#4, Aug. 14, 2008. Can any one do a satellite map of the line that would go through Warren? I see the Little single tracked, curvy line that passes not far from the fire station daily. What would have to be done to it to make it ready for passanger rail?

 

If Cleveland - Pittsburgh passenger trains go through Warren (they could also go through Lordstown on CSX or Alliance on NS as they do now), they might use the former Erie-Lackawanna right of way rather than the single-track CSX spur to Severstal Steel (the former Warren Consolidated Industries) you referred to. The E-L right of way through Warren has been devoid of tracks since the mid-1980s and a major bridge over the Mahoning River. But this ROW offers the benefit of a freight-free, fast, safe and reliable route for passenger trains but at a cost which may not be affordable until much more state and federal funding is available. The CSX track through Warren is mostly continuous welded rail, needs lots of tie/ballast/tamping work, is unsignaled and doesn't go anywhere anymore. It used to go some eight miles past Severstal Steel to a place called Ohio Junction near Girard where it rejoined the CSX (former B&O) mainline. In the opposite direction, the CSX track through Warren starts at Newton Falls, also on the CSX mainline. It's pretty circuitous, but it does offer a real alternative worth considering.

^^Where exactly is that E-L right of way?  What bridge?

 

The line that goes SE through Warren and crosses Mahoning Ave, Elm Rd, and everything else before merging into another line S of 169... goes through some cool neighborhoods, plus right by Harding High and right by the hospital.  I followed it N on the map and it goes to Middlefieild, Chardon, and Fairport.  Not ideal for commuting, but great for stations in Warren and a worthy extension for the eventual completed waterfront line to Painesville.  Nice country in between.     

The line that goes through Middlefield and Chardon was B&O's old Painesville line, which ended up at the ore docks at Fairport Harbor. It was removed from North Warren to Fairport in 1982 (I climbed on the scrap train when it was overnighting in Middlefield). But that's not a route under consideration for passenger rail. See the maps on the previous page for orientation.

 

Here are some more detailed maps of the Warren area:

 

 

The line that goes through Middlefield and Chardon was B&O's old Painesville line, which ended up at the ore docks at Fairport Harbor. It was removed from North Warren to Fairport in 1982 (I climbed on the scrap train when it was overnighting in Middlefield). But that's not a route under consideration for passenger rail. See the maps on the previous page for orientation.

Much of that route looks like it wouldn't be practicle to even consider rebuilding as a lot of buildings have been built close to or on top of where that line line used to run.

There were a lot of buildings that were built close to the tracks when that line had 100 trains a day on it prior to 1960. And, get this, prior to 1960, the E-L ran down the middle of South Street (US422) between Main and Pine avenues!

 

The parking lot of a new building east of Pine and south of South would have to be relocated, as would its access driveway. Or a new right of way would have to be built next to the CSX track, which might be preferable. That's something that an environmental impact study would look at.

:? Check out today's,(Oct. 11,2008) Vindicator. Front page article and map of the proposed Hike - Bike trails. Ed Runyan wrote it. (He is a Vindicator staff writer) They mentioned all the trails that could connect with each other. It was mentioned the Heritage trail could be the route of any High Speed Rail. (Former E-L line) The article states the Bike trail and rail could co-exist. Comments.

Link?  :?

http://www.vindy.com/news/2008/oct/11/trumbull-co-nature-plan-faces-snags/

 

(Quote): Knapp noted that U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan of Niles, D-17th, has proposed that a high-speed rail system be created along the same abandoned rail line that the Heritage Trail would use.

 

Cong Ryan inserted language in the most recent passenger rail bill (HR 2095) to study possible routes, but Mr. Knapp seems to think that the abandoned line has somehow been locked in.  That's a bit misleading, as any final route selection cannot be done without a Environmental Impact Statement and the preliminary engineering that would go with it.

http://cleveland.cox.net/cci/newslocal/local?_mode=view&view=LocalNewsArticleView&articleId=3895093&_action=validatearticle

 

Railroad "Quiet Zone" Proposed   

11-03-2008 7:26 AM

 

(Macedonia, OH) -- Plans are in the works to silence trains passing through northern Summit County. Residents of Hudson, Macedonia, Northfield Center and Boston Heights have won approval of a railroad "quiet zone" through their neighborhoods. The designation requires safety upgrades at a crossing on Twinsburg Road in Macedonia. City officials say the project will cost 168-thousand-dollars. They'll try to get state and federal funds, with plans to finish the improvements by summer.

what does that have to do with a clevo to 'burgh railroad?  Its a freight line.  It doesn't pass near Y-town. 

 

  Also I couldn't find any stories out of the Pittsburgh papers suggesting there is anything in the works for a rail line going into Ohio.

what does that have to do with a clevo to 'burgh railroad? Its a freight line. It doesn't pass near Y-town.

 

Ah, but it did at one time. And it is a Cleveland - Pittsburgh passenger rail line, too. This is the route of Amtrak's "Capitol Limited" which travels from Washington DC to Chicago via Pittsburgh, Alliance and Cleveland. See: http://www.amtrak.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=Amtrak/am2Route/Horizontal_Route_Page&c=am2Route&cid=1081256321384&ssid=134

 

In the years before Amtrak, the tracks through Hudson and Macedonia belonged to the Pennsylvania Railroad, which declared itself "the Standard Railroad of the World." It operated Cleveland - Pittsburgh passenger trains on three routes -- via Youngstown/New Castle, via Alliance/Salem and via Alliance/East Liverpool. All three shared a common route from Cleveland to Ravenna (and from Rochester, PA to Pittsburgh). All told, the PRR once operated 10 round-trip trains per day (20 total) between Cleveland-Pittsburgh. The PRR tracks through Hudson and Macedonia also hosted three daily round-trip trains between Cleveland - Akron - Millersburg - Columbus - Xenia - Cincinnati, plus numerous short-turn trains between Akron and Hudson.

 

For this route through Hudson to regain Cleveland - Pittsburgh trains via Youngstown, one of two track connections which existed at Ravenna until the mid-1980s has to be restored. Cost of restoring the Ravenna Connection is probably near $10 million.

 

Here's a map from the previous page to orient you:

 

 

Also I couldn't find any stories out of the Pittsburgh papers suggesting there is anything in the works for a rail line going into Ohio.

 

There was a column just last month by one of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's staff writers, which I believe was posted here. But there hasn't been anything in the papers in Cleveland. That's OK. I don't think the Ohio Rail Development Commission needs media coverage to validate what they're doing. Check the Youngstown papers sometime if you'd like to read some media coverage of this corridor.

A few photos in these two threads might be of interest to CLE-PIT rail afficionados...

 

http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php/topic,18059.0.html

http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php/topic,18060.0.html

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09043/948630-155.stm

 

City a missing link for passenger trains

Thursday, February 12, 2009

By Brian O'Neill, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

 

Think about this railroad map.

 

A couple of hundred miles to our east, there already are fast, frequent and reliable passenger trains between Harrisburg and Philadelphia, a "Keystone Corridor" to the very good service between New York and Washington, D.C.

 

About 130 miles to our northwest, folks in Cleveland have high hopes that the federal stimulus bill will kick-start an ambitious plan for passenger trains than run the length of Ohio from Cleveland through Columbus to Cincinnati, the "3C Corridor."

 

Throw in the several daily trains from Chicago to Milwaukee and St. Louis, and who does that leave conspicuously out of a blossoming East Coast-Midwest passenger rail system?

 

.......

^Good article.  Some shady references there though... :mrgreen:

The answer to the headline question is "no." I will have more to report on this soon.

___________

 

Will high-speed trains zip by Mahoning Valley?

 

Published: Tuesday, February 24, 2009

 

There’s a lot of talks these days in Columbus and Washington about trains, but the Mahoning Valley isn’t part of the conversation in the governor’s office or the White House. Why? That’s what William DeCicco, executive director of the CASTLO Community Improvement Corporation, and others want to find out.

 

And, they aren’t going to be impressed with explanations that attempt to justify the exclusion of Youngstown and Warren.

 

“I have no problem with eventually constructing a high speed rail link [from Cleveland] to Columbus and Cincinnati ... but only after a northern Ohio route is built. Let the battle begin.” So wrote DeCicco in a widely circulated e-mail to politicians, development specialists and community leaders. “It is time to start uniting our brother and sister development organizations in Toledo, Sandusky, Lorain, Elyria, Cleveland and Akron along with those of us in the Mahoning Valley to make a high speed rail route through our region a reality.”

 

 

......

Also, see the map at:

 

http://www.recordpub.com/news/article/4536651

 

All aboard? $10 million Ravenna rail connection proposed for stimulus funding

March 1, 2009

By Diane Smith

Record-Courier staff writer

 

A non-profit group is hoping the Ohio Department of Transportation will get on board with its latest proposal to bring passenger rail travel to Portage County using federal funding.

 

All Aboard Ohio, an organization promoting rail travel in the state, is asking the Ohio Department of Transportation to seek $400 million in funding from the stimulus bill.

 

The request includes $10 million for a rail connection in Ravenna, including a transit station off Diamond Street. Ken Prendergast, the organization's executive director, said the sum is roughly equivalent to a highway interchange.

 

......

And only if the Ravenna Connection were built could we get into Youngstown again. WHEN that happens, the site circled in red might make an intriguing conversion into a European-style station with a train shed (ala Harrisburg). The B&O Station was the station Amtrak served until 2005....

 

 

The long, dark-roofed building would be the station. It is 950 feet long (the tallest part at the left, or west end is 360 feet long). For reference, a standard American passenger train car is 85 feet long. Most Amtrak trains are 4-10 cars long with one locomotive hauling shorter trains and two on longer trains. The whole building is 90 feet wide, all under roof and walled from cold winds and precipitation. It is wide enough for a four-track station with two 25-foot-wide platforms (one could be a high-level platform for short-distance trains and the other one a low-level platform for Amtrak's double-deck Superliners)....

 

At the western end, this 360-foot-long portion of the building is taller. This could either be reduced in height to the same level as the rest of the building, or left as is. The whole thing could be retrofitted with a gabled or arching roof with skylights.....

 

A portion of the plant is still being used. They could be relocated as part of this project. Market Street bridge is visible in the background. This view looks generally eastward...

 

The view northward from the proposed station site shows how close downtown Youngstown is:

 

Another view looking northward from the station site up Hazel Street (two blocks west of Market) shows Youngstown State University's buildings at the end of it. Hazel is proposed to be extended by the city a block or two north to create better linkages between YSU and the downtown area...

 

Here's some pics of Harrisburg's station with its trainshed. Youngstown's would be much narrower but still plenty wide for a 2-4 track station....

 

 

 

Hmmm...interesting idea. What's in there now and do they use the entire building? How difficult would it to move them?

 

Here's another possibility: Run the tracks along the north side of that building per your idea, but build the station on the other side of the track (allowing for additional tracks). Build a glass canopy as you suggest. redevelop the existing building into shops, offices, and housing.

As of last August, the signs were still up in Youngstown:

 

Platform access via rickety wood stairs on the right:

 

 

 

Erstwhile PRR Station:

 

 

Another shot, sort of, of the above-mentioned building housing Youngstown Pipe & Supply:

Hmmm...interesting idea. What's in there now and do they use the entire building? How difficult would it to move them?

 

Here's another possibility: Run the tracks along the north side of that building per your idea, but build the station on the other side of the track (allowing for additional tracks). Build a glass canopy as you suggest. redevelop the existing building into shops, offices, and housing.

 

Good questions. I wasn't able to get inside the building or talk to anyone who has been inside.

 

Anything's possible at this point.

Pretty interesting project.  So, KJP you're thinking they would give Ravenna a stop and likely Macedonia or Hudson?  On a theoretical basis, if the timing was right say between 7am and 8am in the morning going West out of Hudson/Macedonia and a returning train leaving Cleveland at 5:30-6:30pm back wouldn't that be considered a commuter train?

 

I'm just thinking there are a lot of people that live in Medina, Summit, Stark, Portage counties that work in downtown Cleveland that might take advantage of a train to downtown from Northern Summit County.  But would Amtrak or even RTA want that? 

 

That would give Metro pause since their Northcoast Express routes are typically full.  They could lose some passengers that might be willing to drive to Macedonia to hop on a train.

Currently there is a brewery inside the B&O Station.

 

http://shoutyoungstown.blogspot.com/2008/12/rust-belt-brewery-1st-beer-poured.html

 

Here's an article from the Vindy as well:

 

Brewing business on tap at B&O Craft-beer maker to put city brew on tap

 

Published: Tuesday, October 21, 2008

 

By Guy DAstolfo

 

Ken Blair focuses on making craft beers at the downtown landmark not on operating a brewpub.

 

YOUNGSTOWN Ken Blair is bringing beer-making back to Youngstown.

 

The Youngstown police officer will launch Rust Belt Brewing Co., a small-capacity, craft-beer company, in the next few weeks in the B&O Station building. Distribution plans are already in place, so the beer should be in area bars and retail outlets soon after.

 

Blair is in the process of making minor structural changes in his leased space as required by the state, in order to obtain a license.

 

Youngstown has been home to several breweries in its history, including Smith Brewing in the late 1800s, Youngstown Brewing in the early 1900s and, most famously, Renner Brewing, which began in the late 1800s and closed in 1962. More recently, B&O Station Brewing, a craft-beer maker, was located on the site of Rust Belt Brewing until it closed in 2004.

 

.........

audidave, not sure yet. We're just trying to get the funding for the infrastructure.

 

The simplest way to introduce service might be an extension of the New York City - Pittsburgh Pennsylvanian. The eastbound could leave Cleveland at 6 or 7 a.m. The westbound could arrive anywhere between 7 p.m. and 11 p.m. But, let's get the funding for the track work first.

FYI.... the City of Youngstown yesterday submitted a $30 million stimulus request for Cleveland - Youngstown - Pittsburgh passenger rail. Specifically the request is an interim step to reopen the rail corridor to get passenger trains back into Youngstown using existing tracks (except for the 1-mile missing Ravenna Connection track, which would be restored as part of this stimulus request). The permanent routing would be determined by the next stage of the Ohio Hub planning process, the Programmatic Environmental Impact Analysis.

 

Word is that Youngstown Mayor Jay Williams and Congressman Tim Ryan will publicly announce this request soon. No other details are available at this time.

Let's hope this becomes a reality!

^If you want it to become reality, contact your federal and state reps and senators and the governor.

Good article except for the "Brain Gain Train" reference which is to a report by All Aboard Ohio, not a group within All Aboard Ohio.

 

http://www.tribtoday.com:80/page/content.detail/id/519731.html?nav=5021

 

Valley cities push for railway funding

Plan would connect Cleveland and -Pittsburgh to the Valley

 

By MARLY KOSINSKI and JOE GORMAN Tribune Chronicle

POSTED: March 25, 2009

 

City councils in Youngstown and Warren are expected to approve resolutions asking that $30 million in federal stimulus money be put aside to establish a railway link from Cleveland to Pittsburgh - with the Mahoning Valley in the middle.

 

Youngstown Councilwoman Carol Rimedio-Righetti, D-4th Ward, who brought the matter to council's attention there, has been a big supporter of trying to get Amtrak service back to the city, where it was cut in 2005 because of a lack of riders.

 

.........

_________________________

 

Fact Box

All aboard

 

About the train proposal:

 

Every $100,000 in investments means 2.4 jobs

 

The $30 million for project could create 720 jobs

 

$8 billion in grants is available for rail service in the stimulus package

 

A plan for the money is due by April 18

 

Source: U.S. Department of Commerce

Good editorial. I hope that lights a fight under Rep. Ryan & his staff to get more actively involved in encouraging Amtrak to make the $30 million stimulus request.

 

http://www.tribtoday.com:80/page/content.detail/id/519843.html?nav=5007

 

Warren, Youngstown left out of rail plan

POSTED: March 27, 2009 

 

Remember the Tim Ryan campaign promise for high-speed rail between Cleveland and Pittsburgh that would cut a swath through the Mahoning Valley and make us part of the so-called tech belt economic boom?

 

It seems Ryan himself has forgotten it. Gov. Ted Strickland is using

........

Did the Youngstown paper not notice that there is $7-million in Gov. Strickland's Stimulus package for the first-tier environemental reviiew of the Ohio HUB....including the Pittsburgh-Cleveland Corridor.

No. I don't think many people noticed it anywhere. I've informed Youngstown folks that completion of the environmental analysis and a finding of no signficant impact will make the corridor elgible for federal construction funds. But they want service now because they don't believe the service proposals in the Ohio Hub plan will happen. But that's why I want the service now to erode the skepticism so they will be more willing to lift a finger for the Ohio Hub services. Momentum builds momentum.

http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2009/04/greg_mcneil_of_hudson_got_1683.html

 

Greg McNeil of Hudson got $168,323 in stimulus money to silence train horns at crossing near his home

Posted by Karen Farkas/Plain Dealer Reporter April 04, 2009 06:00AM

 

HUDSON -- Greg McNeil competed with city, county and state officials for Ohio's federal stimulus money and wound up winning $168,323 to silence train horns at a crossing near his home.

 

McNeil's project, on behalf of his homeowners association, was one of only 149 chosen last week by the Ohio Department of Transportation from 2,222 eligible to receive $774 million in infrastructure money. His is the only submission from a private citizen to receive ODOT's nod.

 

 

.........

Nice plug (albeit brief) for passenger rail and All Aboard Ohio on Youngstown TV, thanks to member Dennis Spisak.......

 

http://www.wfmj.com/global/video/flash/popupplayer.asp?clipId1=3680471&at1=News&vt1=v&h1=Earth+Day+at+YSU&d1=130767&redirUrl=www.wfmj.com&activePane=info&LaunchPageAdTag=homepage&clipFormat=flv&rnd=37720185

the "Brain Gain Train" group?  ... nice.  It sure would be nice if officials could make the psychological link:  stimulus--> Amtrak --> infrastructure--> jobs --> investment spinoff --> MORE jobs --> better tax base --> less gas dependency --> etc., etc. (place human/community benefit here ______)

 

Would either planned Cleve-Pittsburgh routing, esp via Youngstown-Warren which CANNOT be bypassed, include a Turnpike stop near Lordstown.  Even despite GM's woes, I suspect that massive automating mecca will be around for some time, and a train stop serving it as well as scooping in Turnpike drivers in either direction, could be a boon.

If we're using current or former rail rights of way, then two of the four Youngstown-route options could go through Warren. Both of the options that don't would go south of Warren through Lordstown and Newton Falls on the CSX mainline (this is the option that requires the restoration of the Ravenna Connection). Northwest of Ravenna, passenger trains could stay on the busy but high-quality NS mainline or switch over to the former New York Central (Lake Erie & Eastern) right of way to get into Cleveland....

 

 

If money was no object, my favored Cleveland - Pittsburgh routing would be route the trains next to the NS mainline coming out of downtown Cleveland, then move over to the former LE&E right of way (serves north side of Akron). On the northwest side of Ravenna, I'd move the trains over to the former Erie Lackawanna mainline to Warren and Youngstown, build the passenger tracks next to the former Pennsylvania RR through downtown Youngstown, then move over to the former Pittsburgh & Lake Erie mainline and take that all the way into Pittsburgh (today owned by CSX southeast of New Castle). I have no preference as to which general station area in Pittsburgh I would serve -- the former P&LE Station (Station Square) or the Pennsylvania Station (current Amtrak station).

 

EDIT: if money was very tight and I wanted to get a start-up level of service of operating, I'd use the NS mainline from Cleveland to Ravenna, restore the Ravenna Connection, use the CSX mainline through Youngstown to New Castle, use Amtrak's New Castle Connection track it built in 1994 (but doesn't use!), and take NS from New Castle all the way into Pittsburgh.

A lot of buzz is starting in the Pennsylvania papers recently:

 

http://www.timesonline.com/articles/2009/06/22/news/doc4a403ec252bed097479139.txt

 

Altmire sowing seeds for high-speed rail to Cleveland

 

 

By Tom Fontaine, Times Staff

Published: Monday, June 22, 2009 11:30 PM EDT

 

PITTSBURGH U.S. Rep. Jason Altmire, D-4, McCandless Township, said Monday he is working to get the area between Pittsburgh and Cleveland labeled a potential high-speed-rail corridor.

 

No plans are in the works to develop high-speed rail in the corridor. But the designation, Altmire said during a congressional hearing in Pittsburgh, could help spur development by positioning the corridor for federal transportation funding in the future.

 

..........

 

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

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/pittsburgh/s_630612.html

 

 

Expanded rail service pitched linking Pittsburgh to Cleveland and Harrisburg

 

By Matthew Santoni

TRIBUNE-REVIEW

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

 

In the ideal future officials imagined Monday, locally built high-speed trains would whisk commuters from Harrisburg to Pittsburgh in fewer than four hours, with the option to stop in State College or continue to Cleveland.

 

With optimism stoked by the promise of $8 billion in federal stimulus money and $51 billion in upcoming legislation, business leaders, train advocates and public officials touted expanded rail service to three members of the U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee in a hearing Downtown.

 

........

Henry Posner III, chairman of the Green Tree-based Railroad Development Corp., said systems in Germany and Japan are profitable only because they serve wealthy passengers, on existing rail infrastructure, in densely populated areas.

 

Gee, I don't remember seeing a lot wealthy people on the high-speed trains I rode in Europe. Looked like the same people I see in coach class on planes in America.

 

Gee, I seem to recall that high-speed operations (in European terms, not America's) was possible only by building new infrastructure.

 

Gee, France has the same population density as Ohio.

 

And Posner became an expert how??

And Posner became an expert how??

 

Posner's take has always been somewhat suspect. He is an investor in freight railroads (including the former Rock Island) and, before that, was with Conrail and a firm believer in privatization. I would not consider him an advocate for passenger rail service nor would I give much weight to his opinions in this matter since he is clearly not a fan.

 

Here's a better article, IMHO....

 

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09174/979203-53.stm#ixzz0JGVeHLRK&D

 

Pittsburgh slow to battle for high-speed rail lines

Links to Harrisburg and Cleveland eyed

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

By Jon Schmitz, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

 

"Imagine being able to take a train from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh and arrive in less time than it would take you to drive," a PennDOT deputy secretary said yesterday.

 

To hear other speakers at a hearing here, that experience will remain a figment of the imagination for quite some time, even with the federal government preparing to spend billions on development of intercity high-speed passenger rail service.

 

 

......

 

Well, remember that the Tribune Review is published by ultraconservative Richard Mellon Scaife so it is not surprising that it would have a more skeptical tone and feature more comments by Posner.

 

I would urge everyone who is interested to write the article author with corrections, compliments, etc. Both papers give their authors a great deal of liberty in the tone and content of stories and I have gotten e-mail from each in response to my comments. The more people start reading positive things about HSR the more that they will be enthusiastic about it.

 

I was, however, a bit amused by the "Even Ohio is ahead of Pennsylvania" statement. And I pointed out to the author that ORDCs map of the system included two routes to Pittsburgh. In contrast, if you go to PennDOT's "Keystone Line" web site, the Western-most city is Harrisburg, 2/3 of the way across the state from Pittsburgh. Somewhat ironic that Pittsburgh appears on an Ohip map of HSR development and not on a Pennsylvania map.

 

Officials try to bring rail service back to the Valley

 

By RON SELAK JR. / Tribune Chronicle POSTED: July 12, 2009

 

The plan to connect Ohio's three largest cities by passenger rail could blossom into providing Ohioans the ability to travel to the four corners of the state and beyond, officials backing the plan say.

 

Known as the Three C corridor, linking Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnati, is going to cost $250 million to $400 million to complete, and it would be considered the backbone of a system that might have connections to Warren and Youngstown.

 

.......

 

 

http://www.tribtoday.com/page/content.detail/id/524596.html?nav=5021&showlayout=0

Agreed with Jay Williams, it would be goofy to have this thing bypass Warren and Youngstown.  I think a lot of passengers would use it just to travel between those two cities, since there's virtually no bus service.  Many people in the Mahoning Valley are "car free" for reasons other than reducing their carbon footprint.

Youngstown/Warren would definitely need a connection. Many people there commute into the city.. (Cleveland) all the time for various reasons and have really no other option but to drive. Again, when I had to go out that way when my friend was here from Oz... She was really surprised the two areas were not currently linked. But the way Warren is so bass akwards in their politics in every conceivable way, if it does by-pass, it would be their own fault. (I am originally from there..and it has become so auto dependent..and it may as well look more like a Westlake than a small historic satellite city to the S.E. Of Cleveland)

High-speed ahead?

Lawmakers seek designation for proposed rail line

 

By RON SELAK JR. / Tribune Chronicle

September 24, 2009

 

http://www.tribtoday.com/page/content.detail/id/527680.html

 

U.S. Rep. Timothy J. Ryan and other federal lawmakers from Ohio and Pennsylvania are moving forward with plans to bring high-speed rail service to more than 5 million citizens in the Buckeye and Keystone states.

 

They've asked U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood to designate the Cleveland-Pittsburgh corridor a high-speed rail corridor, saying the 140-mile stretch ''is an appropriate extension of the nation's future passenger rail system.''

 

 

All Aboard Ohio and the Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber of Commerce will hold the first in a series of meetings to begin organizing grassroots support for the development of modern, fast and quality passenger rail service linking the economic assets of Cleveland, Warren, Youngstown, Pittsburgh and cities in between.

 

The luncheon meeting, costing about $15 per person for soup/sandwich with beverage plus tip, will be:

 

Noon - 2 p.m., Thursday Oct. 29

The Youngstown Club

The Commerce Building

201 E Commerce St # 450

Youngstown, OH 44503-1639

 

For a map and directions to this location, see:

http://www.theyoungstownclub.com/

"modern, fast and quality passenger rail service linking the economic assets of Cleveland, Warren, Youngstown, Pittsburgh and cities in between."

 

Can't make it but count me in as a YES! PLEASE!! :-)

Oct. 29th—noon to 2 p.m.—All Aboard Ohio/Youngstown-Warren Chamber passenger rail grassroots organizing meeting—The Youngstown Club, The Commerce Building, 201 E Commerce St #450, downtown Youngstown. For a map and directions to this location, see http://www.theyoungstownclub.com/

 

Cost is $15 per person for soup/sandwich, beverage and tip. In advance of the meeting, please mail your check payable to:

 

Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber

11 Federal Plaza Central, Ste 1600

Youngstown, OH 44503

 

Please also RSVP to Jennifer Mascardine by Tuesday, Oct. 20th at [email protected]

 

Speakers:

Bob Hagan, Chair, Ohio House of Representatives Transportation Committee

Ken Prendergast, Executive Director, All Aboard Ohio

If PennDOT and Amtrak add this service, I'd like to see it extended to Cleveland via Youngstown.....

 

 

Amtrak recommends new train between Pittsburgh, Harrisburg

 

By Matthew Santoni

TRIBUNE-REVIEW

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Last updated: 8:53 am

 

Amtrak is recommending that another train be added to the sparse service between Pittsburgh and Harrisburg, if state and federal legislators decide the additional ridership is worth the expense.

 

In a study mandated by the federal Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act of 2008, Amtrak officials looked at passenger service in Pennsylvania and decided that the potential riders and revenue were sufficient to consider increasing the Pennsylvanian route between Pittsburgh and Harrisburg from one train per day in each direction to two, adding a midday departure from Pittsburgh and a late-night arrival that could connect to trains heading west to Chicago.

 

"The ridership was there, and it would have a minimal impact on operations," said Steve Kulm, Amtrak spokesman. "If this is going to move forward, state and federal legislators will have to make the next step."

 

READ THE REST OF THE ARTICLE AT:

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/pittsburgh/s_648872.html

 

READ THE AMTRAK STUDY AT:

http://www.amtrak.com/pdf/PRIAA/PennsylvaniaServiceStudies.pdf

This all-but guarantees that the Cleveland - Pittsburgh corridor will receive a federal high-speed rail designation, making the corridor eligible for certain federal funds. I cannot imagine the USDOT review NOT resulting in the corridor winning the designation which would enable linking the Midwest and East Coast-based passenger rail systems....

__________

 

From an ODOT press release:

 

US DOT to review High-Speed Passenger Rail Extension from Cleveland to Pittsburgh

 

COLUMBUS (Friday, October 23, 2009) - In response to requests by officials in Ohio and Pennsylvania, the U.S. Department of Transportation and the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) will review the feasibility of extending the nation’s designated high-speed passenger rail corridors to include the connection between Cleveland to Pittsburgh.

 

In letters to Governor Ted Strickland and Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell, federal Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood pledged to have top officials at the FRA review current data and analysis of the 140-mile corridor over the next 45 days.

 

Last month, both governors - along with members of Ohio’s Congressional delegation and the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) - asked the FRA to consider extending the current Keystone High-Speed Rail Corridor through Pennsylvania to include the Cleveland-Pittsburgh connection.

 

“I am gratified by the importance that (Governor Strickland) and Governor Rendell ascribe to high-speed rail and to the proposed extension,” wrote Secretary LaHood. “I look forward to working with you to realize the Obama Administration’s far-reaching vision of building a national passenger rail network.”

 

A study done by the Ohio Rail Development Commission (ORDC) showed the Cleveland-Pittsburgh corridor met federal criteria for high-speed designation, and could serve as a vital link to Ohio’s proposed 3C “Quick Start” Passenger Rail Plan.

 

The study forecasted strong ridership between Pittsburgh and Cleveland with as many as 860,000 annual trips in a high-speed system, where trains reach speeds as high as 110 mph.

 

“A high speed corridor connection from Toledo to Cleveland and on to Pittsburgh and the East Coast would connect the Midwest’s great regional economies, making them stronger and bringing new jobs to a part of the country hard hit by the global recession,” said Governor Strickland. “I appreciate Secretary LaHood taking Ohio's economic needs seriously and look forward to his response later this year.”

 

ODOT and ORDC are awaiting word from Washington on the state’s recent application for federal stimulus funding for the Ohio 3C “Quick Start” Passenger Rail Plan, seeking a share of $8 billion in federal passenger rail funds made available under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

 

Ohio’s application details the state’s plans for investing, constructing, and operating a passenger rail service corridor connecting Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton, and Cincinnati with medium speed 79 mph passenger trains. The state believes that its application is a strong contender for stimulus funds.

 

Ohio also joined the State of Indiana in applying for $2.8 million in Recovery Act funds to finance planning for advancing the Chicago-Toledo-Cleveland corridor to high speed.

 

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^Very cool...fingers crossed

Youngstown-Warren Business Journal Daily

 

All Aboard for High-Speed Rail Link

Oct. 30, 2009 6:48 a.m.

By George Nelson

 

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio -- Traveling by train evokes images of a bygone era, but proponents of a high-speed passenger rail corridor between Cleveland and Pittsburgh believe it could hold modern appeal for younger people who would rather spend travel time on electronic devices than driving.

 

By the end of this year, a federal designation should be in place for a rail corridor that could link the two cities through Youngstown, a route that would be eligible for federal funds for planning and safety improvements, said Ken Prendergast, executive director. The designation would also raise the corridor‘s score when it comes time for future investments, he said.

 

In a letter dated Oct. 19, U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood notified Gov. Ted Strickland that he has asked Joseph C. Szabo, federal railroad administrator, to review the request by the governor and Pa. Gov. Ed Rendell to extend the Keystone High-Speed Rail Corridor westward to Cleveland, and to brief him on the findings within 45 days. LaHood said he would provide a determination “as soon as possible” after that briefing.

 

READ MORE AT:

http://www.business-journal.com/default.asp?sourceid=&smenu=1&twindow=&mad=&sdetail=14959&wpage=1&skeyword=&sidate=&ccat=&ccatm=&restate=&restatus=&reoption=&retype=&repmin=&repmax=&rebed=&rebath=&subname=&pform=&sc=1711&hn=business-journal&he=.com

 

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Youngstown Vindicator

 

Group hears details on Valley rail service

Published: Fri, October 30, 2009 @ 12:08 a.m.

By Sean Barron

 

YOUNGSTOWN — Even though rail service through the Mahoning Valley could be several years away, it’s evident many people are already on board.

 

Several dozen supporters of such an idea attended a grass-roots organizing session Thursday at the Youngstown Club, 201 E. Commerce St. Hosting the 90-minute meeting were All Aboard Ohio and the Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber.

 

The thrust of the gathering was to describe where things stand with respect to developing passenger-rail service connecting Cleveland, Youngstown and Pittsburgh, noted Kenneth Prendergast, All Aboard Ohio’s executive director.

 

READ MORE AT:

http://www.vindy.com/news/2009/oct/30/group-hears-details-on-valley-rail-service/