...High Speed Intercity Passenger Rail Program: Cleveland-Columbus-Dayton-Cincinnati

WHITEHOUSE.gov ^ | January 27, 2010 | n/a

[Cindy]

Note: The following text (minus the graph) is a quote:

http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/fact-sheet-high-speed-intercity-passenger-rail-program-cleveland-columbus

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The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release January 27, 2010 Fact Sheet: High Speed Intercity Passenger Rail Program: Cleveland - Columbus - Dayton - Cincinnati

Awardees: Ohio Department of Transportation

Total Approximate Funding (entire corridor): $400,000,000

Benefiting State: Ohio

Miles of Track: New - 250 miles

This new corridor connects four major metropolitan areas in Ohio: Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton, and Cincinnati. This significant route, named the “3C Corridor,” has a length of 250 miles and will serve communities near Lake Erie, in Central Ohio, and the Tri-State region around Cincinnati. These metropolitan areas are among the largest in the United States that are currently not served by passenger rail.

The corridor will connect 12 economically-distressed counties, and the new service will create thousands of direct and indirect jobs throughout the state. The project will also bring livability benets to the region, as many new stations will be constructed or restored in historic downtowns where they will connect to transit and other modes of transportation. Nearly 40 colleges and universities lie in close proximity to the route, as do the headquarters of 22 Fortune 500 companies.

The 3C Corridor is expected to be the first phase of a long-term vision for an extensive network of passenger rail corridors connecting the cities of Ohio and neighboring states. Subsequent phases are expected to increase speeds, cut trip times and boost available round trips.

Summary of Corridor Investments Using funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), this new service is expected to oer three daily round trips at speeds up to 79 mph, serving a population of more than 6.8 million people (nearly 60 percent of Ohio’s population).

This investment will fund a number of projects across the state, including track upgrades, grade crossings, new stations, and maintenance facilities. This project will also include planning for necessary equipment that can support future service improvements.

[windsorknot]

AMTRAK II: The Sequel.

[oust the louse]

I’m a west sider (Avon Lake) in C-town GOP lady. I won’t even ride the transit downtown. Some seedy characters roaming those cars. No reason for me to even think about riding this disaster....Heck, I can do 79 mph’s and get there faster without any smelly guy sitting next to me. Now if that train did 150 mph’s....maybe....
Let’s hope this dies on the drawing board...

[GranTorino]

I meant freedom as not having to follow tracks. I know driving is not a right but a privilege. But you are free to go where you want. Believe it or not, everyone will not have easy access to these stations.
If you think rail travel gives you more access to the state than a car. I hope you like walking or paying for a cab.
You think ticket sales will pay for the construction and upkeep of these rails.
If you do , you better wake up and smell the taxes.

[Cindy]

Yep.

[Pontiac]

Much as I love trains, I don't think government has any business building or running them. If we got rid of AmKrash and let private companies handle all the railroads again, that would be great!

The private railroads got out of the passenger business for economic reasons. Air passenger transportation was taking away their patrons.

After Reagan deregulated the Airline industry there was no possibility of resurrecting rail travel. The airfares fell and their was no way the railroads could compete with the prices or the speed of airlines.

One of the major problems with high speed rail service is that most of the plans include the use of pre-existing commercial rail lines.

To get the agreement of the owners of those lines the guberment must agree that the passenger service will not impede freight service. This means that a passenger train will be sided to allow a freight train to pass.

Good does it do to have a train that can cruise at 75 mph if it spends a half hour here and a half hour there sitting on a siding waiting for a 200 car coal train to pass by

To me high speed rail would require a new set of tracks purpose built to support a 200 mph+ passenger train. That means high banked curves and high maintenance (something government is not particularly good at).

[Waco]

79mph is hi-speed???

[Pontiac]

It is as fast as existing rail in Ohio can safely accommodate.

[OneLoyalAmerican]

This is too funny. Greyhound already serves this “corridor.” And frankly, Greyhound, a private business, provides better transportation between these cities than flying or Amtrak does.