May 9May 9 2 hours ago, PlanCleveland said:Ohio Rail mapBrian and others obviously know a lot more than I do, but there just doesn't seem to be an efficient way to get from Columbus to Akron in a timeframe that doesn't scare away more potential Cleveland riders than it picks up in Akron, and a significant monetary investment to upgrade more miles of track. That isn't the case with adding Dayton to the route. With the existing track quality, I'm guessing it is significantly faster to go from Columbus to Cincinnati through Dayton on all class 4 track vs the other route which is all class 1 or 2 track.To me, having the Detroit-Toledo-Cleveland route continue to Pittsburgh and hitting Akron makes much more sense from a ridership and money point of view. With a much smaller investment, you could add Akron, and potentially have stops in Kent and Canton, before going back through Alliance and going to Pittsburgh on the existing Amtrak route. I think running 6 Detroit to Cleveland trains a day and have them alternate between ending in Buffalo and Pittsburgh would be great, but maybe in the future.If state leadership were serious about a statewide passenger rail network, a Columbus-Newark-Canton.... or Columbus-Mansfield-Wooster-Massillon-Canton.... line would be a realistic option with some money put into upgrading more miles of rail or outright buying them. But we're struggling to just get them to spend $25k to join MIPRC....Yes, I agree with all of this. The best way to include Akron (and Canton, Wooster, Youngstown, Mansfield, etc) is a collection of bus services that link to 3C&D in Crestline. For rail, I would push for a Hudson station on improved CLE-Pitt service to serve the Akron Metro. Also, the city of Akron and the Akron MPO did not ASK for rail service. The Corridor ID program was clearly defined by the FRA, and no leadership from Akron (or Canton or Youngstown) bothered to even try to participate. The complaints are disingenuous. By comparison, NOACA would have a lot more justification for being p*ssed, because they did participate in the process, and ORDC wasn’t anywhere near as supportive as they should have been. Plenty of results for us to learn from. When is the last time I-71 turned a profit?
May 10May 10 The only direct way to get a passenger train at 79 mph speeds (or at any speeds) from Cleveland to Pittsburgh right now is via Bedford, Macedonia, Hudson, Ravenna, Alliance, Salem, East Palestine and on into Pennsylvania. The only other ways are very indirect -- via Medina, Lodi, Akron, Kent, Ravenna, Newton Falls, Youngstown and eastward or via Mentor, Ashtabula, Hubbard, Youngstown and eastward. If someone spent $20 million to restore one of the two track connections at Ravenna, it could be possible to run a Cleveland-Pittsburgh train via Youngstown. But I spent 30+ years trying to get the Ravenna Connection restored. When I first started seeking, back in 1988, it would have cost only $2 million to restore it.BTW, the rating system for the quality of track/traffic control system is the lower the number, the lower the quality. Most passenger-quality infrastructure is rated 4 or higher.A railroad's rating based on annual revenue is the inverse, with the largest railroads being Class 1, the regionals being Class 2, and short-line/port/terminal railroads being Class 3. "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
May 10May 10 17 hours ago, ColDayMan said:The Akron/Canton line to Cleveland should be commuter rail, not Amtrak.Ya that's what I meant. In a perfect world we would have hourly service from Hopkins to Akron/Canton through Cleveland.
May 10May 10 18 hours ago, ColDayMan said:The Akron/Canton line to Cleveland should be commuter rail, not Amtrak.13 minutes ago, PlanCleveland said:Ya that's what I meant. In a perfect world we would have hourly service from Hopkins to Akron/Canton through Cleveland.Perhaps semantics, but the CAC CLE-Akron-Canton should be regional rail. Commuter rail implies inbound mornings, outbound evenings, and substantially less service during off hours / weekends. Regional rail implies better frequency, clockface service patterns, and through-running downtowns for improved operations and service of non-downtown trips. Examples are the Paris RER and German S-bahns. When is the last time I-71 turned a profit?
May 17May 17 Cleveland mentioned [insert gif with guitars]High Speed Rail AllianceHow trains could transform Cleveland | High Speed Rail Al... When is the last time I-71 turned a profit?
June 5Jun 5 Ohio Senate Drops Passenger Rail Support from BudgetA two-year budget plan released by the Ohio Senate this week removes a small but crucial piece of funding that would support expanding passenger rail options in the state. It also eliminates the Passenger Rail seat on the Ohio Rail Development Commission (ORDC) that had been in place for 20 years, replacing it with a new seat representing freight rail interests.Advocacy group All Aboard Ohio calls the changes an “attack” on “passenger rail and the will of the people” and is urging Ohioans to contact their elected officials.Earlier this spring, the Ohio House initially announced a budget plan that also omitted a requested $25,000 in funding for Ohio to rejoin the rejoin the Midwest Interstate Passenger Rail Commission. A subsequent revision returned the money to the bill, which passed in April. The house version also had no language about removing the Passenger Rail seat entirely from the ORDC.More below:https://columbusunderground.com/ohio-senate-drops-passenger-rail-support-from-budget-bw1/ "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
June 5Jun 5 7 hours ago, ColDayMan said:Ohio Senate Drops Passenger Rail Support from BudgetA two-year budget plan released by the Ohio Senate this week removes a small but crucial piece of funding that would support expanding passenger rail options in the state. It also eliminates the Passenger Rail seat on the Ohio Rail Development Commission (ORDC) that had been in place for 20 years, replacing it with a new seat representing freight rail interests.Advocacy group All Aboard Ohio calls the changes an “attack” on “passenger rail and the will of the people” and is urging Ohioans to contact their elected officials.Earlier this spring, the Ohio House initially announced a budget plan that also omitted a requested $25,000 in funding for Ohio to rejoin the rejoin the Midwest Interstate Passenger Rail Commission. A subsequent revision returned the money to the bill, which passed in April. The house version also had no language about removing the Passenger Rail seat entirely from the ORDC.More below:https://columbusunderground.com/ohio-senate-drops-passenger-rail-support-from-budget-bw1/Just to be clear, this is NOT a done deal yet, but time is urgent. Please call your state Senators this week and tell them you want passenger rail inn OH. Specifically, ask your state Senator to support:“Two budget amendments can fix it: ➡️ sc_136_2505 – Reinstates MIPRC language and funding➡️ sc_136_2581 – Keeps a passenger rail representative on the Ohio Rail Development Commission“(per the AAO advocacy email)Not a member of AAO? It’s free to join! Sign up here:https://www.allaboardohio.org/membership(Additional benefits are available for paid members) When is the last time I-71 turned a profit?
June 5Jun 5 2 hours ago, Boomerang_Brian said:Just to be clear, this is NOT a done deal yet, but time is urgent. Please call your state Senators this week and tell them you want passenger rail inn OH. I just sent an e-mail to my state senator, Senator Tim Schaffer.
June 5Jun 5 4 hours ago, Boomerang_Brian said:Just to be clear, this is NOT a done deal yet, but time is urgent. Please call your state Senators this week and tell them you want passenger rail inn OH. Specifically, ask your state Senator to support:“Two budget amendments can fix it: ➡️ sc_136_2505 – Reinstates MIPRC language and funding➡️ sc_136_2581 – Keeps a passenger rail representative on the Ohio Rail Development Commission“(per the AAO advocacy email)Not a member of AAO? It’s free to join! Sign up here:https://www.allaboardohio.org/membership(Additional benefits are available for paid members)Some of you may have already seen this, but please get in touch with Ohio senators even if you are in another state. This affects all of us and our desire for more east-west service along the Lake Shore route. It's a brazen attempt to kill any discussion about passenger rail in Ohio and is likely being orchestrated by railroad lobbyists. I have already contacted my state senator, Jerry Cirino, who sits on the Senate Transportation committee. I will be in touch with other potential allies as well. AAO is calling this a shocking betrayal and an outrage. I have been in touch with AAO Chair Mitch Radakovich, who says there is considerable media interest in this development and that he has personally called the offices of every Ohio state senator. We should hear more today.If you plan to make contacts, please do so as soon as possible, since the Ohio Senate is planning to finalize its bill by Friday. Ohio has always been difficult, but if this happens, it will be a permanent road block between the Midwest and the East Coast. Here's a link to the AAO press release:https://www.allaboardohio.org/posts/passenger-rail-excluded-from-ohio-senate-budgetThanks to Boomerang_Brian for posting this. Edited June 5Jun 5 by neony
Sunday at 07:52 PM3 days What is the status of the Corridor ID study for the 3C^D corridor or the DET-TOLD-CLE corridors? I thought the first phase of those was supposed to be Completed this spring, but have not heard much about the next steps
Sunday at 08:53 PM3 days 50 minutes ago, GHOST TRACKS said:What is the status of the Corridor ID study for the 3C^D corridor or the DET-TOLD-CLE corridors? I thought the first phase of those was supposed to beCompleted this spring, but have not heard much about the next stepsORDC is expecting to get 3C&D phase 1 output very soon and CLE-TOL-DET shortly after that. ORDC had committed to funding the local match for phase 2 of Corridor ID for both routes out of their existing $6m annual budget. (The Senate proposed budget appears to have a slight increase in ORDC funding, so I think this part will be ok.) @Dev has been following pretty closely, so maybe he can give us an update. When is the last time I-71 turned a profit?
Monday at 01:34 PM2 days 16 hours ago, Boomerang_Brian said:ORDC is expecting to get 3C&D phase 1 output very soon and CLE-TOL-DET shortly after that. ORDC had committed to funding the local match for phase 2 of Corridor ID for both routes out of their existing $6m annual budget. (The Senate proposed budget appears to have a slight increase in ORDC funding, so I think this part will be ok.) @Dev has been following pretty closely, so maybe he can give us an update.Is this for the entire Cooridor ID program that includes the 3C+D line and/or any of the lines that aren't directly benefiting Northern Ohio?
Monday at 01:43 PM2 days Just now, JaceTheAce41 said:Is this for the entire Cooridor ID program that includes the 3C+D line and/or any of the lines that aren't directly benefiting Northern Ohio?I don’t understand your question. ORDC sponsored the two routes (3C&D and CLE-TOL-DET) and has committed to funding the local match of Corridor ID Step 2 (engineering study) for both routes. (That local match funding would come out of ORDC’s normal operating budget, not a separate budget line item.) Amtrak sponsored Corridor ID for daily Cardinal service and the city of Fort Wayne sponsored corridor ID for the Midwest Connect (Chicago, Fort Wayne, Lima, Columbus, Pittsburgh). Corridor ID Step 3 is when detailed engineering plans and construction come in. We will have to find the 20% local match to make step 3 happen, and that would probably need to come from the state (other than the Cardinal, which could potentially be funded by Feds, Amtrak, Indiana, or elsewhere). But that wouldn’t even start for at least a year, probably more like 18-24 months. When is the last time I-71 turned a profit?
Monday at 05:34 PM2 days Yes, the Step 1 report for 3C+D was supposed to be completed last month, and CTD this month.The next ORDC board meeting should be Thursday, July, 17th where it is expected that they will give an update. I don't know if the full reports will be part of the meeting packet, or uploaded separately to the website, but I will send an email to ask for a copy if it is not publicly available. There really isn't anything super exciting we're expecting, just the anticipated timeline and costs for how to complete Step 2 (SDP).Back in November, they did discuss the project a bit which included these maps:
Monday at 05:40 PM2 days 1 minute ago, Dev said:Back in November, they did discuss the project a bit which included these maps:Also from that presentation from November, a slide titled "Project Challenges:"Priorities for OhioFreight fluidityCar-competitive travel timesPhased approach to implementationProgram ChallengesRoute finalizationIntermediate stops & impact on travel timesInterface with other Corridor ID efforts: Midwest Connect, daily Cardinal serviceParticipating in a new FRA programOther challengesCoordination with Michigan DOT on the Toledo-Detroit segmentAdded pressure on NS’s Chicago Line from Cleveland-ToledoManaging expectations with stakeholders and publicMaking sure stakeholders are involved during the appropriate stages Edited Monday at 05:41 PM2 days by Dev
Yesterday at 01:13 AM1 day The Senate Finance Committee finalized their version of the budget today. It's definitely disappointing but there's still hope left. To summarize:Decrease the increase in funding to ORDC from the House's $6 million, down to $3 million. They spent $2.3 million in FY24.The language added by the Senate to change the ORDC board is still there. This would:Give freight rail companies a second seat on the board, while requiring that one seat is for a Class I and the other for Class II or III.Those two seats will no longer be required to be Ohio residents, as long as they "have a substantial connection to freight rail operations in Ohio."Removes the passenger rail designated seat, which has been empty for a good long while (although the freight rail seat is also vacant atm)The Senate is still missing the language to rejoin MIPRC but at least it was in the House version. I don't know how conference committee is going to go but the ask is $25k per year so maybe we'll get lucky given how small it is. FWIW, there would be 4 members Ohio would be able to appoint: 1 resident by the governor, 1 resident of the private sector by the governor, 1 legislator by the Speaker of the House and 1 legislator by the President of the Senate. The two legislators cannot be from the same party.The Senate also added "Rail Development one-time grants." Originally it was $6.75 million, now it's just $750k, making me wonder if the original was a scrivener's error. It states that the money will: "be used to distribute funding to the lead Ohio partnering agency preparing the Step 2-Service Development Plan supporting Ohio's portion of the Midwest Connect rail line." ORDC did not sponsor the Midwest Connect plan so this is a carve out for MORPC.They also are transfer $15 million from the Rail Safety Crossing Fund to the General Revenue Fund. I assume this is to balance the budget after cutting the income tax.The new thing that was not in the Senate's version before: transfer $6 million from ODOT's Highway Safety Fund to ORDC to be explicitly used for "short-line rail development infrastructure projects that enhance capacity and improve safety." If we're lucky, this means that ORDC can use it's general budget for the Corridor ID local matches, without having to pull from other potential projects. Edited 22 hours ago22 hr by Dev
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