KJP

Which is why the current federal policy toward passenger rail expansions sucks -- especially for states that aren't willing to initiate. It's like two kids sitting out a dance, waiting for the other to ask because they don't think it's their place to take the initiative. And, in Amtrak's and Ohio's cases, neither one is really waiting. They are preoccupied with many other things. Receiving trains in Ohio (from the state's perspective) or providing trains to Ohio (from Amtrak's perspective) would be "nice to have" but if the other really wants it, they're going to have to be the one to ask. Under federal policy, expansion doesn't happen unless a state asks for it. Even Brightline West's proposed Las Vegas-Los Angeles expansion couldn't win that big federal grant without the Nevada DOT signing off on it. Ditto for Brightline's introductory services in Florida which won a federal loan with the backing of FDOT (which also put $200+ million into its Orland station and OK'd Brightline's use of the State Route 528 right of way). But in those cases, Brightline lobbied state officials to request federal grants or loans. That's where Amtrak and Brightline differ. Amtrak isn't allowed to lobby although they are allowed to educate (much like 501c3 nonprofits). Amtrak hasn't been entrepreneurial/aggressive although that's changing (in part because Brightline and others are forcing them to). And if you've got an interstate expansion, it's even more complex unless one state is willing to drag others along with it. See Michigan DOT which got Indiana DOT to submit for the $75 million Indiana Gateway project to add passing sidings along Norfolk Southern's busy tracks in NW Indiana, as part of trio of Michigan routes that funnel into Chicago. Or you have Maine which created the multi-state New England Passenger Rail Authority to get Boston-Portland-New Brunswick up and-running through three states including a conservative, rail-reluctant New Hampshire. But it was the authority that did that -- not Amtrak, which is still mostly a reactive corporation. With Amtrak, your state creates the passenger-rail supportive infrastructure and even helps or takes over (see North Carolina) the acquisition of rail cars/locomotives, and Amtrak will run the trains for you under a purchase-of-service contract.

Another big factor favoring renting, or using cash to buy homes you can rent out. https://x.com/bobbyfijan/status/1734220367101653286?s=20

I favor Pittsburgh because Pittsburgh is a larger metro and there there are more travel synergies between Cleveland and Pittsburgh as well as Detroit to Pittsburgh. I get the connections, but I'd rather have some 3C trains go to Buffalo and Toronto. Something about traveling in straight lines is more advantageous. I also like the X-shaped hub at Cleveland. To me, Detroit to Buffalo through the USA is a long U-shaped route, although avoiding two border crossings has its value. If we had hourly train service (or better) like the civilized world, I'd definitely run some that way. This was at the bottom of the previous page. But this quote reminds me that the ORDC probably isn't the organization to do the job.... Updated the article with more quotes, including the first public comment from the state commission charged with the responsibility of developing passenger rail.... https://neo-trans.blog/2023/12/05/amtrak-expansions-to-cleveland-win-funding/

Based on the beating that the Prospect and especially Huron bridges take from trucks going above Tower City Center, how about a new centralized location for a bulk/aggregates shipping terminal that combines lake shipping, highway and rail located somewhere away from the central business district to spare the CBD, Tower City and the CMHA Riverview Estates from heavy trucks? How above reviving the idea of a new port island in Lake Erie?

It's almost like we need a direct truck route into the Flats, like a heavy-duty ramp and Cuyahoga River bridge from near the Ontario-Inner Belt interchange that bypasses the central business district... oh wait. I'll continue this discussion in the Port Authority thread in the transportation section.

I don't understand that either. If I was in charge, I'd have Monroe as a station stop. The 3C&D route doesn't go through Hilliard. And while is on the 3C&D route, I've never heard of London be considered for a station stop by Amtrak or the state. I love the CLE-TOL-CLE Corridor. I'd love it even more if it originated in PIT.

Correct. Hilliard and Dublin are on the route from Columbus to Chicago. Delaware is on the route from Columbus to Cleveland.

That's 3.4 inches of elevation difference between platform and floor height which exceeds the 2-inch variation allowed under ADA. Tracks at most stations could be raised with additional ballast (gravel) tamped (tucked) under the crossties. At other stations where tracks are directly fixed to a concrete roadbed or wooden/steel bridge deck, a taller rail can be installed. Most GCRTA rails are 100 pounds per yard but are being replaced with 130-pound rails which are going to be at least a half-inch taller. If they use the heaviest available rail, 152/155-pound rail, on direct-fixation station tracks, that will be about 2 inches taller than what's there now and provide ADA-compliant level-boarding. https://www.txholdings.com/rail_chart.php

Most traffic on I-71 in Ohio is in the metro areas and for travel wholly within each metro area. In the rural secttions, car travel is mostly short distance (ie: 10-40 miles, from one small town to another). In 2010, the 3C studies showed that the travel between the core cities of Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton and Cincinnati was something like 3,000 a day and the trains would attract nearly half of that. Development of passenger rail typically helps boost the economies of the core cities and thus boosts the travel between them. Crestline has been suggested recently by Amtrak as a Mansfield-area stop while Galion was proposed by the state in the 2010 effort.

I'm surprised they didn't design the new Portal bridge with four tracks. I understand a second bridge is planned but I would think a single four-track bridge would be cheaper as the deep foundations and bridge piers only have to constructed once. Then there's the matter of inflation. The NEC east of Portal widens to four tracks at Secaucus Transfer and west of Portal it widens to four tracks if you include the Kearny Connection.

The last data I saw for intercity travel was from 1995. I posted it February in this thread....

Cuyahoga County OK’s first microgrid utility in USA By Ken Prendergast / December 9, 2023 This week, Cuyahoga County has launched the first microgrid electrical utility in the United States. Cuyahoga Green Energy (CGE) has contracted with Compass Energy Platform to serve as the operator for the county-run utility. MORE: https://neo-trans.blog/2023/12/09/cuyahoga-county-oks-first-microgrid-utility-in-usa/

Seriously?? A Cleveland guy is the first one to post this?? You slippin' C-bus!

They're looking at pre-assembled sections they can install, like the tactile edges they already have. They should be able to do the east-side Red Line stations in a week and the west-side stations in just over a week. Did they say anything about platform vs. vehicle floor heights @Boomerang_Brian?

Don't laugh

Redirecting from the Centennial thread......... Yep. Which means TurnDev's proposal. I suggested the winner in the last four paragraphs of this column by noting that they're offering what the county wants... https://neo-trans.blog/2023/11/03/courthouse-proposals-are-on-trial/ Enjoy!

Redirecting to the county courthouse thread

Sounds like Frank didn't win the courthouse sweepstakes. I didn't think he or Bedrock would.

Is there a branch in there or just an ATM?

Some office development news....

BrandMuscle opens new Cleveland hub By Ken Prendergast / December 8, 2023 The bad news is that a Downtown Cleveland employer has reduced its office footprint. The good news is the company, BrandMuscle, a mid-sized marketing technology firm, opened a new office yesterday downtown. The better news is that BrandMuscle kept Cleveland as one of its two remaining office hubs along with Chicago, while closing other offices in Austin, TX and Kansas City, MO after switching to a largely remote-work culture. MORE: https://neo-trans.blog/2023/12/08/brandmuscle-opens-new-cleveland-hub/

If a study (and it's really a plan to determine what is needed to build something, not whether it should be built) was done more than five years ago, the feds won't accept it. Since there was a plan done 13 years ago, that's good news. It is still valid to serve as a roadmap to identify what has changed since. But a lot has changed, unfortunately. Freight traffic is down a bit due to market changes as well as railroads consolidating freight trains into longer consists which, while occupying less mainline track per movement, will require the construction of longer passing sidings. CSX's use of the middle portion of the route, from Galion to Columbus (58 miles), is virtually nil. That's actually a big opportunity. This portion could be turned into a high-speed section (110 mph) but will require follow-on preliminary engineering and environmental impact work. Most of the rest of the 3C&D Corridor and other passenger rail corridors with moderately to heavily traveled freight segments have been upgraded with Positive Train Control signals which can allow passenger speeds to be increased above 79 mph (although probably only to 90 in mixed traffic) if crossing gate timings are increased. And, of course, the cost of everything has gone up a lot -- especially in the infrastructure world. What cost $400 million in 2010 will cost upwards of $600 million in 2025.

Birthing Beautiful Communities to rise on Chester By Ken Prendergast / December 8, 2023 For the non-profit organization Birthing Beautiful Communities (BBC), their mission is often noted in news stories detailing Cuyahoga County’s infant mortality crisis. Sadly, the county has had one of worst infant mortality rates in the country and is a symptom of much larger problems including poverty, poor nutrition, inadequate housing and unaffordable health care. Much of the need is in Cleveland’s inner city and especially on the East Side. So, to meet the need, BBC is seeking to construct Northeast Ohio’s first free-standing birthing center in Cleveland’s Hough neighborhood, on the north side of Chester Avenue, between East 63rd and 65th streets. MORE: https://neo-trans.blog/2023/12/08/birthing-beautiful-communities-to-rise-on-chester/

So here's the FRA's official word on this round of announcements. There will be another round for routes like Cleveland-Pittsburgh, Cleveland-Buffalo and Cleveland-Chicago to get added. If you get the support of a DOT, your chances of winning a Corridor designation are MUCH better... FRA 13-23 December 8, 2023 Contact: FRA Public Affairs Tel.: (202) 493-6024 [email protected] President Biden Announces $8.2 Billion in New Grants for High-Speed Rail and Pipeline of Projects Nationwide Announcement includes 10 projects in 9 states ready for construction and 69 corridors across 44 states identified for future development through two grant programs funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) today announced that it has awarded $8.2 billion for 10 passenger rail projects across the country while announcing corridor planning activities that will impact every region nationwide. This unprecedented investment in America’s nationwide intercity passenger rail network builds on a $16.4 billion investment announced last month for 25 projects of national significance along America’s busiest rail corridor. To date, the Biden-Harris Administration has announced nearly $30 billion in investments for our nation’s rail system. Projects announced through the Federal State Partnership for Intercity Passenger Rail (Fed-State National) Program will advance two high-speed rail corridors and fund improvements to existing rail corridors for expanded service and performance. These investments will: + Help deliver high-speed rail service in California's Central Valley + Create a brand-new high-speed rail corridor between Las Vegas, Nevada, and southern California, serving an estimated 11 million passengers annually + Make major upgrades to existing conventional rail corridors to better connect Northern Virginia and the Southeast with the Northeast Corridor + Expand and add frequencies to the Pennsylvania Keystone Corridor between Philadelphia and Pittsburgh + Extend the Piedmont Corridor in North Carolina north, as part of a higher-speed connection between Raleigh and Richmond, Virginia + Invest in Chicago Union Station, as an initial step toward future improvements to the critical Midwest corridors hub + Improve service in Maine, Montana, and Alaska “Today, the Biden-Harris Administration takes another historic step to deliver the passenger rail system that Americans have been calling for – with $8.2 billion for faster, more reliable, expanded train service across the country,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. “With this funding, we’ll deliver America’s first high-speed rail on a route between Southern California and Las Vegas, complete major upgrades for riders in Virginia, North Carolina, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Maine, Montana, and Alaska, and announce a comprehensive plan that makes it easier to expand passenger rail lines in 44 states.” At the same time, FRA is announcing 69 corridor selections across 44 states through the Corridor Identification and Development (Corridor ID) Program, which will drive future passenger rail expansion. Corridor ID, a new planning program made possible by President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, will help guide intercity passenger rail development throughout the country. This inaugural round of selections aims to upgrade 15 existing rail routes, add or extend service on 47 new routes, and advance 7 new high-speed rail projects, creating a pipeline of intercity passenger rail projects ready for implementation and future investment. FRA will work closely with states, transportation agencies, host and operating railroads, and local governments to develop and build passenger rail projects faster than ever before. “President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law gave us a once-in-a-generation opportunity to think smart and think big about the future of rail in America, and we are taking full advantage of the resources we have to advance world-class passenger rail services nationwide,” said FRA Administrator Amit Bose. “Today’s announcement is another step forward as we advance transformative projects that will carry Americans for decades to come and provide them with convenient, climate-friendly alternatives to congested roads and airports. We’re thinking about the future too with comprehensive and systematic planning efforts to transform the U.S. intercity passenger rail network now and in the years to come.” Examples of planning and development activities selected through the Corridor ID program include: + New high-speed rail service in the Cascadia High-Speed Rail Corridor between Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia + New high-speed rail service between Dallas and Houston + New and upgraded Midwest Chicago hub corridors: - Daily, multi-frequency service from Chicago to Indianapolis - Increased frequencies from Chicago to Milwaukee to the Twin Cities, with an extension to Madison, Wisconsin - Improved service and increased frequencies from Chicago to Detroit, with an extension to Windsor, providing a direct connection to Canada’s high-speed rail network - A comprehensive plan for the Chicago terminal and service chokepoints south of Lake Michigan benefiting all corridors and long-distance trains south and east of Chicago + New service between the Twin Cities and Duluth, Minnesota + New service from Fort Collins to Pueblo, Colorado, with intermediate stops at Boulder, Denver, and Colorado Springs + New service between Phoenix and Tucson, Arizona, with multiple daily frequencies + New service connecting Baton Rouge and New Orleans, Louisiana + New connections between the Northeast Corridor and Northern Delaware and Reading and Scranton, Pennsylvania + Expanded connections and increased frequencies within California’s extensive conventional rail network + Expanded connections and service in Florida’s intercity rail network between the key travel markets of Tampa, Jacksonville, Orlando, and Miami + New service between Atlanta and Savanah, and from Atlanta to Nashville and Memphis via Chattanooga + Restoration of service between Chicago and Seattle, Washington, through multiple rural communities in North Dakota and Montana that are currently not served by passenger rail Two years after signing the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, President Biden has already announced the most significant investment in passenger rail since the creation of Amtrak, including billions in Federal-State Partnership for Intercity Passenger Rail grants for projects on America’s busiest rail corridor in the Northeast and for others nationwide. Coupled with rail investments announced earlier this year, including the new Railroad Crossing Elimination (RCE) program grants and Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) grants, President Biden’s Investing in America Agenda is laying the foundation for the safe and modern rail network Americans need and deserve. To view the full list of Fed-State National project selections and Corridor ID selections, please click here and here. Additional information about the Federal-State Partnership for Intercity Passenger Rail Program can be found here, while further information on the Corridor ID Program is available here. ###

Regional rail, which falls under the FTA. A new-build high-speed rail system could do it, but we have don't anything to nurture a market and political constituency to achieve that. A regional system would have to be tied into some significant incentives and land assembly work to promote TOD around stations. A park-n-ride commuter rail system would be a loser. In fact, even with TOD incentives, it would probably take a decade or so before TOD could develop and start helping ridership reach decent levels of 5,000-10,000 riders per day. Not impossible, but it requires vision, determination and patience.