Ohio wants high speed passenger rail
Governor Strickland recently asked Amtrak to consider Ohio for a high speed passenger rail to connect Cincinnati, Columbus, and Cleveland - with stops in other Ohio cities as well. Passenger rail was an important method of transportation for Ohioans in our history. With today’s changing economy, expensive or unavailable energy and fuel, and need to conserve natural resources, the Governor believes that restoring rail in Ohio will create jobs and attract new business.
The good news is that 5 other states are also working with Amtrak on passenger rail evaluations, confirming that the decision to look into high speed rail travel is a good one. The bad news is that Ohio will have to wait 12-18 months for the study to be completed.
The Governor’s rail plan has been dubbed the Ohio Hub. It is designed to link Ohio’s major cities to each other as well as neighboring states. This map shows that the Ohio Hub would link Cincinnati with northern Cincinnati on it’s way to Dayton and further north and east to Toledo, Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Indianapolis, Chicago, Buffalo and more. Chicago and Buffalo are large Amtrak stations and will enable you to connect with nearly any major city in the northeastern US or further.
Just this summer I rode the Amtrak from Chicago all the way to L.A. on the Southwest Chief, and then on to San Diego on the Pacific Surfliner to visit family. The whole vacation across the country was managed with mass transit - no airplanes or cars (with the exception of one cab ride when my suitcase handle broke in downtown L.A. and I was too irritated to walk all the way back to the subway train).
Imagine being able to commute to locally and to Dayton for work via fast train. That’s a who lot less cars on the road and an incredibly better potential for good air quality and fuel conservation across the state. Besides, think of the people from Cleveland and Columbus who would take long weekend trips to Cincinnati to check out our lively downtown, enjoy our arts, eat some Skyline Chili, and ride our streetcar around town.
The Amtrak Cardinal line currently runs right through Cincinnati on it’s way between Washington D.C. and Chicago. It’s not a high speed train, but it is a great way to travel. Not many people know that the Amtrak still runs out of Cincinnati for passengers from the historic Union Terminal Station. Consider taking your next trip via Amtrak rail and leave the driving (and gas tank filling) at home.
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Trains sound nice, but who will ride them? This is a fantasy and a silly waste of money. Currently, the government has to subsidize $230 for every passenger that rides AmTrak, on every trip. This is not cost effective, and the trains are empty now. This is not a good use of resources. Now, the “Green” Gov. Strickland wants to add 20 days the school year. Every school bus in the state running 20 extra days, more pollution, more fuel consumption and schools needing heating or cooling for 20 more days! Where is the sense in this?
I would love to have the passenger rail. My 12 year old loves trains. I live in Columbus but would move back to my hometown Dayton if I could ride the high speed rail to work in Columbus during the work week. It is future. I would ride the train on weekends to Cleveland to games and to the museums. I would ride to Cincinnati to games. When I was a child my aunt took me to the old beautiful train station in Cincinnati. Oh, I could visit the Cincinnat Zoo and the African American Museum in Cincinnati. Teacher could also take their students to other cities for field trips more easily. Students could live in one city and ride the train to another for classes. Dayton students could attend OSU and not have to relocate. Wow, all the possibilities.