Who knows with the FRA, but rest assured Dayton will be a stop in the system.  It is already planned for a stop under the conventional speed 3-C Amtrak start-up that ORDC is currently working on.  The 3-C sets the stage for faster, better and more frequent trains.

Obama unveils high-speed passenger rail plan

 

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President Obama unveiled his administration's blueprint for a new national network of high-speed passenger rail lines Thursday, saying such an investment is necessary to reduce traffic congestion, cut dependence on foreign oil and improve the environment.

 

 

Find this article at:

http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/04/16/obama.rail/index.html 

 

Ugh. He lost me at "Kunstler". :P

Kunstler is certainly abrasive. On the other hand, "Geography of Nowhere" is one of the most important books of the past couple of decades. Some books that have followed have been better, but Kunstler really was at the forefront of the current Smart Growth movement. He's been at it 15 years.

http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090417/NEWS16/904170345

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Article published April 17, 2009

 

Toledo part of Obama's high-speed rail plans

President promotes urban-area networks

By DAVID PATCH

BLADE STAFF WRITER

 

 

$8 billion could accelerate fast-rail plan

Columbus, four other Ohio cities would be stops on Midwest route with trains that go up to 110 mph

Friday,  April 17, 2009 3:04 AM

By James Nash

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

 

Efforts to connect Ohio's major cities via high-speed trains got a boost yesterday with President Barack Obama's announcement that the state is in the running for $8 billion in stimulus money for passenger rail.

 

Read more at:

 

http://dispatch.com/live/content/national_world/stories/2009/04/17/RAILROAD.ART_ART_04-17-09_A3_ANDJ3TO.html?sid=101

Kunstler is certainly abrasive. On the other hand, "Geography of Nowhere" is one of the most important books of the past couple of decades. Some books that have followed have been better, but Kunstler really was at the forefront of the current Smart Growth movement. He's been at it 15 years.

I'm risking wandering off-topic, so I'll try to keep this short.

 

Kunstler is indeed abrasive, but it's difficult to communicate with peope in denial and tell them what they really don't want to hear, without grating on nerves. Many among us are accustomed to simple answers from politicians and preachers and the like, and have lost the ability to analyze seemingly disparate events and recognize the cause-and-effect interrelationships among them. I think Kunstler connects the dots masterfully in his writing, and that's what makes his work captivating reading for me. I do find his blog jarring to my sensibilities sometimes and I prefer his books, where his hyperbole is more restrained.

http://blog.cleveland.com/openers/2009/04/ohio_highspeed_rail_gets_push.html

 

Ohio high-speed rail gets push from Obama plan

Posted by Stephen Koff and Sabrina Eaton / Plain Dealer Washington Bureau April 17, 2009

 

WASHINGTON -- High-speed passenger trains that traverse Ohio are still a dream, but the concept got closer to reality Thursday with a White House endorsement of rail corridors it says could transform United States travel.

 

President Barack Obama and top transportation officials proposed routes that could run from Cleveland to Toledo before heading to Chicago, and from Cincinnati to Indianapolis and then to Chicago. Another route could run between Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton and Cincinnati.

 

 

..........

Cincinnati in proposed train corridor

By Raju Chebium, Cincinnati Enquirer (Gannett), April 16, 2009

 

WASHINGTON – Cincinnati is in one of the 10 corridors where the Obama administration wants to spark high-speed rail service.

 

Calling a sizable investment in high-speed rail service long overdue, President Barack Obama on Thursday detailed his vision to ramp up train service between cities located within 100 to 600 miles of each other along the East and West coasts and the upper and lower Midwest. Cincinnati is one of those cities.

 

Cincinnati Mayor Mark Mallory called it great news.

 

“Clearly, the president cares about wanting to support the state’s goals,” he said of federal money that would extend high-speed rail from Chicago and Indianapolis to Cincinnati and beyond to Dayton, Columbus, Toledo and Cleveland.

 

“It is a tremendous benefit to be connected to other major Ohio cities,” Mallory said of federal money that would extend high-speed rail from Chicago and Indianapolis to Cincinnati and beyond to Dayton, Columbus, Toledo and Cleveland.

 

“We have a lot of energy down here, a lot of new developments. Movement between major cities in Ohio is positive for all of us.”

 

This was the first Mallory had heard of Obama’s announcement of a detailed train service plan, but Mallory said during the presidential campaign then-Sen. Joe Biden told the mayor he wanted to connect high speed rail all across the country, including Cincinnati.

 

The $787 billion economic stimulus bill Obama signed into law in February contains $8 billion for high-speed rail, which the president called a down payment. That $8 billion is part of $64 billion in the stimulus package for roads, bridges, rail and transit.

 

An Obama administration report identifies 10 corridors where the president wants to see fast, efficient train service ranging from at least 79 mph to 150 mph.

 

Those corridors would connect cities such as Los Angeles and San Francisco; Chicago, Detroit, Cincinnati, Indianapolis and Louisville; Boston and Portland, Maine; Richmond, Va., and Atlanta; Orlando, Fla., and Miami; Houston and New Orleans; and Dallas and Oklahoma City. , Okla.

 

The Washington-to-New York leg of Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor would be allowed to compete for money to improve the only high-speed rail service – through snub-nosed Acela trains – that exists in the United States.

 

Local politicians are excited that Cincinnati is included in Obama’s proposal.

 

“Forgive the pun, but we now seem to be on the fast track,” quipped Hamilton County Commission President Todd Portune, who long has lobbied for more rail service in the region. He said the designation will mean “jobs, jobs and more jobs” for Cincinnati and its surrounding communities, savings for motorists and benefits for the environment.

 

“It’s a really big deal for the region,” Portune said. of Obama’s announcement. “This should remove any doubt about whether we are going to be able to provide regular, dependable, reliable, affordable and economical rail service for daily commuters, for intercity and interstate travelers, and for the shipment of goods.”

 

Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, has asked U. S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood to allocate at least $1 billion in economic recovery funds to high-speed rail corridors such as the “3-C corridor” linking Cincinnati, Dayton, Columbus and Cleveland. that do not have passenger rail.

 

“Rail service between Ohio’s most populous cities is a powerful economic development engine,” Brown, a longtime advocate of Ohio passenger rail service, said.

 

“The economic recovery package funding presents a tremendous opportunity to jumpstart rail service in Ohio. I will be working with President Obama and his administration to bring passenger rail service back to millions of Ohioans. Passenger rail service would create jobs and economic growth at a time when our state needs both.”

 

Brown’s office said studies show that expanding passenger rail service in the state could create 16,700 permanent jobs and tens of thousands of construction jobs. It would generate more than $3 billion in development near stations and create $80 million annually for the state’s tourism industry, Brown’s office said. Restoring the 3-C service would use 260 miles of existing track that reaches 5.9 million Ohioans, almost 60 percent of the population, Brown said.

 

Rita McNeil, vice president of government affairs for the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber, said the group is “certainly pleased” with the plan.

 

“It is time for high-speed rail in the region,” McNeil said.

 

Obama wants to usher in the era of high-speed rail with the aim of aiding the environment and helping the U.S. to provide service similar to that in countries such as France, Spain, China and Japan, where millions of people board speedy trains every day.

 

Ohio state legislators approved a $9.2 billion transportation budget this month that includes money to study a statewide passenger rail line linking Cincinnati, Dayton, Columbus and Cleveland.

 

Gov. Ted Strickland said Ohio needs $250 million in stimulus money to resume passenger rail service along the 3-C corridor between Cincinnati and Cleveland by the end of 2010, with the state paying an estimated $10 million in annual operating costs.

 

Ohio is waiting for Amtrak to complete a study by August on what is required to operate 79 mph trains along existing freight tracks along the corridor, including projected fares and ridership. Private passenger train service along the 260-mile route ended in 1971.

 

The project lays the foundation for high-speed trains operating at up to 110 mph by 2016, according to the Ohio Rail Development Commission, an agency within the state Department of Transportation.

 

“My high-speed rail proposal will lead to innovations that change the way we travel in America,” Obama said. “We must start developing clean, energy-efficient transportation that will define our regions for centuries to come. High-speed rail is long-overdue, and this plan lets American travelers know that they are not doomed to a future of long lines at the airports or jammed cars on the highways.”

 

Vice President Joe Biden, who commuted on Amtrak when he represented Delaware in the Senate, said an expanded rail service would help the country lower its dependence on imported oil.

 

“Railways are the best way to connect communities to each other, and as a daily rail commuter for over 35 years, this announcement is near and dear to my heart,” he said.

 

“Investing in a high-speed rail system will lower our dependence on foreign oil … loosen the congestion suffocating our highways and skyways and significantly reduce the damage we do to our planet.”

 

The $787 billion economic stimulus bill Obama signed into law in February contains $8 billion for high-speed rail, which the president called a down payment.

 

In June, the federal Department of Transportation will specify criteria for distributing money. Obama’s budget blueprint for 2010 calls for $5 billion over five years in high-speed rail grants to states.

I think Kunstler connects the dots masterfully in his writing, and that's what makes his work captivating reading for me. I do find his blog jarring to my sensibilities sometimes and I prefer his books, where his hyperbole is more restrained.

 

You're right. Books better'n blog. He's also a compelling speaker, despite (because of?) his abrasiveness.

In addition to Kunstler, I'd recommend Steven B. Goddard's "Getting There: The Epic Struggle Between Road and Rail in the American Century". While it is more of  history of the railroads than the highway system, it is also a compelling argument why the "free market" approach to transportation (especially as it is asymmetrically applied to passenger rail service), doesn't work.

 

The fundamental problem with the naysayers is that they fail to recognize that we are facing a transformative event in our economic history. We are going to have to think, differently, about how we do things if we are to preserve our standing as the world's largest economy. Much of the success of the American Century was due to public investment in infrastructure and basic research which allowed the private sector to succeed.

Fed to invest $13 billion in nationwide high-speed rail project

 

 

Four months after unveiling a high-speed rail plan for the United States, the federal government is now allocating money to get the ball rolling.

 

Read more at:

 

http://cincinnati.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/stories/2009/04/13/daily61.html

Try also: 20th Century Sprawl: Highways and the Reshaping of the American Landscape, by Owen D. Gutfreund.

Steven B. Goddard's "Getting There: The Epic Struggle Between Road and Rail in the American Century".

 

I interviewed Goddard right after this book came out. I told him I could read it only in short spurts because it made me very angry. But it also motivated me to work harder in my advocacy efforts. We shared a good laugh about that and a few other things.

 

 

From Vision of High-Speed Rail in America:

With the successful completion of the original phases of the Northeast Corridor (NEC) Transportation Project offering Amtrak's 150 mph train service, known as “Acela,” between Washington, New York, and Boston, efforts have expanded beyond the NEC. A number of high-speed rail corridors are being planned by States that range from upgrades to existing rail lines to entirely new rail lines exclusively devoted to 150 to 250 mph trains.

 

So is Ohio's 3C project really "high speed rail" if it only goes 110mph?  I guess it's ok to call 3C "high speed."

 

 

I find the inclusion of Oklahoma City and Tulsa, OK into the HSR vision interesting.  Apparently, some Sooners don't agree as evidenced in this forum thread: President Proposes High Speed Rail in Oklahoma

In response to the comments on that link:

It's funny that when the citizens of the US ask for help in this recession people don't understand that this is the type of infrastructure that adds economic value to the present and the extended future.

The ironic thing about that map is that each line was put on there through the efforts of each state Department of Transportation. The USDOT ultimately awarded the high-speed designation, which means only that it is eligible for some funds to help it develop toward high-speed. But the USDOT can't award the designations if a state didn't make the application. So for those who complain about the USDOT doing/not doing this or that, they have misdirected their commentary.

The ironic thing about that map is that each line was put on there through the efforts of each state Department of Transportation. The USDOT ultimately awarded the high-speed designation, which means only that it is eligible for some funds to help it develop toward high-speed. But the USDOT can't award the designations if a state didn't make the application. So for those who complain about the USDOT doing/not doing this or that, they have misdirected their commentary.

 

It is not merely ironic, it is sad. As a result, you don't have the Panhandle line and you have a big gap between Cleveland and Pittsburgh.

 

The notion of a federation of states needs to be reexamined in terms of the benefits to our nation as a whole. We should be thinking in terms of regional economies which span state borders, rather than clinging to the notion that any state is economically poised to go it alone.  That made sense when we were a fledgling democracy but it makes little sense, now.

 

Let's take this discussion over to:

 

http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php/topic,14971.msg388308.html#msg388308

http://www.rtands.com/breaking_news.shtml#Feature7-4-21

 

April 17, 2009

 

Freight railroads, Cong. Mica applaud high-speed rail plan

 

“The high speed rail plan announced today by President Obama is welcome news for all Americans,” said Ed Hamberger, president of AAR. “We applaud the President's leadership in recognizing the importance of rail to the future of our nation's transportation network.

 

“Just as freight rail provides significant environmental benefits to Americans, so too will the expansion of high speed rail passenger service,” he said. “Trains are the environmentally friendly way to move both people and products because of their fuel efficiency and ability to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Expanded use of rail also has significant economic benefits; according to the U.S. Department of Commerce, each $1 billion of rail investment creates 20,000 jobs.

 

..........

the lorain journl chimes in & is strongly gung-ho about local high speed rail  :clap:

 

Opinion

'OUR VIEW' EDITORIAL:

Lorain and Elyria should be part of high-speed rail plans

 

Published: Tuesday, April 21, 2009

 

 

A White House wish list of possible high-speed rail corridors includes a Chicago hub with Ohio stops in Toledo, Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnati.

 

One would hope that 110-mile-per-hour passenger trains would do more than just speed through Lorain.

 

Read more at:

 

http://www.morningjournal.com/articles/2009/04/21/opinion/mj924430.txt

http://specter.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=NewsRoom.NewsReleases&ContentRecord_id=d4fa7235-c06f-db45-7184-df95e512f9af

 

Casey, Specter, Dahlkemper Urge Support for High-Speed Rail in Erie

 

Write Letter to DOT Sec. LaHood Asking Not to Isolate Erie

 

Washington, D.C.

Thursday, April 23, 2009 -

 

U.S. Senators Bob Casey (D-PA) and Arlen Specter (R-PA) and Congresswoman Kathy Dahlkemper (D-PA) today sent a letter to Ray LaHood, Secretary of the United States Department of Transportation, urging him to reconsider high-speed rail designations that would divide the Great Lakes Region into two separate, unconnected routes.

 

“Given the region’s interest in being connected to the proposed high-speed passenger rail network, we would appreciate the benefit of your views as to whether the current designated high speed rail corridor map precludes Erie from competing for a role in the President’s vision for high-speed rail,” the members wrote.

 

The current map of high-speed rail corridor designations connect Cleveland to Kansas City and Minneapolis/St. Paul and also includes a line connecting Buffalo to major population centers on the east coast, but does not connect Cleveland to Buffalo. The issue was first brought to the members’ attention by Erie County Councilmember Kyle Foust. Councilmember Foust expressed concerns that the lines as planned would create a gap in the corridor that could potentially isolate the Erie region from a future national high-speed passenger rail network.

 

Full text of the letter below.

 

Dear Secretary LaHood:

 

We write today to bring your attention to a suggestion made by Erie County Councilmember Kyle Foust regarding the designation of high-speed rail corridors. Councilmember Foust raises an important issue, and we would appreciate your consideration of his views.

 

As Councilmember Foust points out, the current map detailing designated high speed rail corridors across the country divides the Great Lakes region into two separate, unconnected routes. The map connects Cleveland to Kansas City and Minneapolis/St. Paul and also includes a line connecting Buffalo to major population centers on the east coast. Unfortunately, the map in its current form does not connect Cleveland to Buffalo. Councilmember Foust is concerned that this gap in the designated corridor map could potentially isolate the Erie region from a future national high-speed passenger rail network.

 

If that is the case, the network would fail to include a 190-mile section between two major population centers and may effectively cut off the Erie region from any opportunity to benefit from the Obama Administration’s rightful commitment to establishing a national high speed passenger rail network.

 

Given the region’s interest in being connected to the proposed high-speed passenger rail network, we would appreciate the benefit of your views as to whether the current designated high speed rail corridor map precludes Erie from competing for a role in the President’s vision for high-speed rail. If your determination is that Erie would be precluded, we would respectfully request that you consider amending the map to include a connection between Cleveland and Buffalo, via Erie.

 

We applaud the President’s leadership on this important issue and look forward to working with you on this and other matters of importance. Thank you in advance for your attention to this matter.

 

 

Robert P. Casey, Jr.

United States Senator

 

Arlen Specter

United States Senator

 

Kathy Dahlkemper

Member of Congress

High-speed trains: 'Rail czar' would help Midwest to land stimulus money, Ray LaHood says

By Jon Hilkevitch | Tribune reporter

April 25, 2009

 

A proposed Midwest passenger high-speed rail network is among six corridors likely to share an $8 billion federal stimulus pot to modernize tracks and replace aging trains with new fleets, U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said Friday.

 

 

Read more at:

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-lahood-rail_25apr25,0,4615249.story

'Rail czar'

...

"Here's how I explained it to Gov. [Pat] Quinn: You need to find somebody, maybe a retired rail person, who gets up every day, and the only thing that person thinks about is developing the high-speed rail corridor in the Midwest," LaHood said. "That's the way it is going to happen."

 

K, J, P!  K, J, P!

'Rail czar'

...

"Here's how I explained it to Gov. [Pat] Quinn: You need to find somebody, maybe a retired rail person, who gets up every day, and the only thing that person thinks about is developing the high-speed rail corridor in the Midwest," LaHood said. "That's the way it is going to happen."

 

K, J, P! K, J, P!

 

I second that nomination. :)

Thanks, but.....

 

"Here's how I explained it to Gov. [Pat] Quinn: You need to find somebody, maybe a retired rail person,

 

How old do you guys think I am?!?!  :-o

"Here's how I explained it to Gov. [Pat] Quinn: You need to find somebody .. who gets up every day, and the only thing that person thinks about is developing the high-speed rail corridor in the Midwest," LaHood said. "That's the way it is going to happen."

 

That was more the part I was focused on. That was in no way a knock on your age. :)

You got my vote!

 

That was more the part I was focused on. That was in no way a knock on your age. :)

 

I know. I was ragging on ya...

Thanks, but.....

 

"Here's how I explained it to Gov. [Pat] Quinn: You need to find somebody, maybe a retired rail person,

 

How old do you guys think I am?!?! :-o

 

I was focusing on the "wake up every day thinking about rail" portion, I know you're not that old. :)

 

Although, you did say in another thread you "used to be a reporter." :)

Thanks, but.....

 

"Here's how I explained it to Gov. [Pat] Quinn: You need to find somebody, maybe a retired rail person,

 

How old do you guys think I am?!?! :-o

 

I was focusing on the "wake up every day thinking about rail" portion, I know you're not that old. :)

 

Although, you did say in another thread you "used to be a reporter." :)

 

Unfortunately many talented, not-old professionals are in the "used to be a reporter" category.

Sorry Ray LaHood, KJP will be staying in Ohio to work on the "Ohio Hub" corridor, you can't have him. :-)

Would someone please post some Ohio Hub/Midwest rail news to put a stop to this?!?!

But we love ya KJP

 

 

Maybe this will cleanse the palate a little?

 

Current on-line poll from Columbhus Business First...see the link below to register your opinion:

 

The Obama administration is proposing that the nation set up a network of high-speed trains to wean America off foreign oil, improve the environment and create jobs under the economic stimulus plan. State officials have supported a proposed line from Cleveland to Columbus to Cincinnati.

 

 

How confident are you that a high-speed rail line that benefits travelers in Columbus will be developed in the next 10 years?

 

http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/poll/index.html?poll_id=7753&ana=e_du_pub

 

 

I'll be seeing those in less than a month. I'm making my annual pilgrimmage to the other side of the pond on May 19. I'll send ya a postcard. Cheers!

 

Everyone! Start responding to the poll! These are shameful results. This nation used to have a can-do spirit....

 

How confident are you that a high-speed rail line that benefits travelers in Columbus will be developed in the next 10 years?

 

  Very confident.

    23%

 

  Somewhat confident.

    28%

 

  It’ll never be built.

    48%

 

The numbers are starting to climb in favor....operators are standing by!

How confident are you that a high-speed rail line that benefits travelers in Columbus will be developed in the next 10 years?

 

  Very confident.

    34%

 

  Somewhat confident.

    31%

 

  It’ll never be built.

    35%

 

I think momentum is swinging in our favor:

 

How confident are you that a high-speed rail line that benefits travelers in Columbus will be developed in the next 10 years?

 

  Very confident.

    38%

 

  Somewhat confident.

    30%

 

  It’ll never be built.

    32%

 

As of 3:54 PM Tuesday....

 

How confident are you that a high-speed rail line that benefits travelers in Columbus will be developed in the next 10 years?

 

  Very confident.

    39%

 

  Somewhat confident.

    32%

 

  It’ll never be built.

    29%

 

High Speed Rail is a Game-changer

04/27/2009

By Peter Gertler

The Engineering News Record

 

On April 16, 2009, President Barack Obama announced plans for a high-speed railway system in the U.S. saying it would create thousands of jobs and conserve energy. The system will "change the way we travel in America," said Obama and he identified $8 billion from the recently enacted economic stimulus package as a down payment on the rail system. The Administration's vision was further elaborated on in their April 2009 release of the "Vision of High Speed Rail in America" that begins to lay out a framework and process for the development of HSR.

 

read more at:

http://enr.construction.com/opinions/viewpoint/2009/0427-HighSpeedRail.asp

 

Amtrak: Bypass Union Terminal

By Matt Leingang • The Associated Press • May 4, 2009

 

COLUMBUS - Amtrak recommends restoring passenger rail service among Ohio's major cities by bypassing the grandest train station left in the state.

 

Getting new passenger trains into Cincinnati's Union Terminal, a 76-year-old landmark known for its bold Art Deco style and enormous rotunda, would require extensive capital improvements and add to freight congestion already in the area, according to Amtrak's preliminary study, which recommends building a new train station on the city's riverfront instead.

 

http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20090504/NEWS01/905050311/1055/NEWS/No+trains+at+Union+Terminal

Why not use the Riverfront Transit Center as the station and then move the trains after they load/unload to waiting tracks else...basically the only trains that would be inside the RTC would be those that are being immediately used by passengers.

Riverfront Transit Center would probably make the most sense in the short-term... That's pretty much the reason it was built, if I recall.

 

That said, I think the long-term plan should be to rebuild a new passenger rail concourse at Union Terminal for high-speed trains, and possibly even relocate the museums to new buildings nearby so that Union Terminal's streetcar, bus, and taxi ramps can be used for their original purpose once again. It's a shame that the most beautiful and well-planned train station in the country can't be used for its intended purpose.

 

In order to accomplish that, though, a portion of the freight yards closest to the terminal would probably need to be relocated elsewhere in the Mill Creek valley... Maybe there's land available further north? I'm not familiar enough with the freight operations there to really offer an informed opinion on that matter.

Here's an aerial shot of the Union Terminal area, courtesy of Google Earth. One of my fantasy transportation plans for Cincy (I have several) would be to do pretty much as I described above. The passenger concourse would be built in the same location it was before, and the existing intermodal yard to the west of the building would be relocated elsewhere and converted back to passenger train use. The new concourse wouldn't need to be an exact replica of what was there before, but I think it should be something architecturally noteworthy that creates a grand entrance into the city. If I couldn't design it myself, I'd hire somebody like Santiago Calatrava to do it.

 

As icing on the cake and as a symbolic gesture of the re-birth of rail travel in the US, bring back the surviving murals from the airport and install them in the new concourse.

 

As for the museums, I'd put them in new buildings in place of the huge parking lots on either side of Ezzard Charles Drive as you approach Union Terminal. The new museum buildings would be architecturally noteworthy in themselves, and I think they'd frame an incredible visual axis with Union Terminal as the focal point.

 

An extension of the streetcar line would run on Ezzard Charles Drive, then enter the terminal itself via the streetcar ramp before looping around and returning the way it came. (One of my other fantasy transit plans -- a regional metro/subway system for Cincy -- would run under Dalton Avenue (the north-south street that goes under the fountains) and have a station that serves Union Terminal and the new museum campus.

 

 

The biggest challenge will be finding a place to relocate all of those freight operations at Queensgate Yard if CUT is to see increased passenger service.  The Google Earth map above shows how extensive...and expensive... a job that will be.

True... There would be some complicated and expensive logistics involved. Of course, there were complicated and expensive logistics involved back when CUT was built, along with the Western Hills Viaduct and that huge big mess of rail yards. Sad part is, people don't seem to think twice about re-arranging an entire neighborhood in order to build a freeway interchange.

If the Cleveland station isn't a demo, redesign and rebuild I'm going to lose it.

The City of Cincinnati hired a consultant a few years ago which also recommended that Cincinnati Union Terminal wasn't the best place for a passenger train station for the same reasons Amtrak cited. The city's study recommended the Longworth Hall/Crosset site, just west of Paul Brown Stadium.

 

I don't have a problem with either Amtrak's or the city's recommended site.

If the Cleveland station isn't a demo, redesign and rebuild I'm going to lose it.

 

Me, too. Cleveland needs something better than the piece of crap it has now, and if it gets something that's just slightly better, I'd rather they not do anything.