May 6 : Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority Committee Meetings
Covered by Documenter Collin Cunningham (notes)
Follow the money
The Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority’s Board of Trustees’ Committees met Tuesday, May 6, to review and vote on upcoming contracts and projects.
Up first was the Organizational, Services & Performance Monitoring Committee, with RTA Director of Revenue Collection Allen Polly presenting on a contract with Brink’s, Inc. to handle daily revenue collections and processing services. Polly explained that the contractor would be responsible for using an armored vehicle and armed personnel to pick up and deposit fares that RTA’s Revenue Department staff have collected from cashboxes and standing kiosks.
Farebox collection from customer payments made on buses and trains is done every night at the storage facilities, and the cash is placed in bins by Revenue Department staff, said Polly. Revenue staff also collect the money from kiosks and ticket vending machines accompanied by transit police.
“They go station to station on the HealthLine, and the Red Lines, they remove currency and coin, take it back to the revenue facility where it is processed, and we prepare a deposit that Brink’s will pick up.”
The contract with Brink’s is for a maximum of five years and is not to exceed $1.68 million. RTA’s full Board of Trustees approved the contract at its next meeting on Tuesday, May 20.
RTA Four-week shutdown coming for resignaling work
RTA’s Operational Planning & Infrastructure Committee received a change order from RTA Engineering Project Manager Kathleen McGervey to adjust a contract for a resignaling project affecting train lines from E. 79th to Shaker Square.
Construction deadlines will be moved up to 2025, and additional funding of about $95,000 is needed to complete the project, according to McGervey. The project will require a four-week shutdown of the rail lines, but McGervey did not specify when this will occur.
Design changes to bungalows that house signals, equipment and processors on the rail lines are the primary reasons for the change, said McGervey. “That’s gonna require additional excavation and also some retaining walls due to the fact that we’re on a hill side.”
RTA’s full Board of Trustees approved the contract at its next meeting on Tuesday, May 20.
Suggested Reading
Budget amendment to purchase more railcars
RTA’s Manager of Budget Eric Vukmanic presented a request for a $72 million increase to RTA’s 2025 Capital Improvement Plan budget to add a dozen new railcars to its network.
Since 2023, RTA has approved the purchase of 48 new railcars. Finance Director Rajan Gautam said the original plan was for a procurement of 60 vehicles total, and these are the final twelve cars.
“If we do not exercise that option, there will be some delays in the production line. You may lose your spot in the production cycle and may incur some additional penalties,” Gautam said.
The board unanimously approved the $72 million addition to RTA’s 2025 Capital Improvement Plan budget at its May 20 meeting.