KJP

If California doesn't secede, New York will. It gets worse.... By ending congestion pricing, Trump has killed the Second Avenue Subway and the Inter Borough Express rail project. This will have to be fully funded by the state to get completed. Or, like you said @mrnyc, NY will withhold its federal tax revenues for its own uses. If Trump protests, NY should pull a Trumpism: "Just try to stop us."

I wish this was extended west to at least London. Then a further extension to Port Stanley or Erieua could make a cross-lake high-speed ferry competitive with driving between Cleveland and Toronto. Cadence Consortium Selected to Transform Canadian Mobility with the Alto High-Speed Rail Project https://finance.yahoo.com/news/cadence-consortium-selected-transform-canadian-144400054.html And Canadian government announces plans for high speed rail https://www.trains.com/trn/news-reviews/news-wire/canadian-government-announces-high-speed-rail-project/

Rebuild Cleveland, FutureHeights unite to add housing By Ken Prendergast / February 19, 2025 Rebuild Cleveland, LLC and FutureHeights, Inc. have embarked on an official collaboration to bring transformative infill housing development to Cleveland Heights. This partnership leverages Rebuild Cleveland’s considered approach to residential development and FutureHeights’ extensive track record of creatively engaging the community to develop exceptional housing that is responsive to the community’s needs and respectful of its architectural heritage. MORE: https://neo-trans.blog/2025/02/19/rebuild-cleveland-futureheights-unite-to-add-housing/

Replacing a mall with an expanded downtown White Plains one block from Metro North. Amid a public park will be 3,200 housing units, of which 400 will be affordable. https://districtgalleria.com/

Because, to a NEC-centric organization, there's no opportunity to engage the private sector in the empty Great Plains that exist west of the Appalachians to the Rockies.

Lots of old streetviews still available, including views going back to 2009.... The next three are from 2016. All the others are from 2009...

Van Aken District’s next big project starts in March By Ken Prendergast / February 18, 2025 When one project is completed at a megaproject district, a good sign of its health is to see another project in same area start soon thereafter. That’s what is due to happen in a couple of weeks at the Van Aken District in Shaker Heights, according to a Columbus-based developer. MORE: https://neo-trans.blog/2025/02/18/van-aken-districts-next-big-project-starts-in-march/

It's twice the size of the current stadium site. But demolition work on the remaining power plant structures won't start until 2028. It also requires significant regrading to level it.

Amtrak Partners with Private Sector on Major Rail Infrastructure Investments https://railway-news.com/amtrak-partners-with-private-sector-on-major-rail-infrastructure-investments/

Lake Shore Power Station site redo a long play By Ken Prendergast / February 17, 2025 The owner of one of Cleveland’s largest privately owned lakefront properties announced its intentions to redevelop the site. But some of its proposed uses were not welcomed by a lakefront advocacy group. MORE: https://neo-trans.blog/2025/02/17/lake-shore-power-station-site-redo-a-long-play/

Amtrak Expands Service to Ronkonkoma, Enhancing Long Island’s Connectivity https://www.railway.supply/en/amtrak-expands-service-to-ronkonkoma-enhancing-long-islands-connectivity/

I-70 already is three lanes in each direction all the way from I-270 to I-75. The last section of two lanes per side was expanded in 2022 on the south side of Springfield. According to Google Earth the median width ranges from 30 feet where there are breakdown lanes on both sides of the highway to 50 feet where the breakdown lanes are only on the outer lanes of the highway. Even 28 feet is enough for a two-track-wide railroad with concrete barriers between the railroad and the highway's breakdown lanes. Crossovers between the eastbound and westbound lanes exist every 10,000 to 30,000 feet. But there are interchanges where police can reverse directions. In the three long stretches where there are no interchanges, the rail line could descend to allow crossovers or a highway interchange or two could be added be it for public use or for safety forces only. The I-70 median exists from just east of I-270 to Enon (how convenient!). While it would be great if the median continued several miles east of I-270 to where the highway runs next to CSX's Scottslawn Sub, the new rail could run along the north side of I-70 where the right of way has at least 75 feet of grassy berm for those three miles.

Lots of additional historical background to add. They shouldn't have relied just on Mark Souther who incorrectly states that Detroit-Superior bridge wasn't a real subway because it wasn't heavy rail. Many subways around the world are light rail.

Build either the Lakefront Bypass in Cleveland or return to Union Terminal. Then add a 90-110 mph passenger-only main with passing sidings from Berea to Galion with a flyover at Greenwich. Acquire the Galion-Columbus CSX Burt Line and upgrade it to 110 mph. Build 125 mph high-speed track in the wonderfully wide I-70 median Columbus-Enon (west of Springfield). Continue at 110-125 mph on the former Erie RR ROW, then.... I would consolidate through freight traffic (minus local service) between Dayton and Winton Place (near Cincinnati) on the double-tracked NS line. That means grade-separating the CSX and NS junctions in and near Hamilton, likely with a passenger rail flyover through Hamilton. Most of this could be operated at 90-110 mph. South of Winton Place into a downtown Cincinnati riverfront station, I would build a dedicated, double-tracked passenger line around the west side of Queensgate Yard.

This is worth watching.

Great Lakes Brewing IDs Scranton Peninsula project By Ken Prendergast / February 14, 2025 Great Lakes Brewing Company (GLBC) officials today confirmed a report published by NEOtrans last weekend that they are pursuing development on Cleveland’s Scranton Peninsula in the Flats. The first phase of that development was described by GLBC founders Pat and Dan Conway as “a potential entertainment venture and beer garden,” in a statement they issued today. MORE: https://neo-trans.blog/2025/02/14/great-lakes-brewing-ids-scranton-peninsula-project/

No, because Cuyahoga County holds the key to the sin tax and collects taxes on other activities that would be amplified by the Brook Park stadium. They want the participation of nearly all of the non-use-specific taxing districts affected (ie: except county library, Metroparks, RTA, etc).

Sounds like they were pretty confident they would get it.

This is HUGE news! It's something we've never gotten before. AAO's predecessor, the Ohio Association of Railroad Passengers, was a member of the Ohio Chamber of Commerce for years and tried to get their support for passenger rail legislation. Most of the time, they were apathetic. When they finally took a position, they opposed it. So OARP dropped its membership in OCC. This is a major turnaround. I smell Brightline lurking in the background.

Now Ward 3 Councilman Kerry McCormack said he's not running for re-election even though he got 75 percent of the vote last time. There's a possibility he might even resign. This comes after Jenny Spencer said she's leaving council too. Something's not right in Council.

That $422 million bond issue would be serviced by tax revenues generated by the stadium, as noted in the fine print. It doesn't matter if the stadium and its supportive development is located in Cleveland, Brook Park or Valley City. They all have the legal ability to establish taxes and legal mechanisms for the issuance and servicing of bonds. Whether those revenues can be successfully generated is up to the Haslams to create the taxable activity. That's where the debate lies, not in the legal powers of an incorporated municipality.

Passenger rail line to AIFA airport to open in July https://mexiconewsdaily.com/travel/passenger-train-aifa-airport-open-july/

Euclid Avenue, looking east from East 105th, in 1930 and today. The building (The Fenway) at far right is the only constant. This is the only quadrant of this major intersection where I might consider progress has been made in the past century....

Ronayne ‘optimistic’ about Browns staying downtown By Ken Prendergast / February 13, 2025 Active discussions between the city of Cleveland, Cuyahoga County and the owners of the Cleveland Browns are back on for the $1.2 billion renovation of the city-owned, 1999-built stadium on Downtown Cleveland’s lakefront, Cuyahoga County Executive Chris Ronayne told NEOtrans in an interview today. MORE: https://neo-trans.blog/2025/02/13/ronayne-optimistic-about-browns-staying-downtown/

I've got a counter-story coming, probably in the morning.