Warrensville–Van Aken station

Warrensville–Van Aken station (signed as Warrensville) is a station on the RTA light rail Blue Line in Shaker Heights, Ohio. It is the eastern terminus of the Blue Line. Unlike most of the stations in Shaker Heights, Warrensville–Van Aken is located off street, not in the median of Van Aken Boulevard. It is located in a block surrounded by Chagrin Boulevard (U.S. Route 422), Van Aken Boulevard, and Northfield Road (Ohio State Route 8) and Tuttle Road in the midst of a dense retail/commercial area. The station is located one block west of Warrensville Center Road, after which it named.

For the station on the RTA Green Line, see Warrensville–Shaker station.
Warrensville
Warrensville–Van Aken station platform
General information
Location3470 Warrensville Center Road
Shaker Heights, Ohio
Coordinates 41°27′57″N 81°32′16″W
Owned byGreater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority
Line(s)Van Aken Boulevard
Platforms1 island platform
Tracks3
ConnectionsBus transport RTA: 14, 14A, 41, 41F[1]
Construction
Structure typeAt-grade
Bicycle facilitiesRacks
AccessibleHandicapped/disabled access Yes
Other information
Websiteriderta.com/facilities/warrensvillevanaken
History
OpenedJuly 30, 1930 (1930-07-30)
Rebuilt1981, 1999
Original companyCleveland Interurban Railroad
Services
Preceding station Rapid Transit Following station
Farnsleigh
toward Tower City
 Blue Line Terminus

History
Station sign

The station opened when the Van Aken line was extended east from Lynnfield Road. The extension opened on July 30, 1930 at the same time that trains began using Cleveland Union Terminal.[2]: 45  The station originally included a car yard with a reverse U loop for turning cars around. A passenger station building was constructed within the 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.[2]: 59  In 1948, the reverse U loop was replaced by a regular turnaround loop.[2]: 76 

Wheelchair ramp

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.[2]: 111 

The car yard was not needed after RTA opened its Central Rail Maintenance Facility on April 29, 1984 at East 55th Street.[3] 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 two-mile (3.2 km) extension into and around the 600-acre (240 ha) 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.[4][5]

Station layout

The station has a single island platform with a few small shelters along with a pair of ramps to allow passengers with disabilities to access trains.

Westbound ←      Blue Line toward Tower City (Farnsleigh)
Island platform Handicapped/disabled access
Westbound ←      Blue Line toward Tower City (Farnsleigh)
Storage track → No service

Notable places nearby

References
  1. "Blue Line Green Line Schedule" (PDF). Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority. March 20, 2022. Retrieved May 11, 2023.
  2. Toman, Jim (1990). The Shaker Heights Rapid Transit. Glendale, Calif.: Interurban Press. ISBN 0-916374-95-5. OCLC 22733637.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  3. "About RTA: History of Public Transit in Greater Cleveland". RTA Website. Retrieved 2007-06-30.
  4. "Transit 2025 Plan" (PDF). Cleveland, Ohio: Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority. March 2006. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  5. "Greater Cleveland RTA rail planning updates". Transportation Choices. EcoCity Cleveland. Retrieved 2007-06-20.

Media related to Warrensville–Van Aken station at Wikimedia Commons

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