All Aboard Ohio ‏@AllAboardOhio  4m

Thanks to @RepMarcyKaptur for $1M rail congestion relief plan. We urge @ODOT_Statewide to release $ to address delays http://tinyurl.com/klauuhq

Passenger Rail Forum

November 17, 11 a.m. - 1 p.m.

The Toledo Club, 235 14th St, Toledo, OH 43604

  http://t.co/rEnmLFLspN via @TMACOG

The Business Courier article says it would take four hours to get to Chicago.  Is that right?  Just going by Google maps I can get there in four hours and 20 minutes by car.

The Business Courier article says it would take four hours to get to Chicago.  Is that right?  Just going by Google maps I can get there in four hours and 20 minutes by car.

 

I've heard it's possible to drive the 300 miles in so little time..... When there's no traffic. Or when the road is dry. Or when the highway patrol is on break.

 

But can you do it for less than $100 round trip?

 

And can the car help you make up for lost time the way the train can? Like get any work done enroute? Or catch up on sleep? Or stroll to the cafe car for a snack/meal/soda/beer/wine? Or arrive refreshed?

 

And while Cincinnati lacks a 100+ mph train to Chicago, your competitors in St. Louis, Springfield, Bloomington, Detroit, Ann Arbor, Kalamazoo, Battle Creek and elsewhere are all getting 100+ trains to the Midwest's economic capital city. Meanwhile you are forced to drive to Chicago from Cincinnati unless you want to fork over $800+ to fly.

 

Competition. It doesn't just make companies better. It makes cities more attractive, too.

I know it depends on traffic but every time I've ever gone to Chicago by car it has taken around 4:45-5 hours. 4 hours isn't much faster but it's going to be consistent and you won't sit in traffic ever which is the worst part of a road trip. Plus you don't have to deal with a car once you arrive which is extremely beneficial.

 

As for less than $100 that can be done. I did a weekend trip a month or so ago and we drove my Fiat and it ended up being around $48 worth of gas and we were staying at my friend's place which had free on street parking. But if you're staying in the Loop or close vicinity add in another 30 dollars minimum a day to park. So it all just depends on what you're doing and where you're staying.

 

That being said if tickets on a train were $100 I'd gladly do that over driving. Napping and futzing around on the computer beat driving any day.

^I've found it to be more like 5-5.5, because you almost always hit traffic on the south side of Chicago, and most people stop for at least one gas/food/restroom break.

Competition. It doesn't just make companies better. It makes cities better, too.

 

The key is that people in your city have to know that they are missing out on something.  Most people in Cincinnati don't even think about Amtrak because we really don't have it, and most of our nearby cities don't have much either (Dayton, Louisville, Lexington, Columbus?).

This route would definitely benefit from a train.  Parking alone in Chicago is the reason not to drive.

The Business Courier article says it would take four hours to get to Chicago.  Is that right?  Just going by Google maps I can get there in four hours and 20 minutes by car.

 

I've heard it's possible to drive the 300 miles in so little time..... When there's no traffic. Or when the road is dry. Or when the highway patrol is on break.

 

But can you do it for less than $100 round trip?

 

And can the car help you make up for that lost time the way the train can? Like get any work done enroute? Or catch up on sleep? Or stroll to the cafe car for a snack/meal/soda/beer/wine? Or arrive refreshed?

 

And while Cincinnati lacks a 100+ mph train to Chicago, your competitors in St. Louis, Springfield, Bloomington, Detroit, Ann Arbor, Kalamazoo, Battle Creek and elsewhere are all getting 100+ trains to the Midwest's economic capital city. Meanwhile you are forced to drive to Chicago from Cincinnati unless you want to fork over $800+ to fly.

 

Competition. It doesn't just make companies better. It makes cities better, too.

 

I should first clarify that I am not against this.  I would love to see it happen.  I also understand the case for it when it is a business related travel.  Most people aren't going to need to go on business trips to Chicago, though.  Yes, I've made the trip multiple times (but not driving) in about 4 1/2 hours.  And at this time for under $100 as well. 

 

But the main thing I'm asking is how is it taking four hours if the train is traveling 110mph most of the time?  I know you will probably have to make a stop in Indianapolis, but it shouldn't take that long.

The car "savings" come into play when you are more than one person in a car.  While it is a great sell to a business person or young and single individual, taking a family of four is still much cheaper by car than by train, unfortunately.  And the latter are often the voting public.

^I've found it to be more like 5-5.5, because you almost always hit traffic on the south side of Chicago, and most people stop for at least one gas/food/restroom break.

 

When I went a month ago we hit bad traffic a bit before crossing into Illinois. My phone redirected me through some of the most depressing places I have ever been (Whiting and East Chicago Indiana) but then we wound up on the new extension of Lake Shore Drive and used that the rest of the way. We definitely saved time and got a great view the whole way. I'd still take a train over a nice lake view.

But the main thing I'm asking is how is it taking four hours if the train is traveling 110mph most of the time?  I know you will probably have to make a stop in Indianapolis, but it shouldn't take that long.

 

Trains aren't like planes. They make multiple station stops along the way. This corridor is likely to have a suburban stop on the north/west side of Cincinnati (I-275 vicinity) and Indianapolis (by the airport). If the preferred routing is via Hamilton and Oxford, then most trains will at least stop in Hamilton to draw from Middletown, the southern suburbs of Dayton, and possibly a feeder bus from central Dayton. A few local-stop trains will stop in Oxford, as many Miami University students come from Chicago and other Midwest cities. Ditto for Lafayette, which is actually the busiest station between Indy and Chicago thanks to Purdue which has the second-largest foreign-born enrollment -- many of whom want a train to O'Hare Airport (which is definitely doable with this route). BTW, the few local-stop trains will probably also stop in Connellsville, Crawfordsville, and Dyer or Valparaiso. Most trains may stop in NW Indiana -- such as at the Gary Regional Airport which undergoing a major expansion to become Chicagoland's third airport, which is also where trains from Michigan and Columbus/Ft Wayne would converge, enabling multiple connections.

 

So while the local trains would make most stops, the express trains would probably make only 3-4 stops between downtown Cincinnati and downtown Chicago. And if you board at a north/west suburban station outside Cincinnati, then you've just chopped the slowest part of your trip where the train would most definitely not be 110 mph (and probably not even 79).

 

EDIT: here is how the current schedule could be expanded with more trains and faster speeds over multiple phases as funds become available (for those who have never seen a train timetable, note that each column of times represents a train and the time shown is when the train would stop at that station. If a dashed line is shown for that station, then train wouldn't stop there. If no time is shown, then the train wouldn't go through that station.....

 

http://freepdfhosting.com/b575b8c4da.pdf

 

 

^Yep, seasonally this line would get a ton of use from Miami students. Saying that 1,000 Miami students are from Chicago is probably a conservative estimate, and probably all of them would take advantage of this service at some point in time. Heck, I'd do it just because I could get homework done to and from home haha.

 

Right now, a number of students take a bus from Oxford back to Chicago every holiday (like Thanksgiving, Christmas, etc.). They have routes that go to different clustered suburbs, like I think one goes to Joliet, one to Schuamburg, etc. Miami could probably discontinue the bus service if there was a dedicated train line, since students could easily get to Union Terminal in Chicago and take the metro lines on out to wherever they are from (they run quite deep into Chicagoland).

 

But yeah, wouldn't want to slow the line down too much. I know it runs through both Hamilton and Oxford, which both would make great stops, but aside from that probably not the best idea to stop anywhere else between Cincy and Indy? Connersville might be big enough to merit a stop, but aside from that.... I don't know.

Connersville already has a stop and, politically, if the Hoosier State service is to be extended into Ohio (which would likely be the first step), then Indiana is going to have to help subsidize the extension along with Ohio. That means Indiana is going to want more access to the train and that probably means the Hoosier State service is going to stop at Connellsville where Amtrak's Cardinal already stops.

 

The Hoosier extension is not the end goal. It's an interim step while the 10 year (on average) planning, property acquisition, funding procurement and construction goes on to develop the 110 mph service.

 

The Hoosier is probably going to take about 6 hours to get to Chicago from Cincinnati (perhaps 45+ minutes less to Hamilton). But the reason why the current service is so slow (taking 8 hours) is that the top speed from Hamilton to Indianapolis is only 60 mph. That can be increased to 79 mph over significant portions for about $5 million to extend the road crossing circuits (ie: Crossing signal triggers) and adding constant warning time equipment. Right now it takes 5 for the Hoosier to travel the 195 miles from Indy to Chicago. At least 1.5 hours could be chopped from the schedule resulting from a mix of privately and publicly funded projects already in the planning pipeline (welded rail installation north of Lafayette, addition of three passing sidings, dispatcher control operation of the Harvey Connection, restoration of Grand Crossing connection, and construction of the South Of Lake Corridor).

I thought there was a long layover in Indy that made the Cardinal to Chicago slow.

The Business Courier article says it would take four hours to get to Chicago.  Is that right?  Just going by Google maps I can get there in four hours and 20 minutes by car.

 

^That's without traffic. Always assume at least 30 minutes of traffic going into Chicago. Much more if you get in at the wrong time.

I thought there was a long layover in Indy that made the Cardinal to Chicago slow.

 

It's both.  I took the Cardinal in November.  There's an hour-long layover in Indianapolis so the departure time is more convenient.  Then the trip is impossibly slow in northern Indiana.  Lots of time at a standstill, presumably because of train traffic in Chicago?  It's definitely budgeted in to the Cardinal's schedule, because we arrived on time despite those delays.

 

Then I caught the Empire Builder to Minneapolis.  This is where the train became competitive with the car.  We were flying.

Yeah, I didn't mean to suggest there weren't other factors contributing to slowness. But sitting in the station for an hour (for some reason I thought it was 2 hours, but you would know better) is, well, just a time vortex.

 

I've only taken the Cardinal to the east coast. If I did it again, I'd want to splurge on a sleeper car. It's just too long. But it's infinitely better than Greyhound, which takes about the same amount of time.

It was dirt cheap for what it was, like $120 one-way.  I was traveling to my wife's hometown about an hour from Minneapolis for a funeral; she had gone up earlier in the week and I was meeting up with her.  Didn't want to take another car, the bus was just as expensive, so the train it was.  I was really surprised at how comfortable it was even in coach - huge seats, lots of leg room, smooth ride, get up and move around, etc.  The fact that there is a stop about 5 miles from her folks' house helps, too.

 

However, including a four-hour layover in Chicago, the whole trip was 20 hours to go about 700 miles.  Usually takes us about 11 hours to make the drive.  That 20 hours combined with the 1:30a departure (and having not slept since 7a the day before the train) made for a really really exhausting day.  It's pretty shocking that I could fly to Dubai in the same amount of time as it takes to ride the train to Minnesota in 2013.

 

The point's been covered here before so I won't belabor it, but it's three hours for the 120 miles to IND, an hour layover, then another five for the 200 miles to Chicago.  So on a good day it takes 9.5 hours to go 320 miles, or about 34 mph.  By comparison, even with a detour to Milwaukee and seven other stops, the Empire Builder took 6.5 hours to go the last 370 miles of the trip, or about 57 miles an hour. 

 

I had contemplated taking Megabus to Chicago then catching the Empire Builder, but the schedule doesn't work - the bus got there too late.

 

 

Every time I go to Chicago it's about 5 1/2 hours - to downtown Chicago that is.  A big reason is because I've never been where it hasn't taken 15-30 minutes to actually get to where I'm trying to park downtown.  So maybe it'd be quicker to get to the burbs, but I'd suspect this rail would go downtown (and sorry for the ignorance, I'm sure it's stated somewhere).  If you could get me to chicago in the same time as driving for a decent cost I'd much rather do that than have to worry about having a car and paying for parking.

Amtrak's downtown Chicago station is at Union Station. It is two blocks from Willis Tower.

 

 

Amtrak also has suburban stations throughout Chicagoland, most of which are shared with Metra commuter trains. There is also a lot of interest from cities east of Chicago to run trains through downtown Chicago to O'Hare on the west side. In fact, the two studies (PB and TEMS) from the Columbus-Fort Wayne-Chicago corridor showed there would be greater ridership and economic impact from running the trains through to O'Hare. The impact was greatest on Warsaw, IN which is the orthopedics capital of the world. With the fast rail link to Chicago & O'Hare, Warsaw can attract even more orthepedics jobs and business activity.

 

All Aboard Ohio ‏@AllAboardOhio  2m2 minutes ago

Thanks to Hamilton City Mgr Smith, Mayor Moeller & Council for supporting improved Cincinnati-Chicago passenger rail! http://freepdfhosting.com/cf5b517e71.pdf

Support for Chicago-Cincinnati high-speed rail grows

Oct 21, 2014, 2:39pm EDT

Staff Cincinnati Business Courier

 

The mayor and city manager of Hamilton wrote a letter to the Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Regional Council of Governments asking it to fund a feasibility study on running high-speed rail from Cincinnati to Chicago.

 

Such a study, business plan and economic impact analysis "will prove invaluable in pursing an effective policy and strategy that advances regional freight and passenger rail," wrote Hamilton City Manager Joshua Smith and Mayor Pat Moeller.

 

http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2014/10/21/support-for-chicago-cincinnati-high-speed-rail.html

I've not really been keeping up with what's going on with this, but this article popped up on my reddit feed today.

 

Plans for train connecting Columbus and Chicago chug forward

http://thelantern.com/2014/10/plans-for-train-connecting-columbus-and-chicago-chug-forward/

I've not really been keeping up with what's going on with this, but this article popped up on my reddit feed today.

 

Plans for train connecting Columbus and Chicago chug forward

http://thelantern.com/2014/10/plans-for-train-connecting-columbus-and-chicago-chug-forward/

 

Ahem.....

http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php/topic,20921.0.html

I've not really been keeping up with what's going on with this, but this article popped up on my reddit feed today.

 

Plans for train connecting Columbus and Chicago chug forward

http://thelantern.com/2014/10/plans-for-train-connecting-columbus-and-chicago-chug-forward/

 

Ahem.....

http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php/topic,20921.0.html

 

Ah sorry! It was late here only browsed to see if I could find mention of it and skipped the first page completely since it was dated so long ago. But I now notice another article that I missed mentioning the route to Columbus on page 2. I guess posting the reddit thread may have been more interesting because hearing Chicago redditors complain about visiting Ohio was fun.

Here's a nice map produced by friends in Cincinnati (although I added the "2015" at the top to reflect the coming addition of the Rockford and Quad Cities routes representing a combined investment of nearly $600 million, and added "Columbus" to include the other one of the Big 3 Ohio cities without daily passenger rail service). There is thrice-weekly service through Cincinnati in the middle of the night, so it's not usable service. No thrice-weekly service should ever be counted as worth noting as "service."

 

Michigan to open new Dearborn @Amtrak station on Wednesday - shows what state-led partnerships can do!

http://t.co/TGhiVBG3JO

Sorry I missed this! The Cardinal is the Amtrak route that operates thrice-weekly between Chicago - Indianapolis - Cincinnati - Charleston - Charlottesville - Washington DC - Baltimore - Philadelphia - New York City and many intermediate stations....

 

Tuesday, December 16, 2014

State rail service studies would cost $400,000, lawmakers told

by Phil Kabler, Staff writer

 

Full-scale studies to determine the feasibility of passenger rail service between Charleston and Huntington, and between Fairmont, Morgantown and Pittsburgh, would cost about $400,000, the director of the state Rail Authority told legislators Tuesday.

 

“A full-blown feasibility study for the two would be about $400,000,” Cindy Butler told the interim Select Committee on Infrastructure.

 

In February, the House of Delegates passed a resolution calling for a study of the feasibility of high-speed commuter rail service in the state.

 

Butler noted that, by definition, high-speed rail operates at maximum speeds in excess of 110 mph and requires dedicated right-of-ways with no grade crossings. Also, she noted, commuter rail is a specific type of passenger service, dedicated to getting workers to and from urban centers from outlying residential areas.

 

However, she said the State Rail Plan, approved last December, calls for feasibility studies for the two proposed passenger rail corridors.

 

The studies would analyze ridership forecasts, potential revenues and operating costs, and potential funding sources and subsidies.

 

Butler said Federal Rail Authority requires state cost-sharing for all intercity rail service routes of under 750 miles – which both proposed rail corridors would fall under.

 

The State Rail Plan also calls for expanding MARC commuter rail service in the Eastern Panhandle, and expanding Amtrak’s Cardinal route from three days a week to daily service, she said.

 

“That’s a big thing we’d like to see, the Cardinal going to every day,” Butler said.

 

- See more at: http://www.wvgazette.com/article/20141216/GZ01/141219397#sthash.LMX4IsNZ.dpuf

 

__________

 

And a press release....

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Dec. 22, 2014

MORE CONNECTIONS TO THE AMTRAK NETWORK

IN INDIANA, OHIO, KENTUCKY AND TENNESSEE

Expanded Thruway Bus Service partnership with Greyhound Lines

 

CHICAGO -- More communities in Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky and Tennessee now can connect to Amtrak trains in Chicago and Indianapolis using buses operated by Greyhound Lines, Inc. People and businesses in Nashville, Tenn., and Gary, Ind., are now able to more easily access the Amtrak national network to meet their travel needs.

 

Passengers traveling between Indianapolis and points north to Chicago will also now have more schedule choices by riding the Amtrak Cardinal and Hoosier State (Trains 50/850 & 51/851) in one direction and the option of returning by bus, all booked through Amtrak.com or the Amtrak Mobile apps.

 

This is an extension of ticketing previously done by Amtrak between Chicago and Louisville, via Indianapolis. Schedules attached.

 

The service expansion is another example of the growing business relationship between Amtrak and Greyhound that has led the motor coach operator to open a ticket office at Chicago Union Station.

 

See schedule at:

http://www.amtrak.com/ccurl/368/328/Amtrak-More-Thruways-to-Ind-Ohio-Ky-and-Tenn-ATK-14-119.pdf

If West Virginia wants a daily Cardinal, it will probably happen. As anyone who's been paying attention knows, WV's wishes matter a lot more than OH's. That fact is plain enough just from the schedule.

If West Virginia wants a daily Cardinal, it will probably happen. As anyone who's been paying attention knows, WV's wishes matter a lot more than OH's. That fact is plain enough just from the schedule.

 

That's a holdover from US Senator Robert Byrd who got the train restored after Reagan's budget cuts in 1981 and, yes, got Amtrak to run the train on a schedule more favorable to West Virginia. Prior to its return in 1982, the Cardinal ran daily and served Cincy about 10 a.m. westbound and about 8 p.m. eastbound so it could provide an overnight run to/from the Northeast Corridor cities. Sadly, Senator Byrd was not as interested in keeping the daily Cincinnati-Washington Shenandoah which also operated overnight between Cincinnati and Washington via station stops in Loveland, Chillicothe, Athens and Parkersburg.

Add a blog posting....

 

Is Cincy-Chicago partnership a precursor to more trains?

December 23, 2014

 

Amtrak reported this week that it has expanded its Thruway Bus Service partnership with Greyhound Lines to offer improved transportation choices and simplified, joint ticketing between Cincinnati plus other cities and Amtrak’s Chicago hub. This comes on news that Greyhound and Megabus may relocate into Cincinnati’s Riverfront Transportation Center which is accessible to the new streetcar. And there is news that West Virginia is showing interest in a daily Amtrak Cardinal service (see news article below the timetable).

 

MORE:

http://allaboardohio.org/2014/12/23/is-cincy-chicago-partnership-a-precursor-to-more-trains/

 

http://allaboardohio.org/2015/01/06/indot-encouraged-to-continue-hoosier-state-rail-line/

 

Indiana DOT encouraged to continue Hoosier State rail line beyond January 31st

January 6, 2015

 

[An IPRA press release. For further information: contact Donald Yehle, IPRA Media Relations, 765-418-4097 ([email protected]) or Steve Coxhead, IPRA President, 219-741-8053 ([email protected])]

 

INDIANAPOLIS – The Indiana Passenger Rail Alliance (IPRA) is calling on the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) to continue passenger rail service from Indianapolis to Chicago past January 31.

 

The Hoosier State is operating on a four-month extension of a one-year contract signed a year ago October by INDOT and communities served by the railroad. The agreement stipulates the parties will share in the approximate $3 million annual operating cost of the 196-mile railroad between Indianapolis and Chicago.

 

“The four month extension ends January 31 so it’s imperative INDOT, participating communities, Amtrak, and a possible, new private Hoosier State developer reach an understanding sooner, rather than later, as railroad passengers need to make their travel plans in advance,” IPRA President Steve Coxhead says.

 

The traveling public continues to demonstrate it wants this rail service. For instance, on a single day just before Thanksgiving, 145 passengers boarded the Hoosier State train in Lafayette for Chicago, he says.

 

The Indianapolis-based organization is in the process of funding a business case and economic development plan for the Hoosier State corridor, which stretches from Chicago, thru Indianapolis, to Cincinnati and Louisville.

 

Conversations continue with two Ohio organizations to determine their interest in daily passenger rail service. Those groups are the Hamilton County (Cincinnati) and the Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Regional Association of Governments, Coxhead says. Two Southern Indiana counties – Fayette [seat is Connersville] and Dearborn [seat is Lawrenceburg] — are also seriously interested in expanding the service beyond Indianapolis, he continues.

 

“We want Governor (Michael) Pence, INDOT Commission (Karl) Browning, and the state general assembly to support a more equitable funding mechanism for the railroad.

 

While many states are funding passenger railroads of less than 750 miles – as required by Federal law – Indiana is the only state asking for substantial financial support from communities and counties served by a railroad, IPRA says.

 

Amtrak – the current and likely future operator of the passenger rail service – has in recent months made good on promises to improve the service with Wi-Fi, limited food and beverage service, and business class seating. Partnership arrangements with Greyhound are providing further connectivity for the traveling public, Coxhead concludes.

 

END

Some very encouraging news coming out of Indiana regarding the future of the "Hoosier State" train service which All Aboard Ohio wants speeded up, be expanded as a daily service and extended to Cincinnati on a convenient, daytime schedule to Chicago (in addition to daily Amtrak Cardinal service). Some highlights from the article are below.....

 

Truitt files bill to fund Indiana Amtrak line

Chris Morisse Vizza, [email protected] 5:46 p.m. EST January 14, 2015

 

Proposals to continue funding Indiana’s Hoosier State passenger rail service have come from the governor’s office and the General Assembly.

 

State Rep. Randy Truitt filed House Bill 1217, which would allow the state to appropriate $3 million annually so the Indiana Department of Transportation can contract with Amtrak to provide rail service between Indianapolis and Chicago.

 

...The future of the Hoosier State has been uncertain as the state’s current contract with Amtrak expires expire Jan. 31.

 

Spokesmen for INDOT and Amtrak last week said talks have been productive and neither expects a disruption in service.

 

Murtaugh and Dennis expect a healthy debate and potential changes to HB 1217, which on Tuesday was referred to the House Ways & Means committee.

 

Gov. Mike Pence’s spending recommendation contains language similar to Truitt’s bill, but goes one step further. In addition to funding the service, Pence’s plan authorizes INDOT to purchase rail equipment.

 

....As the discussion is just beginning at the legislature, support for the Hoosier State is pouring in from outside Indiana.

 

Directors of All Aboard Ohio, a nonprofit passenger rail alliance, on Tuesday night adopted a resolution urging continuation of the four-day-a-week service, which is complemented by Amtrak’s long-distance Cardinal that travels three days a week from New York to Chicago.

 

“I feel strongly that any long term answer to the Hoosier State’s problems are not in canceling or minimizing it but by expanding it,” spokesman Derek Bauman said.

 

“We have 2 million people in the tri-state area of Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana, and that’s a lot of potential riders.”

 

...It also helps that CSX is upgrading the tracks the Hoosier State runs on.

 

“Two siding tracks have been installed,” Olson said. “It will alleviate backups and delays and that goes a long way toward addressing a problem.”

 

If the legislature approves continued funding for the line, it affords the opportunity to improve the service, attract more riders and generate revenue, he said.

 

READ MORE AT:

http://www.jconline.com/story/news/2015/01/14/truitt-bill-fund-indiana-amtrak-service/21774061/

 

Lorain County Commissioners weigh $9 million Amtrak project

Filed on January 21, 2015 by Brad Dicken

 

ELYRIA — The Lorain County Commissioners are leaning toward a $9 million proposal that would see Amtrak service to the city of Elyria returned to the old train depot.

 

County Administrator Jim Cordes said the county has cobbled together all but $500,000 in local match money for cover the cost of the project, which represent continued improvements at what has become known as the Lorain County Transportation Center.

 

The proposal would see the construction of a bridge over the double tracks at the site with stair an elevator access to the two platforms through three towers with stairs and elevators.

 

MORE:

http://chronicle.northcoastnow.com/2015/01/21/lorain-county-commissioners-weigh-9-million-amtrak-project/

Better article from a better publication. Yep, Lorain County has two daily newspapers while Cuyahoga County has none....

 

Lorain County commissioners to move forward with Amtrak Station

By Adriana Cuevas, The Morning Journal

POSTED: 01/22/15, 12:01 AM EST | UPDATED: 10 SECS AGO 0 COMMENTS

 

Lorain County is $500,000 away from moving forward with the next phase of its longstanding Lorain County Transportation Center project.

 

During the Lorain County Commissioners meeting Jan. 21, Ken Allen, architect with Richard Bowen & Associates, unveiled the county’s approved bridge design plan for the Amtrak station.

 

The design, Allen explained, calls for the construction of a bridge that will allow riders to move in-and-out of the station while providing them with a lobby and access to the platforms by way of Americans with Disabilities Act compliant elevators and staircases on each end of the bridge.

 

MORE:

http://www.morningjournal.com/general-news/20150122/lorain-county-commissioners-to-move-forward-with-amtrak-station

So, is this project essentially dead?  I mean, we came so close in, what was it, 2009?  Still such a pity. 

So, is this project essentially dead?  I mean, we came so close in, what was it, 2009?  Still such a pity. 

 

Under Ohio's current governmental leadership, yes.

Also would be served by a possible extension of Indiana's daily Chicago-Indianapolis "Hoosier State" service to Cincinnati....

 

Posted: 4:07 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2015

Oxford considers federal grant for Amtrak stop

By Eric Robinette

Staff Writer

 

OXFORD — The proposed Amtrak stop in Oxford continues to gain momentum as city and Miami University leaders intend to pursue a federal grant to fund the operation.

 

City Manager Douglas Elliott told city council this month that he met with university, Butler County Regional Transit Authority and Talawanda Schools officials to discuss applying for a TIGER grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation. TIGER stands for Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery.

 

According to the U.S. Department of Transportation website, TIGER provide “a unique opportunity for the DOT to invest in road, rail, transit and port projects that promise to achieve critical national objectives.”

 

MORE:

http://www.daytondailynews.com/news/news/oxford-considers-federal-grant-for-amtrak-stop/nkCzs/

Federal grant may get Oxford rail station rolling

Michael D. Clark, [email protected] 1:26 a.m. EST February 19, 2015

 

OXFORD – A federal grant could help bring a new railroad station to Oxford, city and Miami University officials said Wednesday.

 

That's one of the reasons why Oxford and university officials are considering asking for a U.S. Department of Transportation grant.

 

And that money may become a factor in their joint efforts to persuade Amtrak to create the first passenger train stop in the city in five decades.

 

MORE:

http://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/2015/02/18/federal-grant-may-get-oxford-rail-station-rolling/23642617/

All Aboard Ohio ‏@AllAboardOhio

Subsidy for 1,600 daily rail travelers to Columbus? Bad. Subsidy for 400 daily air travelers? Good. http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/business/2015/02/19/southwest-oakland-boston-flights.html … @dispatcheditor

All Aboard Ohio ‏@AllAboardOhio

Subsidy for 1,600 daily rail travelers to Columbus? Bad. Subsidy for 400 daily air travelers? Good. http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/business/2015/02/19/southwest-oakland-boston-flights.html … @dispatcheditor

 

Interesting that Franklin County and the City of Columbus come up with this:

 

"To lure Southwest and reduce the airline’s financial risk, the city is putting $1.2 million and Franklin County $500,000 into a two-year reserve fund for the Southwest flights to Oakland."

 

That's $1.7 million. The state's annual share of operating costs for the 3-C Corridor would have been $3 million per year for the first three years. Ohio spends more to mow medians $17 million/year, but nahhhhh....

So, is this project essentially dead?  I mean, we came so close in, what was it, 2009?  Still such a pity. 

 

Under Ohio's current governmental leadership, yes.

 

I don't see the state of Ohio doing anything with rail for a long time to come, since the legislature is filled with rail critics and skeptics. Kasich will be gone one day, but they will remain. The best hope is to work with MPO's and localities in order to avoid the state.

^Sadly, I agree.  I think the better approach is what's happening now, on some levels: The Cleveland region working to connect directly with Amtrak on regional routes.  I guess, though, there has to be some state participation even for this which, with Ohio's traditional dinosaurs, probably won't happen anytime soon, either, but maybe we'll have a stronger case if, say, northern Ohio works together as a sub-unit of the State... We can only pray that a Republican doesn't win the White House in 2016.

^Sadly, I agree.  I think the better approach is what's happening now, on some levels: The Cleveland region working to connect directly with Amtrak on regional routes.  I guess, though, there has to be some state participation even for this which, with Ohio's traditional dinosaurs, probably won't happen anytime soon, either, but maybe we'll have a stronger case if, say, northern Ohio works together as a sub-unit of the State... We can only pray that a Republican doesn't win the White House in 2016.

 

Certainly not Jeb Bush, who famously killed the high speed rail project in Florida when he was governor.

Most rail projects are by nature not localized, so state involvement is hard to avoid.  To the extent we can, wonderful, but that's very limiting.  Obviously a political shift is needed to gain significant traction.  That doesn't seem likely in the near future.  We are left with the need to convince leaders, and voters, who are ideologically opposed. 

 

Those people have ideas they like and language they prefer.  They love freedom and commerce and efficiency.  They don't favor cities or helping the poor.  They really seem to hate traffic jams.  Their voter base skews older, wealthier, more rural.  Though prone to blind spots and self-serving interpretations, they seem fascinated with history.  I think it's possible for rail travel to appeal along all these ideological and demographic lines.  Of course, appealing to the younger set is also necessary, but they seem more receptive to begin with.  Unfortunately they just aren't big on voting, and that needs to change.

So, is this project essentially dead?  I mean, we came so close in, what was it, 2009?  Still such a pity. 

 

Under Ohio's current governmental leadership, yes.

 

I don't see the state of Ohio doing anything with rail for a long time to come, since the legislature is filled with rail critics and skeptics. Kasich will be gone one day, but they will remain. The best hope is to work with MPO's and localities in order to avoid the state.

 

If the legislature is generational like Kasich is, then one day they will be gone, too. We just need to make sure somehow that they are replaced with people who aren't willfully ignorant and shortsighted when it comes to transportation needs and funding.

Most rail projects are by nature not localized, so state involvement is hard to avoid.  To the extent we can, wonderful, but that's very limiting.  Obviously a political shift is needed to gain significant traction.  That doesn't seem likely in the near future.  We are left with the need to convince leaders, and voters, who are ideologically opposed. 

 

Those people have ideas they like and language they prefer.  They love freedom and commerce and efficiency.  They don't favor cities or helping the poor.  They really seem to hate traffic jams.  Their voter base skews older, wealthier, more rural.  Though prone to blind spots and self-serving interpretations, they seem fascinated with history.  I think it's possible for rail travel to appeal along all these ideological and demographic lines.  Of course, appealing to the younger set is also necessary, but they seem more receptive to begin with.  Unfortunately they just aren't big on voting, and that needs to change.

 

The older generation (boomers, GIs remaning) will be out of power and fading into the very "history"  (I used quotes, because it's often hyper-idealized) they so revere and cherish within the next 10 to 15 years. Whatever their concerns, and their intent on dragging their feet on desperately needed infrastructural reforms, they'll have a decreasing say in politics as their active numbers dwindle do to infirmity and death during this time.

 

Personally, I'd rather not wait so long to act, but sometimes problems do take care of themselves if you can wait them out. On the other hand, if enough younger voters (Millennials and Gen-Xers) found reason enough to care and to vote, the numbers, voice, and power of seniors would be put in check now, and we could shift the agenda away from the ever-tired "culture wars" that have so dominated our politics in the U.S. for the past 40+ years, and get on with practical matters that have been put off for far too long.

They love freedom and commerce and efficiency.  They don't favor cities or helping the poor.

 

Well, if you seriously want to change peoples opinions about transportation, you should probably start with being a bit more understanding. 

 

Bleeding Heart Tightwads

 

By NICHOLAS D. KRISTOF

 

This holiday season is a time to examine who’s been naughty and who’s been nice, but I’m unhappy with my findings. The problem is this: We liberals are personally stingy.

 

Liberals show tremendous compassion in pushing for generous government spending to help the neediest people at home and abroad. Yet when it comes to individual contributions to charitable causes, liberals are cheapskates.

 

Arthur Brooks, the author of a book on donors to charity, “Who Really Cares,” cites data that households headed by conservatives give 30 percent more to charity than households headed by liberals. A study by Google found an even greater disproportion: average annual contributions reported by conservatives were almost double those of liberals.

 

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/21/opinion/21kristof.html?_r=0

Most rail projects are by nature not localized, so state involvement is hard to avoid.  To the extent we can, wonderful, but that's very limiting.  Obviously a political shift is needed to gain significant traction.  That doesn't seem likely in the near future.  We are left with the need to convince leaders, and voters, who are ideologically opposed. 

 

Those people have ideas they like and language they prefer.  They love freedom and commerce and efficiency.  They don't favor cities or helping the poor.  They really seem to hate traffic jams.  Their voter base skews older, wealthier, more rural.  Though prone to blind spots and self-serving interpretations, they seem fascinated with history.  I think it's possible for rail travel to appeal along all these ideological and demographic lines.  Of course, appealing to the younger set is also necessary, but they seem more receptive to begin with.  Unfortunately they just aren't big on voting, and that needs to change.

 

The older generation (boomers, GIs remaning) will be out of power and fading into the very "history"  (I used quotes, because it's often hyper-idealized) they so revere and cherish within the next 10 to 15 years. Whatever their concerns, and their intent on dragging their feet on desperately needed infrastructural reforms, they'll have a decreasing say in politics as their active numbers dwindle do to infirmity and death during this time.

 

Personally, I'd rather not wait so long to act, but sometimes problems do take care of themselves if you can wait them out. On the other hand, if enough younger voters (Millennials and Gen-Xers) found reason enough to care and to vote, the numbers, voice, and power of seniors would be put in check now, and we could shift the agenda away from the ever-tired "culture wars" that have so dominated our politics in the U.S. for the past 40+ years, and get on with practical matters that have been put off for far too long.

 

This is one senior who could not agree more.