The Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (RTA) marked the centennial of its Green and Blue light rail lines on Dec. 17.

On that date in 1913, trains began operating on a 1.6-mile segment of private right-of-way between the suburban city of Shaker Heights and the Terminal Tower project in Cleveland as part of a plan by developers and brothers O.P. and M.J. Van Sweringen. The Cleveland & Youngstown Railway, as it was first known, had a fare of 3 cents.

“It’s great to have been able to serve this region with passenger rail for 100 years now, as many other communities keep struggling with how to make it happen,” said RTA Chief Executive Officer and General Manager/Secretary-Treasurer Joseph Calabrese. “RTA has and will continue to invest in upgrading this network for the benefit of our growing customer base.”

RTA light rail continues to operate on the original track—the oldest section of continuously operating tracks still in use in Cuyahoga County, and one of the few surviving American light rail systems from the original streetcar era. It is now served by five RTA Green Line stations.

In 1920, the line changed its name to the Cleveland Interurban ­Railway (CIRR). That same year, the Van ­Sweringen brothers opened a direct, dedicated line, separating light rail trains from other rail and street traffic, from Shaker Heights to East 34th Street.

The city of Cleveland acquired the Cleveland Railway in 1942, and in 1944 the city of Shaker Heights acquired the CIRR. The two systems united in 1975 with the creation of RTA.