Opinion: Our cars aren't enough to keep Ohio moving. We desperately need passenger trains
Linda Horning Pitt is the mayor of the village of Crestline in Crawford and Richland counties.
Ohio’s economic renaissance is here.
Massive new investments like the Intel project and Honda plant are poised to expand economic opportunity across the state, including in rural communities.
This growth holds promise, but also poses challenges. Nowhere is this clearer than on public transportation policy, which needs to embrace new forms of public transportation for the 21st century.
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It’s true that Ohio has traditionally been a vehicle-centric state. The advent of the automobile and the construction of our main federal highways in the 1960’s cemented
our current status as a state dependent on vehicles. Anyone stuck in traffic on I-71 or Route 30 has probably wished at some point for an alternative.
It’s clear our current automobile infrastructure simply can’t keep up by itself. The population of just central Ohio alone is expected to triple by the year 2050 and this doesn’t even count the new announcements of businesses relocating to Ohio that we’re seeing almost daily.
If we’re going to build an inclusive and equitable transportation network that suits the needs of businesses and connects rural Ohioans to our larger cities, we have to creatively explore options like passenger rail.
Obviously, many of our rural communities lack access to trains, but our major cities are some of the largest in the country without access too. Look at Columbus. The last passenger train came through the city in 1979.
Since that time, the Columbus population has increased 60% and large business operations like the booming tech industry continue to build outward into Columbus suburbs. Yet Columbus has remained disconnected on the rail network from other economic powerhouses like Chicago and Indianapolis and even Cincinnati.
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We can change this.
Passenger rail follows existing railway lines and the number of trains can be scaled up and down, depending on demand.
Imagine the tremendous economic and societal benefits for Ohio if our citizens are connected to each other and the entire country. Passenger rail would provide a reliable, predictable option for affordable travel that also proves to businesses looking to expand to Ohio that we are investing in our infrastructure for all Ohioans.
My hometown of Crestline was built by the power of railroads back in 1851. Thanks to our strategic location, our community benefited from having direct rail access. And the passenger trains that stopped in Crestline until 1990 brought us thousands of visitors from across the country. Imagine if passenger trains start rolling again.
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Back in 2021, the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission conducted a study showing over 1 million new jobs and more than 3 million additional people are expected to live along possible passenger rail corridors in Ohio by the year 2050.
There isn’t a single, one-size-fits-all fix for our transportation issues.
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Our state covers thousands of square miles and people will always drive cars and SUVs. But by planning decisively right now, we can offer Ohioans new solutions like passenger rail that meet the coming challenges of the next 30 years.
Linda Horning Pitt is the mayor of the village of Crestline in Crawford and Richland counties.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: How would passenger trains benefit Ohio, Columbus?
