CINCINNATI — Railway advocates say we’re closer than ever to getting Amtrak to connect Ohio. It comes after the state received planning grants from the federal government last month.
In December, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Railroad Administration selected four Ohio routes for feasibility studies:
- Cleveland-Columbus-Dayton-Cincinnati, the 3C+D corridor
- Cleveland-Toledo-Detroit
- Chicago-Fort Wayne-Columbus-Pittsburgh, the Midwest Connect corridor via Lima, Kenton, Marysville, Columbus, Newark, Coshocton, Newcomerstown, Uhrichsville, and Steubenville in Ohio
- Daily Cardinal Service, increasing service frequency from three days per week to daily on Amtrak’s current service to Cincinnati between New York City, Washington, DC and Chicago, IL via the States of Virginia, West Virginia, Kentucky, Indiana, and Illinois
The federal government’s involvement in the planning process is what advocates say is the difference for this passenger rail push compared to years and decades prior.
In 2021, Congress allocated a record $66 billion to passenger rail. It’s the largest investment since Amtrak was founded, according to the White House.
“Ohio, in many ways, is a classic example of where rail could work,” said Derrick James, Amtrak government affairs director.
The key characteristics of the Buckeye State is that it has multiple vibrant cities within a few hundred miles of each other, with many railway tracks already in place.
Ohio’s lines would require a track sharing agreement with freight railroads, something James said is common.
“It can be a win-win for both the freight railroads and for Amtrak,” he said.
Nonprofit All Aboard Ohio has been championing the “3C+D” corridor, which connects Ohio's major metropolitan cities. The hope is to have three to five daily round trips at 79 mph, All Aboard Chair Erin Rosiello said.
Her organization put together an economic study of the corridor, which shows an initial economic impact of up to $36 million.
“There are states out there that are a little bit ahead of us and their programs are well developed,” Rosiiello said, pointing to states like North Carolina. “They continue to invest in those programs.”
The current initial feasibility study is entirely federally funded. If proposed routes move to further stages, it will require state lawmakers to match the federal government’s contribution at 10% or 20%, depending on the stage.
James said the group’s economic impact study is critical for securing lawmaker support.
“The state and local citizens are going to make a decision as to whether or not the sort of value proposition is there,” he said.
Another question that remains to be seen: would people take the train if it was built? In the northeast, train travel is relatively connected and more frequent. It’s something Ohio has never seen before.
All Aboard Ohio Vice-Chair Mitch Radakovich points to other states that were able to induce demand: “it’s little-by-little.”
“Then all of a sudden, they're taking it to their universities, they're taking it to visit family. They're taking it to access different airports,” he said.
The initial feasibility study will be completed over the next year. If the idea continues to move forward, completion of the rail line would be 6-7 years away.
