Cleveland-Youngstown-Pittsburgh Passenger Rail Service

Solon is discussing removing the rail tracks of the inactive Norfolk Southern tracks (Solon - Geauga Lake - Aurora - Mantua) where they cross Solon Rd as a part of rebuilding that road.  Solon has already removed these tracks where they cross Liberty and Harper Rds.  While this ROW could theoretically host a CLE - Warren - Youngstown - Pittsburgh passenger rail line, my bigger concern is how it makes it more difficult for the more realistic Cleveland - Solon - Aurora commuter rail line project.

Solon has also pushed NS to remove the bridge over SOM Center; thus far NS has refused.

The only saving grace is that Solon would be responsible for restoring these tracks if NS reactivated the line.  (Although as a Solon taxpayer I'm not happy about that either.)

http://www.chagrinvalleytoday.com/communities/solon/article_ced72c6e-dfd0-11e9-ad12-73ecd59e541a.html

An approximate $2.5 million Solon Road reconstruction project slated for 2020 impacts an inactive railroad line, and the Solon city engineer last week sought input from officials on the matter.

Engineer John J. Busch explained to the City Council Public Works Committee at the last meeting that his department is proposing to reconstruct Solon Road from Aurora Road to and including the Bainbridge Road intersection next year.

In this stretch of Solon Road, there is a Norfolk Southern Rail line crossing that has been inactive for well over two decades, he said. As a result, his department requested input from the committee as to whether members want to consider the removal of the crossing as part of the reconstruction project.