October 18, 201014 yr I really think that if Kasich refuses this money from the federal government, he will go down in history as one of the dumbest politicians ever. That's whats mind-boggling to me....These are FEDERAL FUNDS he would be refusing! I know there will need to be some sort of subsidy to keep it up and running, but how much per Ohioan will that come out to be? About $1.50 per year per Ohioan. This is all about politics. There's really not a rational reason to oppose this, but Kasich and the Republican Machine have brainwashed their followers in order to have a "platform" to run on.
October 18, 201014 yr I really think that if Kasich refuses this money from the federal government, he will go down in history as one of the dumbest politicians ever. That's whats mind-boggling to me....These are FEDERAL FUNDS he would be refusing! I know there will need to be some sort of subsidy to keep it up and running, but how much per Ohioan will that come out to be? About $1.50 per year per Ohioan. This is all about politics. There's really not a rational reason to oppose this, but Kasich and the Republican Machine have brainwashed their followers in order to have a "platform" to run on. You nailed it.
October 18, 201014 yr I know Kasich is opposed to the current 3-C plan, has he offered any alternative plans for commuter rail? No, he opposes any government (monetary) support for passenger rail. He views it as something for private business. And if it isn't profitable as a private business then the people don't really want it that badly. Is he going to use the same rationale for roads, bridges, and highways? Perhaps we can convince Obama that if he wants any shot at retaining Ohio in 2012, he has to come out against the 3-C project and make a faux attempt to revoke the federal funds. That should do the trick of turning Kasich and rural Ohio into the project's biggest cheerleaders.
October 18, 201014 yr I really think that if Kasich refuses this money from the federal government, he will go down in history as one of the dumbest politicians ever. That's whats mind-boggling to me....These are FEDERAL FUNDS he would be refusing! I know there will need to be some sort of subsidy to keep it up and running, but how much per Ohioan will that come out to be? A little old, but relevant. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/mar/11/mark-sanford-republican-governor-stimulus-money
October 21, 201014 yr NS’s Moorman: “Passenger trains are a very good thing—in the right circumstances.” Wednesday, October 20, 2010 In recent years, the freight railroads’ perspective on hosting passenger trains on their lines has been leaning toward the favorable. Led by CEOs like David Goode of Norfolk Southern (now retired) and Matt Rose of BNSF, they’ve become cognizant of the benefits that could accrue to them by being good landlords. That perspective hasn’t changed very much, but it’s now tinged with a bit more caution. The railroads have been beating back attempts at reregulation, trying to get their arms around a costly federal mandate to install Positive Train Control on most of their lines, and exercising extreme caution on widespread plans to turn some of their lines into shared-used freight/higher speed rail (HrSR) passenger corridors. Full story at: http://www.railwayage.com/breaking-news/ns-s-moorman-passenger-trains-are-a-very-good-thing-in-the-right-circumstances.html
October 22, 201014 yr See article below. Yet again, the media fails to dig deep enough into the subject. This is essentially the same article that other papers have already published. There's really no new information in it for people. Ohioans need to understand that we are just trying to do exactly what 15 other states have already done with considerable success in both ridership and economic payback. They also need to understand the political, election-year gamesmanship and Republican flip-flopping that has been going on. I know there are lurkers here from the Ohio media. To those of you who are: Why do you or your editors keep ignoring these important aspects of the issue??? Particularly about what other states have already done with passenger rail, what they have, what they are getting from their money in terms of jobs and economic payback? Expect train derailment with Kasich win Despite a $400 million award from Washington to build it, a proposed passenger rail line linking Cincinnati to Columbus and Cleveland may never get out of the station if the Ohio governor's office changes hands next month. http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20101016/NEWS01/10170307/1055/NEWS/Kasich-win-Train-derailed
October 22, 201014 yr My prediction is that Kasich will put on a show if elected and make a disingenuous attempt to divert the Federal money to roads and bridges. He will call the Feds some names when they refuse. He will accuse them of not letting Ohio spend the rest of the Country's money as Ohio sees fit. Then, ultimately, he will cave and the project will proceed. But he will do so only after making some tweak in the Strickland plan to give him something to latch onto. Maybe the relocation or addition of a stop. Or maybe the elimination of a stop so that the train can run faster. I just can't see a man of his intelligence level just allowing the money to fly south with the birds, or wherever it may go. As we all know, campaigning and governing are two totally different animals.
October 22, 201014 yr My prediction is that Kasich will put on a show if elected and make a disingenuous attempt to divert the Federal money to roads and bridges. He will call the Feds some names when they refuse. He will accuse them of not letting Ohio spend the rest of the Country's money as Ohio sees fit. Then, ultimately, he will cave and the project will proceed. But he will do so only after making some tweak in the Strickland plan to give him something to latch onto. Maybe the relocation or addition of a stop. Or maybe the elimination of a stop so that the train can run faster. I just can't see a man of his intelligence level just allowing the money to fly south with the birds, or wherever it may go. As we all know, campaigning and governing are two totally different animals. Given Kasich's historic dislike of funding Amtrak when he was in Congress, I think this is wishful thinking.
October 23, 201014 yr ^^ I don't think its wise to wait to see if Kasich will follow through on his promise to kill 3C. Actually I think it will be the first thing he does if he becomes governor. If there is way to send a message to the next governor that killing 3C would be a bad decisions, now is the time to organize that campaign and get the message out after the election about what killing 3C really means to Ohio. “All truly great thoughts are conceived while walking.” -Friedrich Nietzsche
October 24, 201014 yr The Dispatch has done another hatchet job in its Oct. 24 article "Railroads weren't in on new 3C rail study." The reporter, whose beat is politics and not transportation, went into an article with a premise and disregarded much information that did not have anything to do with a premise. That's the very same thing the Dispatch accuses the Ohio Department of Transportation of doing in estimating a 50 mph average speed. What it missed -- AGAIN -- was a context. Is it normal for freight railroads to be consulted at this stage of analysis? I told the reporter it was premature for the freight railroads to be involved at this stage of a rail project's development. Also I reminded him that the freight railroads have issued letters of support for the process the state is pursuing, and that Woodside Consulting is staffed by former freight railroad executives who use methodologies supported by the freight railroads. None of that made it into this cherry pickers' special. The article noted the higher speed doesn't depend on different trains. So? A 50 mph average speed is in the ballpark of other states' average speeds for new train services started over the past 30 years using gleaming new trains or rebuilt 50-year-old trains -- which I told the reporter. And, saying "the higher speeds don't depend on any improvements to tracks other than the $236.2 million in upgrades that state officials outlined last year" ignores that the earlier 39 mph average speed was a baseline estimate by Amtrak which didn't account for any of these job-producing improvements to freight rail infrastructure. Their political writer did a nice job in omitting that, too. Sadly, I should not be surprised the reporter excluded my qualifying remark that this project's timing will likely keep it from being in the state's next biennial budget, despite faux concerns raised by the Dispatch's conservative editorial board that it would. The reporter's condescension, referring to me as Ohio's biggest rail cheerleader (I previously worked for 15 years as a full-time reporter and shot down bad rail projects throughout my professional life), has no place in a professional, commentary-free, journalistic piece. The next time you see my name in a Dispatch article, it will be accompanied only by a "no comment." I will no longer be party to their plans to destroy a crucial starting-point investment in Ohio's future, one that is so common elsewhere in its characteristics and its sponsors' approach (both of which Ohio is copying) it is sad that some still have a "blinded by the sun" response to it. I keep hoping the Dispatch will illuminate the masses rather than blind them with irrelevance. And I keep getting let down. Ken Prendergast Executive Director All Aboard Ohio 12029 Clifton Blvd., Suite 505 Cleveland, OH 44107 (216) 288-4883 [email protected] www.allaboardohio.org "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
October 24, 201014 yr Another gaping ommission in all the reporting done to date is the lack of ANY in-depth analysis of what has gone on in other states and how it compares to what is being proposed for 3C. No, all we get are negatively slanted articles. The Dispatch has dropped another turd on its readers. :whip:
October 24, 201014 yr ^It's quite obvious that the Columbus Dispatch has no interest in balanced reporting on the subject of the 3C. They have a deliberate agenda to slam the project, the facts be damned. They should be honest about it and just tell everyone up front why they choose deliberate spin over accuracy and honesty.
October 24, 201014 yr Other than being a big supporter of Kasich, I can't understand their motivations. Is it also to stir up controversy in order to sell more newspapers? Can somebody enlighten me?
October 24, 201014 yr Other than being a big supporter of Kasich, I can't understand their motivations. Is it also to stir up controversy in order to sell more newspapers? Can somebody enlighten me? The Dispatch has always been conservative. Kasich is their guy and negative 3C stories are an attempt to bolster a Kasich win. End of story.
October 24, 201014 yr Thanks. If freedom can find its way into oppressed countries, then passenger rail can find its way into populous states like Ohio -- hopefully while it is still populous. "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
October 25, 201014 yr Other than being a big supporter of Kasich, I can't understand their motivations. Is it also to stir up controversy in order to sell more newspapers? Can somebody enlighten me? It's to stir up controversy, but not necessarily to sell more newspapers. Most newsrooms are not biased to the right or left in their reporting. They like to think they are balanced and unbiased. But there is a pernicious bias in favor of conflict. In newsrooms, news = conflict. So reporters play up conflict, look for conflict, and sometimes even exaggerate minor dissonance into conflict. They might find they'd sell more newspapers if they did straightforward gathering on information on the issues and reported that.
October 25, 201014 yr Other than being a big supporter of Kasich, I can't understand their motivations. Is it also to stir up controversy in order to sell more newspapers? Can somebody enlighten me? The Dispatch has always been conservative. Kasich is their guy and negative 3C stories are an attempt to bolster a Kasich win. End of story. Sure looks that way. The Enquirer really does make the Dispatch look liberal. Endorsements of the enquirer since '02: Local DEMOCRAT Endorsements Ken Lucas KY-04 ('02) John Cranley OH-01 ('06) Steve Beshear KY-Gov ('07) Mallory OH - Cincy Mayor ('09) Local REPUBLICAN ENDORSEMENTS REPUBLICANS Mitch McConnell KY-Sen ('02) Bob Taft OH-Gov ('02) Steve Chabot OH-01 ('02) Rob Portman OH-02 ('02) Mike Turner OH-03 ('02) John Boehner OH-08 ('02) Ernie Fletcher KY-Gov ('03) George W Bush Pres ('04) George Voinovich OH-Sen ('04) Jim Bunning KY-Sen ('04) Steve Chabot OH-01 ('04) Rob Portman OH-02 ('04) Mike Turner OH-03 ('04) John Boehner OH-08 ('04) Geoff Davis KY-04 ('04) Jean Schmidt OH-02 ('05) Ken Blackwell OH-Gov ('06) Mike DeWine OH-Sen ('06) Jean Schmidt OH-02 ('06) Mike Turner OH-03 ('06) John Boehner OH-08 ('06) Geoff Davis KY-04 ('06) John McCain Pres ('08) Mitch McConnell KY-Sen ('08) Steve Chabot OH-01 ('08) Jean Schmidt OH-02 ('08) Mike Turner OH-03 ('08) John Boehner OH-08 ('08) Geoff Davis KY-04 ('08) Steve Chabot OH-01 ('10) Jean Schmidt OH-02 ('10) John Boehner OH-08 ('10) Geoff Davis KY-04 ('10) John Kasich OH - Gov ('10) EDIT: Apologies. Should have posted this in the Ohio Politics Thread
October 27, 201014 yr The Christian Science Monitor - CSMonitor.com What’s the best way to modernize our transportation? During the Great Depression, businesses and governments agreed that transportation modernization was essential to restoring prosperity. The 1930s saw the emergence of the freeway (the first one opening in Los Angeles in 1940) and the airport as important modes of transportation. Together with the National Interstate and Defense Highways Act of 1956, these Depression Era investments helped produce the long postwar economic boom and brought widespread prosperity to the United States. As we face another dire economic crisis, we have a similar need for modernization and economic recovery. When gas prices soared in 2008, it helped push the unstable economy over the edge. Even in the depths of the worst recession in 60 years, gas prices remain at 2006 levels. Analysts such as those at Deutsche Bank predict that oil prices will rise again once job growth returns, threatening to strangle a recovery in its infancy. High-speed rail will not only stimulate the economy during construction, but it will reduce our dependence on foreign oil, helping our economy to avoid future oil price shocks. It will also tie together the economies of mid-sized urban areas to the economies of large metropolitan cities through increased accessibility. Full editorial at: http://www.csmonitor.com/layout/set/print/content/view/print/334853
October 29, 201014 yr U.S. NEWS OCTOBER 28, 2010, 5:54 P.M. ET. U.S. Awards $2.4 Billion for Passenger-Rail Projects By JOSH MITCHELL WASHINGTON—The Obama administration Thursday awarded $2.4 billion in grants to advance passenger-rail projects in 23 states, amid election-season criticism from some Republicans that the projects are too costly. More than a third of the money, about $901 million, will go to California, including $715 million to begin building high-speed rail lines in the Central Valley between Los Angeles and San Francisco. Florida will get $800 million for new intercity routes there. The rest of the $2.4 billion pot, funded largely by this year's budget, will pay for upgrades to existing routes in the Midwest, Northeast and other areas to relieve congestion on freight railroads. Full story at: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304316404575580644010770322.html?mod=dist_smartbrief
October 29, 201014 yr U.S. NEWS OCTOBER 28, 2010, 5:54 P.M. ET. U.S. Awards $2.4 Billion for Passenger-Rail Projects By JOSH MITCHELL WASHINGTON—The Obama administration Thursday awarded $2.4 billion in grants to advance passenger-rail projects in 23 states, amid election-season criticism from some Republicans that the projects are too costly. More than a third of the money, about $901 million, will go to California, including $715 million to begin building high-speed rail lines in the Central Valley between Los Angeles and San Francisco. Florida will get $800 million for new intercity routes there. The rest of the $2.4 billion pot, funded largely by this year's budget, will pay for upgrades to existing routes in the Midwest, Northeast and other areas to relieve congestion on freight railroads. Full story at: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304316404575580644010770322.html?mod=dist_smartbrief A folow-up press release from the Midwest Interstate Passenger Rail Commission: News Release New federal funding for passenger rail projects across the Midwest will mean faster, more reliable and new service for the region October 29, 2010 Contact: Laura Kliewer, Director, Midwest Interstate Passenger Rail Commission: 630.925.1922, [email protected] LOMBARD, IL —The Midwest will see significant improvements to its passenger rail system in the coming years thanks to a strong state/federal partnership committed to expanding service, improving corridors and purchasing new equipment. Yesterday, the Federal Railroad Administration announced awards to Midwestern states totaling almost half a billion dollars. A number of projects across the region are being funded (see chart), including plans to make significant improvements to the Detroit-Chicago corridor and to establish new service between Chicago and Iowa City. “This welcome announcement builds on awards announced earlier this year for passenger rail capital improvements to the region totaling over $2.6 billion from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act,” said Laura Kliewer, director of the Midwest Interstate Passenger Rail Commission. “The Midwestern states have worked together for years on plans to give their constituents frequent, fast, reliable passenger rail service. Now everyone can begin to see how those plans can become reality and institute modern, efficient passenger rail service across the region.” Through the two rounds of federal funding, five key corridors in the region will be transformed: • Chicago-St. Louis-Kansas: Track and signaling improvements will bring 110 mph service for passengers taking the train between Chicago and St. Louis. Illinois will also complete the environmental work needed for an eventual double-tracking of the corridor. On the St. Louis-to-Kansas City route, key congestion points will be addressed, resulting in faster and more reliable service. • Minneapolis/St. Paul-Madison-Milwaukee-Chicago: In addition to conducting the environmental study that is a precursor to bringing high-speed passenger rail service from Chicago to St. Paul, a number of specific improvements will be made to tracks and bridges. This will resulting in faster speeds and increased reliability of service. New service also will be established between Milwaukee and Madison, and the historic St. Paul Union Depot will be transformed into a multimodal facility. • Chicago-Omaha: A new passenger rail route between Chicago and Omaha, via the Quad Cities, Iowa City and Des Moines is being planned. With the funding commitment announced yesterday, track improvements can be made, new stations can be built and trains can be purchased to establish new service between Chicago and Iowa City. • Cleveland-Columbus-Cincinnati: Funding was awarded earlier this year to implement start-up service across Ohio between Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnati, linking the state’s three largest cities via passenger rail for the first time in 40 years. • Detroit/Pontiac-Chicago: Almost 100 miles of rail line will be purchased and restored, a key connection track to separate passenger and freight service in a congested area will be built, and environmental planning to establish 110 mph service will begin. These improvements will build on previous awards to Indiana and Illinois to improve their parts of the Detroit/Pontiac-Chicago corridor. Improvements to these five corridors are part of a larger, long-term plan to implement faster, more frequent passenger rail service throughout the Midwest. The build-out of these multi-state plans are projected to bring more than $30 billion in economic benefits to the region, as well as create a significant number of short- and long-term jobs.
November 1, 201014 yr I love the energy of young people! Check out this e-mail notice sent about OSEC's presence at the Obama rally yesterday..... ____________ Just thought I'd share this great little bit of info: OSEC was in the crowd and on the floor at the Obama rally yesterday in Cleveland, and in celebration of Halloween, we costumed ourselves as high-speed rail and clean mass transit. The link below has pictures of us and our train cars, complete with 3c passengers drawn into the windows. Speakers at the rally included Obama, Biden, Fisher, Strickland and Brown, and each of them mentioned high-speed rail in Ohio on more than one occasion. Everytime a speaker mentioned it, our OSEC corner exploded into cheers and threw up a banner, so they definitely were aware that students in Ohio want transit, now. Also, we were about 30 feet away from the stage, and one of our student leaders managed to talk to Strickland about our campaign, prior to his speech. Exciting stuff!!!! http://www.flickr.com/photos/energyactioncoalition/5136557478/#in/photostream/ -- Janina Klimas, Coordinator The Ohio Student Environmental Coalition 216.315.0102 "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
November 2, 201014 yr I think I'm a little too old for that. And based on Kasich's canned responses to the Ohio Contractors Association's transportation issues Q&A, I doubt he would understand why young, environmentally concerned people were dressing up like buses and trains. He wouldn't have any idea what the linked issues are between trains, transit, young people, environmental issues, etc. or even that there are linked issues. His staff has rebuffed all efforts by rail/transit interests to communicate with him. It's hard to reach someone when they're not interested or even curious. "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
November 2, 201014 yr ‘Dispatch’ has little good to say of 3C rail Tuesday, November 2, 2010 02:51 AM The Oct. 24 Dispatch article, “Railroads weren't in on new 3C rail study,” questioning the revised 3C schedule, frames the issue in a misleading way. It seems every time an improvement to 3C is made, The Dispatch, along with rail critics, immediately dismisses its legitimacy. Full letter at: http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/editorials/stories/2010/11/02/dispatch-has-little-good-to-say-of-3c-rail.html?sid=101
November 2, 201014 yr An editorial by the Warren Tribune Chronicle staff. What they don't recognize is that 3C is the Midwest's busiest travel corridor between metro areas and that planning for the CYP Corridor will also start with a conventional-speed service because there's never enough money or cultural/political support early on for a strange new expensive project like high-speed rail. The initial speed for CYP will also have a low estimated baseline average speed and the Trib will also recoil in horror at that until the engineering starts and harder numbers are developed. Round and round we go.... High-speed rail timing is puzzling November 2, 2010 When Ohio accepted $400 million from the federal government to begin developing high-speed rail, its political leaders created the so-called Tri-C corridor, a Cleveland-Columbus-Cincinnati route on existing rail lines. Critics, however, pointed out many flaws, the biggest of which was that the rail line would not be high-speed. At an average speed of 39 mph, critics were able to poke serious holes, such as how unlikely it would be that people would ride longer on a train than in a car to get to the same destination. Suddenly, in the midst of the 2010 General Election, which concludes today, the Ohio Department of Transportation announced a revised average speed of 50 mph for the proposed rail. No new analysis was conducted to arrive at this new speed. No new information was obtained from the freight railroads that own the lines to arrive at this new speed. In fact, nothing really changed except the speed. READ MORE AT: http://www.tribtoday.com/page/content.detail/id/549083/High-speed-rail-timing-is-puzzling.html?nav=5007 "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
November 2, 201014 yr I read the editorial again. It's just flat-out lazy-ass piece of shit "journalism" whose writer(s) didn't earn the answers for themselves. They just repeated some other lazy-ass shit by another writer without checking to see what work had been done by Woodside Consulting and how they did it. My God -- what the hell has happened to journalism in this country?!?!?! "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
November 2, 201014 yr "No new work"?.....what do they call the analysis done by Woodside Consultants?
November 2, 201014 yr Doyle signs agreement to commit fed dollars for high-speed rail Published November 1, 2010 - BizTimes Daily Just hours before Tuesday's election, the Doyle administration and federal administrators have signed an agreement to commit the state to spending all $810 million of federal stimulus money allocated for a proposed Milwaukee-to-Madison high-speed rail line. According to The Associated Press, the agreement frees outgoing Democratic Gov. Jim Doyle's administration to sign contracts for much of the work, which could make it difficult for front-running Republican gubernatorial candidate Scott Walker to stymie the project, as he has promised, if he is elected. Full story at: http://www.biztimes.com/daily/2010/11/1/doyle-signs-agreement-to-commit-fed-dollars-for-high-speed-rail
November 2, 201014 yr From Wisconsin.... State, feds quietly sign deal to solidify high-speed rail project By Larry Sandler of the Journal Sentinel Nov. 1, 2010 7:06 p.m. Just days before an election that could decide the fate of a planned high-speed rail line, state and federal administrators quietly signed a deal to commit the state to spending all $810 million of the federal stimulus cash allocated to the Milwaukee-to-Madison route, transportation officials confirmed Monday. The unannounced weekend agreement frees outgoing Democratic Gov. Jim Doyle's administration to sign contracts for much if not all of the work. That could hamstring efforts by Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker and his fellow Republicans to kill the project and spend the money on something else if they take control of the governor's office and either or both chambers of the state Legislature and Congress on Tuesday. Walker, the GOP candidate for governor, blasted the deal, saying, "This is just raw political power at its worst. This is why the Doyle administration is corrupt and unwilling to listen to taxpayers." Full story at: http://www.jsonline.com/news/statepolitics/106488923.html
November 2, 201014 yr :-D "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
November 2, 201014 yr :-D More like :bang: I'm quite certain that Doyle's actions solidified the takeover of Wisconsin state government by the Republicans. We were running a close campaign (with Democrats already trailing) but there were still quite a few undecided voters. Having this shady (looking) deal plastered across the front page of the paper on election day has made nearly everyone angry. Schlepping coffee in Milwaukee this morning, I heard more than a few normally moderate people saying that "the way this train is being shoved down our throats is dirty politics at its worst." Somebody in Doyles office should've remembered that even though the Governor is elected today, he wont take office until January. He had two months to sign these contracts.
November 2, 201014 yr I think they signed the agreements with the FRA so they could get the rest of the construction contracts with bidders in hand before Jan. 1. If someone stands in the way of a train and moons it, they shouldn't be surprised if they get a train up their ass. "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
November 2, 201014 yr Eh... would it have been dirtier politics to sign the agreement now, or after (in the happenstance) he was defeated in the election and it became a lame-duck administration? Not saying he would have faced certain defeat, but (if he felt compelled to do it before he left office) this was the better way IMO. At least he will be judged, for better or worse, by the voters for making this decision.
November 2, 201014 yr October 29, 2010 APTA: Nearly two-thirds of adults would use high-speed rail On Thursday, the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) released the results of a large travel survey, which shows that nearly two-thirds of adults (62 percent) said they would definitely or probably use high-speed rail service for leisure or business travel if it were an option. The survey was conducted for APTA by Synovate. "In most political circles, garnering nearly two-thirds support for a forward-thinking vision like high-speed rail would be considered a landslide," said APTA President William Millar. "We strongly support the government's commitment to implementing high-speed rail. It will provide more options for travelers, as well as create jobs and be a strong boost for the local economy." APTA proposes that Congress invest $50 billion over the next six years in high-speed rail. The association says the investment during that time frame, along with $123 billion in public transportation investment, will help support and create 6.2 million jobs. READ MORE AT: http://www.metro-magazine.com/News/Story/2010/10/APTA-survey-Nearly-two-thirds-of-adults-would-use-HSR.aspx "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
November 3, 201014 yr With the vote putting Kasich in the governor's mansion, a Republicans for Rail caucus may be the only thing that keeps the $400 million going to other states' rail projects and preserving Ohio as the donut hole of no rail or transit in the eastern half of the nation. When this happens in the next few years, remember this day when we elected a man who plans to shun the lifeboats of rail and transit.... IEA "whistleblower" says peak oil nearing http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE5A85JT20091109 US military warns oil output may dip causing massive shortages by 2015 http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2010/apr/11/peak-oil-production-supply Funny how we have to learn about our own fate by reading the media in other nations. So much for living in the land of the free. "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
November 3, 201014 yr How about the $95 million per year in new trucking subsidies for shipping heavier loads of steel and agricultural products without an increase in fees to pay the highway/bridge damage? Or the $471 million per year in new highway spending in Ohio that has no identified revenue stream yet to offset it? That should cover the $17 million pretty well, don't ya think??? Ohio, the donut hole of it all.... "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
November 3, 201014 yr There is always hope. I've been at this for 26 years and for much of my career in rail/transit advocacy, our work was to ensure the very survival of passenger rail services in Ohio and nationwide. Now we're trying to ensure the survival of the expansion of passenger rail. As sad as this may sound for a supposedly civilized state in a supposedly civilized nation, that's a actually step forward for Ohio and America. Look at all of the trends in population demographics (Generation Y, Baby Boomers), in urban land use policy (has become increasingly pro-urban even with guys like Bush in the White House), and in petroleum constraints (the ultimate game-changer and according to the Pentagon, the IEA and others, the oil constraint/price run-up from 2004-08 was the appetizer to the 2012-beyond shortages!). Most of us will be around for decades, and tectonic shifts in the transportation landscape take at least as long. So four years (hopefully that's all it is) is pretty small in the grand scheme. Kasich may kill 3C and send the $400 million back to Washington. But unless he's planning on building Soviet-style checkpoints at the state lines, he can't keep the worldwide passenger rail renaissance out of Ohio forever. "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
November 3, 201014 yr ^Or a Democrat concession to cut spending on some other programs favored by the left to make up for the subsidy that the right apparently is up in arms about. Fat chance, the Republicans aren't going to be coming for budget compromise they're coming for blood. "Look we traded this commie socialist funding for this commie socialist funding over here!" just isn't going to fly. "Pay no attention to these great capitalist funding projects over here."
November 3, 201014 yr There is always hope. I've been at this for 26 years and for much of my career in rail/transit advocacy, our work was to ensure the very survival of passenger rail services in Ohio and nationwide. Now we're trying to ensure the survival of the expansion of passenger rail. As sad as this may sound for a supposedly civilized state in a supposedly civilized nation, that's a actually step forward for Ohio and America. Look at all of the trends in population demographics (Generation Y, Baby Boomers), in urban land use policy (has become increasingly pro-urban even with guys like Bush in the White House), and in petroleum constraints (the ultimate game-changer and according to the Pentagon, the IEA and others, the oil constraint/price run-up from 2004-08 was the appetizer to the 2012-beyond shortages!). Most of us will be around for decades, and tectonic shifts in the transportation landscape take at least as long. So four years (hopefully that's all it is) is pretty small in the grand scheme. Kasich may kill 3C and send the $400 million back to Washington. But unless he's planning on building Soviet-style checkpoints at the state lines, he can't keep the worldwide passenger rail renaissance out of Ohio forever. Well put.
November 3, 201014 yr ^Or a Democrat concession to cut spending on some other programs favored by the left to make up for the subsidy that the right apparently is up in arms about. There aren't many projects that come along which really should have (and historically have had) bipartisan support. The 3C train is one of them. It was supported by both Democrats and Republicans until about two years ago. I honestly think if you look at it objectively, it is one of the most effective and efficient uses of government money there can be. It is pretty much an objective no-brainer. The Republicans made it into a partisan issue once they realized they could pander to the ignoramuses' blind hatred of Obama and all things Obama has pushed for. If Republicans were honestly interested in cutting costs, there are far bigger fish to fry in the transportation budget. But that's not what most Republicans are concerned about.
November 3, 201014 yr Kasich may kill 3C and send the $400 million back to Washington. But unless he's planning on building Soviet-style checkpoints at the state lines, he can't keep the worldwide passenger rail renaissance out of Ohio forever. Bingo. A blip in American history, this is Yoda says. "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
November 3, 201014 yr My hope is that when QE2 starts, the weakening dollar will cause a spike in the price of gas, which will drive home the need for other forms of transit in the state that aren't so reliant on foreign oil.
November 3, 201014 yr Well, I lay my head on the railroad track Waitin' on the Double E But the train don't run through here no more Poor, poor pitiful me We could sure use a guy like Warren Zevon around here right now
November 3, 201014 yr 3C's survival will depends on these things: + What pro-rail Republicans do. Now that the election is over, will they still sit quietly and let opponents speak for them? Will they form a "Republicans for Rail" caucus or visit other states like North Carolina, Michigan or Illinois to see how they've done things? + The actions of local chambers of commerce that supported Kasich yet want improved rail access to their communities. + What Kasich does. Will he be pragmatic and order his ODOT administrators to conduct a review of all 3C work done thus far and make a recommendation to Kasich on next steps? Or will Kasich be a hot-tempered ideologue and slash 3C without looking? "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
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