Crestline Amtrak supporters urged to 'remain vocal'

CRESTLINE — Supporters of a plan to bring passenger rail service back to the village need to keep pressuring state leaders, speakers at an informational meeting about the proposal said Wednesday.

"It's important for you to remain vocal," said Stu Nicholson, executive director of All Aboard Ohio.

In 2021, Amtrak published a map of potential new routes nationwide, including one connecting Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton and Cincinnati — with a stop in Crestline.

The Galion-Crestline Area Chamber of Commerce presented the "Amtrak in Crestline" town hall meeting Wednesday afternoon at The Hub at Village Square, 311 N. Seltzer St. About 100 people attended to learn more about the proposed "3C&D" line and how that would impact the community.

Nicholson, who described All Aboard Ohio as "the state's only statewide passenger rail and public transportation advocacy organization," praised Gov. Mike DeWine for last week's announcement the Ohio Rail Development Commission has been directed to apply for the first phase of funding to study expanding passenger rail service in Ohio.

The Federal Railroad Administration’s Corridor Identification and Development program would assist the state in assessing potential intercity passenger rail corridors.

"The one thing you have to keep in mind on this is ... the map that we're seeing now is visionary," he said. "It's a starting point."

Mayor praised for dedication to project

Miranda Jones, the chamber's executive director, said she was very pleased with the event's turnout.

"I think this turnout today shows the commitment our area has, and the interest that they have in bringing Amtrak to Crestline," she said. "You've got people here that remember being on the very last passenger train that left Crestline, and that's why they're here — because they want to help bring it back."

"This is exciting," said Crestline Mayor Linda Horning Pitt. An Amtrak stop in Crestline could benefit the entire region, she said.

"I see more businesses coming in, more visitors coming in. We'll have some more shops downtown that will draw the visitors," she said. People getting off the train will be able to dine and shop in the village.

Nicholson and others praised the mayor for her dedication to making the stop a reality.

His organization has been excited about the plan "since the day it was first announced," he said. From the beginning, Horning Pitt stepped up to say "we want Crestline to be a stop," Nicholson said.

"You think about this: We have several much-larger cities in Ohio that it's taken a little bit of time for the mayors to come on board. Your mayor was here right from the get-go. And I think that set the tone."

Horning Pitt introduced the day's featured speaker, Derrick James, Amtrak's Chicago-based director for government affairs.

"We are going to make this happen, right?" she told the crowd. "Because if you put it out there positively, it's going to come back tenfold. That's all I can tell you."

Amtrak representative explains how the process will work

James said he spends a lot of time visiting small communities like Crestline, and he believes Amtrak offers the ability to connect "our smaller communities where there's so much going on, to the larger society."

"Back a couple of years ago, during the pandemic, Amtrak came up with a vision that we thought would really excite the American public, that if we were provided additional resources through the infrastructure bill, that we could really expand and make passenger trains relevant to more people in the U.S.," he said. "Many of you, or some of you, or maybe not many of you may remember days long ago when Crestline was really a hub for passenger trains. Well, we want to bring that back."

He asked the audience to imagine a day in the future when several passenger trains a day pulled into a station in the village, with 10 to 40 people getting on and off each time, and how that would affect everything from downtown businesses to the local real estate market.

Service to Crestline ended because of budget cuts in the late 1990s, James said. But in the last 10 to 15 years, Congress and the states have once again embraced the idea of having a good passenger rail system, "and they've started to invest in us."

In partnership with Amtrak, states will be able to seek federal funding for proposed services through a grant application process. James outlined the ways Amtrak has begun investing in its system to prepare for the expansion.

After the grant applications have been received, the federal government is expected to put out a map this summer of all of the corridors for which an application has been filed. Next, the states will begin feasibility studies for those corridors. About 18 months from now, details from those studies will be released. Based on that information, legislators will decide which lines to pursue.

"It's at that point that the state would need to come up with some funds to match federal dollars," he said. It's similar to the way highways are built, with the federal government contributing 80% of the cost, with a 20% state match. The state will make the final decision on whether to pursue the line.

Other information James shared:

● In an average day, roughly 55,030 car trips are made along the corridor that would be served by the 3C&D line, according to Amtrak's data — far more than the 14,850 trips between Cleveland-Indianapolis-Chicago, the 11,760 between Cleveland-Toledo-Detroit or the 7,690 between Cleveland-Buffalo-New York City.

● The estimated trip time from Cleveland to Cincinnati (passing through Columbus and Dayton) would be roughly 5½ hours, but people on a train are able to be productive that entire time.

● The expanded service will not require the installation of new tracks. Amtrak will work with freight haulers to use existing lines.

● In response to a question from the audience, James estimated it would be at least five years before service would be available in Crestline. "That's if everything goes smoothly," he said.

Letters seek governor's support

As the event started at 2 p.m., people attending had an opportunity to speak one-on-one with some of the rail representatives and local elected officials, including James, Nicholson, Horning Pitt, Jones, village administrator Corey Spackey, David Zak of the Crawford Partnership, and two Crawford County commissioners.

"Just an opportunity to network and get some answers," Jones said.

Chamber staffers encouraged people attending the meeting to sign letters to the governor, encouraging him to work with Amtrak to bring passenger rail back to the village. Jones said the letters were to be delivered to Dewine's office the next day.

"So hopefully Gov. DeWine will see that we're serious, and we need this here," Jones said.

The process is still in an early stage, Nicholson stressed.

He encouraged people to write letters to the editor in support of the project, not just in local markets but in Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnati. "Tell your story. Don't just say you want to see passenger trains in Ohio; tell why," Nicholson said. "How will it affect you?"

ggoble@gannett.com

419-559-7263

This article originally appeared on Bucyrus Telegraph-Forum: Supporters discuss how proposed Amtrak stop could benefit Crestline