
Elyria
toward Chicago
 Pennsylvanian
1998–2003
 Alliance
toward Philadelphia
Location
Cleveland Lakefront Station is located in Ohio
Cleveland Lakefront Station
Cleveland Lakefront Station
Location within Ohio
Cleveland Lakefront Station is located in the United States
Cleveland Lakefront Station
Cleveland Lakefront Station
Cleveland Lakefront Station (the United States)
Map

Cleveland Lakefront Station is an

Toledo in 1975.[3] It replaced service to Cleveland Union Terminal. Lakefront Station is located in downtown Cleveland near the Lake Erie waterfront, adjacent to the Cleveland Memorial Shoreway and in the immediate vicinity of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Great Lakes Science Center, the Steamship William G. Mather Museum and Cleveland Browns Stadium
. The station has had little to no renovation since its opening.

The station is a service stop on Amtrak's daily Lake Shore Limited and Capitol Limited trains, both of which pass through in the middle of the night. The station is also served by the RTA Waterfront Line. The Pennsylvanian served Cleveland from 1998 to 2003, when it reverted to its original Pittsburgh–New York route. As of 2021, proposals exist for the Pennsylvanian and several other routes to return to Cleveland.

History

Cleveland Lakefront station after dedication ceremony, July 1977

Amtrak used to run its trains through Cleveland Union Terminal (now

Lake Shore train ended service on January 5.[6] Construction of a temporary station began in September 1975.[7] This temporary station opened for Lake Shore Limited service on October 31, 1975. Groundbreaking of the current Lakefront Station was August 31, 1976,[8] with the station officially opened on June 29, 1977. The formal dedication of the station occurred on July 12.[9] According to Amtrak's employee magazine, a crowd of more than 300 gathered for the dedication of the $552,000 depot. Speakers included Mary J. Head, vice chairman of the Amtrak Board of Directors, and Cleveland Mayor Ralph J. Perk. Following the dedication ceremony, attendees were invited to tour the facility and enjoy cake and coffee.[10]

Lakefront Station has undergone little to no renovation since its opening. In recent years, its lack of modernization has become more noticeable, especially its appearance and lack of adequate signage.[11] In August 2012, when the Huntington Convention Center of Cleveland was under construction, a Cuyahoga County official expressed a desire to keep Lakefront Station out of view, and even Amtrak officials conceded that the station had not aged well.[12] One proposed solution was to build a new station underground, but due to a lack of funding, the county settled on hiding the station behind trees and shrubs as a short-term solution.[12]

Services

Grade crossing at Lakefront Station that leads to the station's building.

Cleveland has four daily trains: the Capitol Limited (trains 29 and 30) between Washington, D.C., and Chicago, and the Lake Shore Limited (trains 48/448 and 49/449) between Chicago and New York City/Boston.[3] As of January 2014, these trains were scheduled to arrive/depart from Cleveland at various times between 1:00 a.m. and 5:50 a.m.[13][14] The timing of the departures and arrivals has drawn criticism, with Amtrak also trying to tinker with train schedules through suggestions, reminding people that the schedules are not set in stone.[15]

The Cleveland

accessible.[17] However, the Waterfront Line does not run during most of the time of day that includes Amtrak arrivals or departures.[17][18]

The Lake Shore Limited has served Lakefront Station from its opening in 1975. The Capitol Limited began stopping at Lakefront on November 12, 1990, after

New York schedule.[20]

On May 27, 2021, Amtrak released a long-range planning document detailing plans for multiple new corridor routes, including possible extensions of one round trip of the Pennsylvanian and

Detroit via Toledo, and to Cincinnati via Columbus and Dayton.[21] However, Lakefront Station would be unable to accommodate this dramatic increase in service. For this reason, a group by the name of All Aboard Ohio is pushing for the restoration of rail service at Cleveland Union Terminal.[22]

Station layout

The Amtrak platform
Cleveland Lakefront station, February 2021

Amtrak trains stop on the southernmost track at a side platform; the RTA tracks do not have any true platforms, but RTA trains can stop on the walkway between the station building and Amtrak platform.[17] The structure has a porte-cochère, which protects passengers from inclement weather.[23] The interior was built with a similar design to that of the exterior, and features a central skylight. Shadows from its exposed trusses create different patterns on the brown brick floor, built in a basket-weaved pattern.[23] Exposed ductwork is visible throughout the trusses, as are the light fixtures. All of the ceiling elements are painted white, which tend to recede and produce a sense of airiness which is further enhanced by the floor-to-ceiling windows.[23] Banks of seats are located close to public telephones and a vending area.[23]

See also

References

  1. ^ Juniewicz, Andrew M. (October 29, 1975). "500 welcome city's 1st passenger train since Amtrak left". No. 302. The Plain Dealer.
  2. ^ "Amtrak Fact Sheet, Fiscal Year 2022: State of Ohio" (PDF). Amtrak. June 2023. Retrieved August 30, 2023.
  3. ^ a b "Amtrak Lake Shore Limited Train Route Guide" (PDF). Amtrak. Retrieved January 20, 2014.
  4. ^ "Cleveland Union Terminal". Encyclopedia of Cleveland. Retrieved February 11, 2014.
  5. ^ Clark, John (January 2, 1972). "Amtrak Signals Wrong Bus Line". The Plain Dealer. Vol. 131, no. 2. p. 11. Retrieved February 25, 2023.
  6. ISBN 978-0-87338-547-3
    .; 280, 295.
  7. ^ "Amtrak Station to Be Built". The News-Herald. Port Clinton, Ohio. September 5, 1975. p. 6. Retrieved March 12, 2022 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  8. ^ Baer, Christopher T. (April 2015). A GENERAL CHRONOLOGY OF THE PENNSYLVANIA RAILROAD COMPANY ITS PREDECESSORS AND SUCCESSORS AND ITS HISTORICAL CONTEXT (PDF). Retrieved August 23, 2022.
  9. Toledo Blade
    . July 12, 1977. Retrieved February 10, 2014.
  10. Amtrak News
    . July 15, 1977. Retrieved December 19, 2014.
  11. ^ "Search for Cleveland's Amtrak station can take travelers off track: Road Rant". The Plain Dealer. July 18, 2010. Retrieved February 2, 2014.
  12. ^ a b "Cuyahoga County wants to hide Amtrak station from convention center view". The Plain Dealer. August 28, 2012. Retrieved February 2, 2014.
  13. ^ "Capitol Limited Timetable" (PDF). Amtrak. January 2014. Retrieved February 2, 2014.
  14. ^ "Lake Shore Limited Timetable" (PDF). Amtrak. January 2014. Retrieved February 2, 2014.
  15. ^ "Amtrak to review service on routes through Cleveland". The Plain Dealer. March 11, 2010. Retrieved February 2, 2014. But that doesn't mean the schedule is set in stone for the Capital Limited. "Everything is on the table, and there are no bad ideas," he said.
  16. ^ "Waterfront Line". Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority. Retrieved February 2, 2014.
  17. ^ a b c "Amtrak (by request only) Rapid Station". Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority. April 2, 2013. Retrieved February 2, 2014.
  18. ISBN 978-0-226-82979-1
    .
  19. ISBN 978-0-7603-2302-1
    .
  20. Toledo Blade
    . Retrieved August 17, 2010.
  21. ^ "Amtrak 2021 Corridor Vision" (PDF). May 27, 2021. Retrieved May 31, 2021.
  22. ^ Glaser, Susan; clevel; .com (April 15, 2021). "Rail advocacy group wants Cleveland Amtrak station back at Tower City". cleveland. Retrieved March 22, 2022.
  23. ^ a b c d "Cleveland, OH – Great American Stations". Great American Stations. Retrieved February 2, 2014.

External links

Media related to Cleveland Lakefront station at Wikimedia Commons

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