MORPC, Columbus Partnership throw weight behind Amtrak expansion in Ohio

Patrick Cooley, The Columbus Dispatch
·3 min read
The Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission and the Columbus Partnership business group both support Amtrak expansion to Columbus.
The Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission and the Columbus Partnership business group both support Amtrak expansion to Columbus.

The Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission and the Columbus Partnership are throwing their weight behind a proposal to bring Amtrak to Greater Columbus.

The organizations held two briefings in the fall with Amtrak executives and former U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, and have convened a group of thought leaders that includes officials from Ohio State University, the Greater Columbus Convention Center and the Columbus and Franklin County governments.

"We saw the window of opportunity opening last year," MORPC Executive Director William Murdock said. "That's why we engaged with some of these other organizations to begin these conversations."

Amtrak in Ohio: Ohio exploring passenger rail expansion with Amtrak

Greater Columbus should be attractive to Amtrak as one of the fastest growing regions in the Midwest, Murdock said.

"We're pretty optimistic that this region has the best business case (for a passenger rail line) based on the population, the potential uses, and the lack of any service right now," he said.

If Columbus-region residents need to travel to nearby cities such as Cincinnati or Pittsburgh, the interstates are among their only options, Murdock said. A rail line gives them an alternative.

Cleveland has one stop on an Amtrak line. Trains stop there on the way from Chicago to the East Coast and vice versa.

"I don't know if people are aware we already have strong Amtrak service in Ohio," Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency Executive Director Grace Gallucci said.

This map that Amtrak released March 31 last year shows where Amtrak said it could expand service if it received $80 billion in federal aid. The dark lines show Amtrak's national network. The light lines show where there would be new service or possible new service.
This map that Amtrak released March 31 last year shows where Amtrak said it could expand service if it received $80 billion in federal aid. The dark lines show Amtrak's national network. The light lines show where there would be new service or possible new service.

NOACA is lobbying Amtrak to improve the existing service by moving trains through Northeast Ohio more frequently. Currently trains only stop in Cleveland in the middle of the night.

Amtrak trains stop in six Ohio cities besides Cleveland: Elyria, Sandusky, Toledo, Bryan, Alliance and Cincinnati.

More: MORPC: Use infrastructure money on Amtrak, affordable housing, broadband in Columbus area

Rail supporters have limited time. Ohio has to decide by mid-summer if it supports the rail line or the money will go to another state.

A bipartisan infrastructure bill signed into law last year included billions of dollars for an Amtrak expansion and the quasi-public transportation company proposed a rail line connecting Cincinnati, Dayton, Columbus and Cleveland that would cost around $100 million.

More: Greater Columbus Convention Center under consideration as Amtrak station site

Some of the details need to be worked out, but the line likely will follow existing freight lines. The company detailed a proposal for a stop in the Greater Columbus Convention Center Downtown late last year.

The proposal needs the go-ahead from Ohio’s government. Earlier this week Gov. Mike DeWine ordered the Ohio Rail Development Commission to work with Amtrak to explore new routes.

Former Governor John Kasich killed a similar proposal in 2010 on the grounds that it was too expensive and trains would move too slowly.

Amtrak is addressing those concerns, promising to pay the upfront costs, along with maintenance costs for at least five years, using money from the infrastructure bill. Amtrak says a trip from Cincinnati to Cleveland on the proposed line would take a little more than five hours.

pcooley@dispatch.com

@PatrickACooley

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Amtrak expansion: Columbus business leaders push passenger rail return