# Is the area at the Cleveland train station safe?



## Dawn (Sep 14, 2012)

My daughter is a student at Case Western. I was going to have her take the Amtrak from Chicago to Case. It arrives at 6 am on Sunday. How safe is it for her to be there at that time? She may have to wait a short time for someone to pick her up.


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## Shawn Ryu (Sep 14, 2012)

Its not too bad. Its not the ghetto part of Cleveland.


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## Swadian Hardcore (Sep 15, 2012)

It's fine. Not a problem.


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## AKA (Sep 15, 2012)

Dawn said:


> My daughter is a student at Case Western. I was going to have her take the Amtrak from Chicago to Case. It arrives at 6 am on Sunday. How safe is it for her to be there at that time? She may have to wait a short time for someone to pick her up.



No problem. The station in Cleveland is a well kept secret. [ Theres a train that goes thru Cleveland ??? ]


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## railiner (Sep 15, 2012)

AKA said:


> Dawn said:
> 
> 
> > My daughter is a student at Case Western. I was going to have her take the Amtrak from Chicago to Case. It arrives at 6 am on Sunday. How safe is it for her to be there at that time? She may have to wait a short time for someone to pick her up.
> ...


Indeed. The first time I tried to drive to it, I went around in circles a few times. It is like a maze if you don't pick the correct approach from the expressway....


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## Railroad Bill (Sep 15, 2012)

We use CLE for all of our Amtrak trips (just returned this morning at 2am :giggle: ),

The area around the station is pretty isolated from the downtown so you do not have street people, etc/ roaming around the station. The gated parking lot is pretty safe. We have left our cars there on all trips without incidents. There are always two agents on duty.

There are always cabs waiting at the station when trains arrive. The station stays open until 1pm so no problem waiting in the lobby for her ride to pick her up.

You noted she would arrive around 6am so I assume she is taking the Lake Shore instead of the Cap Ltd.

I would not be concerned about her at the CLE station.


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## Dovecote (Sep 19, 2012)

AKA said:


> Dawn said:
> 
> 
> > My daughter is a student at Case Western. I was going to have her take the Amtrak from Chicago to Case. It arrives at 6 am on Sunday. How safe is it for her to be there at that time? She may have to wait a short time for someone to pick her up.
> ...


My neighbor in Harpers Ferry (HFY) is from France and recently her brother visited her in the states. He took a side trip into Canada (CD) visiting Montreal, Toronto, and Niagara Falls. From Niagara he took a bus to Buffalo and another bus to Cleveland to catch the Capitol Limited to HFY.

In his haste leaving Canada he did not transfer his CD money into US funds. His French credit card was not working in the ATM's. He could not get a taxi to transport him and had no choice to walk late at night from the Cleveland Greyhound station to the Amtrak station. He arrived safe and sound with only one minor panhandling episode.

In regard to the Cleveland station being a well kept secret, this is very true. When my neighbor's brother was somewhat disoriented at Paul Brown Stadium (in close proximity of the station) he asked a security guard the location of the train station. The security guard did not know where it was!


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## BigRedEO (Jan 6, 2015)

Railroad Bill said:


> We use CLE for all of our Amtrak trips (just returned this morning at 2am
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I know this is an old thread, but I especially wanted to ask Railroad Bill about this - I've taken 3 - 4 day trips where I've left my car in the Cleveland Amtrak lot without any problems, but I'm about to leave on a two week trip via Amtrak and I don't know that I'd trust my car in their Cleveland lot for two weeks. Plus I thought the station was only open/manned from 1AM - 6AM?


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## Lakeshore (Jan 7, 2015)

The station is open from 11 PM to 7:30 AM, according to the Amtrak site.

We have left our car there for 10 or 11 days before. I wouldn't hesitate to leave it there again.


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## Railroad Bill (Jan 7, 2015)

BigRedEO said:


> Railroad Bill said:
> 
> 
> > We use CLE for all of our Amtrak trips (just returned this morning at 2am
> ...


We have left our car in the CLE parking lot for two weeks at a time without incident. They have shortened the hours the station is open but when no one is in the station the outside fence/gate is locked and access is denied. But someone is always around until all trains arrive and depart, even if they are running very late, as what happened this past summer and fall. Make sure you park under a light and do not leave anything interesting in view on your seats. Our biggest concern for our trip next week is whether the car will start when we return after leaving it in subzero temps for two weeks.


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## BigRedEO (Jan 7, 2015)

Thanks for the replies Railroad Bill & Lakeshore. I was worried because I read at a City-Data forum some people said they've had their cars broken into when they left them there a long time. Winter is the least likely time for something like that to happen at least - but LUCKILY found someone willing to take me. Last taxi ride there cost me $65 (thanks Mayor Jackson for "fixing" the "taxi problem" in Cleveland - you "fixed" it all right).


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## Swh2015 (Jun 1, 2015)

We just got back from a one week trip and our car was stolen. Police said another had been broken into. Lot would benefit from a CCTV or some kind of ticket system.


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## Railroad Bill (Jun 1, 2015)

Swh2015 said:


> We just got back from a one week trip and our car was stolen. Police said another had been broken into. Lot would benefit from a CCTV or some kind of ticket system.


Very sorry to hear this about our CLE station. Just talked to a reliable source and there were at least two cars stolen over the weekend. We have left our car there for nearly eight years without incident but looks like things are getting nasty in the Cleveland crime scene again. Car thefts are up all over town according to police records.


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## Bob Dylan (Jun 1, 2015)

Sorry to hear this, Cleveland was on the way back after decades of blight and neglect!

Hopefully the authorities and Amtrak can correct this sad situation @ the Station by the Lake!


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## Cina (Jun 1, 2015)

Railroad Bill said:


> We have left our car there for nearly eight years..


Not to make light of the situation, but you should probably go pick up your car.


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## Railroad Bill (Jun 1, 2015)

Cina said:


> Railroad Bill said:
> 
> 
> > We have left our car there for nearly eight years..
> ...


Yes, we keep forgetting to pick it up.  But I do wish Amtrak would arrange with the city of Cleveland, who actually owns the lot, to have cameras installed and to have a better police presence there. Not sure if the cars were taken when the gates were open and agents inside or after hours, which meant they would have to break the locks on the fence to remove the cars? Either way there is very little police activity around the station. Have only seen one Cleveland police officer in the station in the early hours in all the years we have been using CLE and that time they were looking for someone specifically.


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## niemi24s (Jun 1, 2015)

IMHO the best way to prevent the theft of a parked car/truck is to park a "beater". A 2015 Cadillac Escalade may be gone before sunrise. A 2002 Ford F-150 will probably be there until - uh - forever!


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## TylerP42 (Jun 1, 2015)

Isn't the train station right next to the Rock N' Roll Hall of fame?


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## Railroad Bill (Jun 1, 2015)

TylerP42 said:


> Isn't the train station right next to the Rock N' Roll Hall of fame?


Yes, very close and across the Shoreway from Browns Stadium.


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## Bob Dylan (Jun 2, 2015)

Railroad Bill said:


> TylerP42 said:
> 
> 
> > Isn't the train station right next to the Rock N' Roll Hall of fame?
> ...


Maybe Johnny Football stole it? He gets blamed for everything bad that happens in Cleveland! LOL


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## Headache (Jun 4, 2015)

I was waiting for this to happen. When I lived in Cleveland(west siyyeeedddd) it was an underground secret that the safest place in the city was the train station. /sigh


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## MikefromCrete (Jun 4, 2015)

I hardly think two stolen cars is a cause for the complete downfall of everything.


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