For those curious about how many miles of jointed rail in the segment through Dunkirk are west of Dunkirk, the answer is 5 miles.... (BTW, Dunkirk, OH is south of Findlay)

 

Fort Wayne Line Jointed Rail by Ken Prendergast, on Flickr

Is this STILL in the "planning phase?"

With GOP governors in all three states on this route, the question will be whether the Trump Admin's planned Infrastruktur Blitzkrieg (I think that's the working title) will include rail. I'd guess it's going to be road heavy.

Is this STILL in the "planning phase?"

 

Not yet. There is an active fundraising effort to secure the local share for the Tier I environmental assessment. That's the first step in the federally recognized project development process. The fundraising effort was successful in Indiana and is showing success now in Ohio communities. See All Aboard Ohio's latest e-edition newsletter at allaboardohio.org.

 

With GOP governors in all three states on this route, the question will be whether the Trump Admin's planned Infrastruktur Blitzkrieg (I think that's the working title) will include rail. I'd guess it's going to be road heavy.

 

One thing Trump has been consistent in is his support for high-speed rail. So far, the infrastructure plan is designed to finance projects with steady revenue streams that can repay government-back debt. That means toll roads and/or bridges with solid traffic levels, airports with reliable landing/gate/landside fees, port facilities with sufficient docking/lift fees, and rail lines with meaningful freight tonnage or passenger lines with a diverse mix of passenger/package/real estate revenues. How the tax credits are spent will depend on the applications submitted.

 

Still, a lot of details remain unknown...

It sounds like this project is finally showing signs of progress. From the Northeast Indiana Passenger Rail Association Facebook page: "Watch for some exciting news this Monday, December 19th at 1:00 pm at Baker Street Station. Join us if your in Fort Wayne! Progress!"

It sounds like this project is finally showing signs of progress. From the Northeast Indiana Passenger Rail Association Facebook page: "Watch for some exciting news this Monday, December 19th at 1:00 pm at Baker Street Station. Join us if your in Fort Wayne! Progress!"

 

Hmm... Very interesting! Would love to see some kind of movement forward on this project.

It's good news. And it should provide a kick in the pants to Columbus leaders who haven't yet gotten on board this train.

 

This article doesn’t provide insight on Monday's announcement. I'm sure MORPC knows about it, but isn't directly involved....

 

Plans for train connecting Columbus and Chicago chug forward

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

 

 

For release: Monday, December 19, 2016

Contact: Mary Tyndall, Community Development PIO, 427-5958

 

 

MEDIA ALERT – Passenger Rail Announcement

WHO: Fort Wayne Mayor Tom Henry and supporters of the Chicago-Fort Wayne-Columbus passenger rail corridor

 

WHAT:  Announcement concerning the next step in establishing passenger rail service throughout northern Indiana and northwest Ohio

 

WHEN:   Today, 1:00 p.m. Monday, December 19, 2016

WHERE:   Baker Street Train Station, 221 W. Baker St., Fort Wayne, IN 46802

 

 

###

 

 

The interesting part about today's 1 p.m. announcement is where the project development process could go (geographically) at the east end of the route. Where it may go will depend on community leaders and metropolitan planning organizations and the funds they raise. HINT: it may not be Columbus.

Press Relaease – Passenger Rail Gains Support From Federal Rail Administration

 

For Release: Monday, December 19, 2016

Contact: Mary Tyndall, City of Fort Wayne, 260-427-5958, [email protected]

Geoff Paddock, NIPRA, 260-425-5745 or 260-342-3250

 

Passenger Rail Gains Support from Federal Rail Administration

 

Fort Wayne, Ind. – Supporters of the proposed Chicago-Fort Wayne-Columbus passenger rail line have approval from Federal and State agencies to take the first step in establishing the new rail line.

 

Fort Wayne Mayor Tom Henry and members of the Northern Indiana Passenger Rail Association (NIPRA) were joined by mayors and representatives from dozens of communities along the proposed route today at the Baker Street Train Station in Fort Wayne. They announced the recent approval from the Federal Rail Administration (FRA) to proceed with the Environmental Assessment and Public Input process that are required under federal law to begin the project.

 

“I’m encouraged by our collective efforts to develop innovative plans to make Fort Wayne a point of destination,” said Fort Wayne Mayor Tom Henry. “The approval from the FRA allows us to begin the process of establishing passenger rail service through Fort Wayne, northern Indiana and northwest Ohio. By working together, we’re committed to making a meaningful difference by bringing more transportation options and economic development opportunities to our region.”

 

“This is the result of years of hard work and dogged determination on the part of many of us,” said NIPRA spokesperson and Fort Wayne City Councilman Geoff Paddock. “The return of passenger rail to Fort Wayne will be a huge boost for economic development in Fort Wayne and Northeast Indiana. It will add momentum to our booming downtown and help revitalize neighborhoods that surround the train station. It is gratifying that the FRA and INDOT see there is an untapped market for rail service in Fort Wayne. We thank them for working with us over the past few years to reach this moment.”

 

The Chicago-Fort Wayne-Columbus corridor would provide high-quality passenger rail connections to 100 Midwest cities through a regional rail network that offers safe, comfortable and reliable service with amenities such as Wi-Fi and food service. Initial plans are for trains to travel at a maximum speed of approximately 75 miles per hour and eventually travel at 110 miles per hour. In many communities along the route, scheduled stops would take place at existing historic train stations, such as the Baker Street Train Station, 221 W. Baker St., Fort Wayne, IN 46802.

 

The Environmental Assessment is an investment of $350,000 and will examine the preliminary engineering, technical analysis, service planning and environmental impacts along the proposed route. The study, along with the public input process, will start in early January 2017 and is expected to be completed by late fall. The FRA will provide technical assistance throughout the process. While environmental assessments are often paid for by the Federal government, this assessment is being paid for with funding from cities and businesses along the corridor. Once the Assessment is complete, engineering and design to upgrade the existing tracks can begin, pending funding. Supporters of passenger rail are optimistic limited service could begin by 2020.

 

A 2013 rail corridor feasibility study concluded that approximately 2.1 million riders would use the Chicago-Fort Wayne-Columbus route in 2020, with that number growing to more than three million in 2040. The study also estimated that for every $1 of investment, $1.70 would be generated in economic return through job growth and increased property values. More information about the Chicago-Fort Wayne-Columbus passenger rail can be found online at www.niprarail.org.

###

http://allaboardohio.org/2016/12/19/chicago-ohio-rail-corridor-planning-starts/

 

Lima, OH Mayor David Berger announces at a Dec. 19, 2016 press conference at Baker Street Station in Fort Wayne, IN the start of federally compliant planning of a passenger rail corridor through Lima to Chicago. Expansion of this first step of planning work to more of Ohio will depend on the extent of funding contributions from those areas. (ROGER SHOPE PHOTO)

 

Chicago-Ohio rail corridor planning starts

kjprendergast on December 19, 2016

 

Dec. 19, 2016

For Immediate Release

Contact: Ken Prendergast 844-464-7245

[email protected]

 

All Aboard Ohio is grateful to the business and civic leaders along the Columbus-Lima-Fort Wayne-Chicago rail corridor for their leadership and vision in raising funds to start an Alternatives Analysis and Public Input process for high-performance passenger rail into Chicago. This phase represents a starting point for the Project Development Process (PDP) for all major transportation capital improvement projects.

 

We also thank the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) for submitting an application to the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) to support the analysis. INDOT offered the locally raised funds, totaling $350,000, to start the PDP as part of an arrangement with the FRA. All Aboard Ohio thanks the FRA for responding to this application with its support for this first step of planning work that is due to be completed at the end of 2017. All of this success was made possible due to the efforts of the Northeast Indiana Passenger Rail Association.

 

To All Aboard Ohio, the benefits of developing the Columbus-Lima-Fort Wayne-Chicago corridor aren’t limited to this corridor. Significant parts of this corridor can and should be designed and developed as a trunk route for more and faster passenger trains from/to Ohio’s largest cities, including Cleveland and Cincinnati as well (see map below).

 

“There are only two rail corridors to the east of Chicago that lack heavy freight rail traffic and could offer the potential for frequent, reliable, 110-mph passenger trains,” said Ken Prendergast, executive director of All Aboard Ohio. “One already does – the Wolverine Corridor that was upgraded with infrastructure and safety improvements that allow 110 mph speeds for three state-sponsored Michigan passenger rail routes into Chicago.

 

“The other is the Fort Wayne Line,” Prendergast added. “With the support of more Ohio civic leaders like Lima Mayor David Berger, the Fort Wayne Line may someday be the route that all Ohio rail passengers use to enter Chicago safely, swiftly and reliably. We encourage more Ohio leaders to get on board the train to the Midwest’s economic capital.”

 

Trains from Ohio using the Fort Wayne Line into Chicago could travel to the Windy City from Columbus, Cincinnati or Cleveland in four hours or less. Travelers in closer-in cities like Toledo and Lima could arrive in downtown Chicago in three hours or less, regardless of bad weather while staying digitally connected and productive in their work. Passengers could relax on the train after a day of business in the Windy City with a cold drink or hot meal in the cafe car or by finishing up work so they can spend the evening with their family.

 

“With today’s announcement in Fort Wayne, we are now one step closer to realizing this vision,” Prendergast said. “Every long journey begins with a single step. That journey is now under way.”

 

A 2013 rail corridor feasibility study concluded that approximately 2.1 million riders would use the Chicago-Fort Wayne-Columbus route in 2020, with that number growing to more than three million in 2040. The study also estimated that for every $1 of investment, $1.70 would be generated in economic return through job growth and increased property values.

 

END

 

Morning Roundup: Ray of hope for Columbus-Chicago rail line

Dec 21, 2016, 7:56am EST Updated Dec 21, 2016, 8:07am EST

Doug Buchanan

Digital editor

Columbus Business First

 

Advocates of high-speed rail are cheering one small step toward getting a Columbus to Chicago line built.

 

WANE in Indiana reports the Federal Railroad Administration has green-lit an Alternatives Analysis and Public Input process for a Chicago-Fort Wayne-Columbus rail line.

 

"This is the result of years of hard work and dogged determination on the part of many of us," a spokesman for the Northern Indiana Passenger Rail Association told the station.

 

MORE:

http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2016/12/21/morning-roundup-ray-of-hope-for-columbus-chicago.html

CU gets to the heart of the story.... If Columbus fumbles away this opportunity, hopefully it will only be a short-term fumble. After all, Fort Wayne could join other Midwest smaller metro areas like Grand Rapids, Rockford, and the Quad Cities that are outer end-point cities of Amtrak Chicago hub routes. Or the route could head northeast from Fort Wayne or Lima to Toledo, Detroit, Cleveland and points east. Or Columbus could wake up from its driverless car fantasy and join other Midwest large metros enjoying 79-110 mph access to the heart of Midwest's economic capital city....

 

Initial Planning Starts for Rail Corridor to Chicago, Columbus Not Part of Effort

December 21, 2016 11:39 am

Brent Warren

 

The plan to build a high-speed rail corridor connecting Columbus and Chicago took a small step forward yesterday, although Columbus’ level of involvement in the project is in question.

 

A coalition of local jurisdictions, businesses and foundations – all located west of Lima, Ohio, and mostly clustered in the Fort Wayne area – have come up with $350,000 to start the first phase of planning for the project.

 

That is not enough to study the whole line, explained Ken Pendergast, Executive Director of All Aboard Ohio.

 

...When asked if the City of Columbus will be involved – either financially or otherwise – in future planning efforts to connect Columbus and Chicago by rail, Robin Davis, Director of Media Relations for the Mayor’s Office, provided this statement:

 

“Mayor Ginther is committed to the future of mobility through the Smart Columbus initiative. He will be focusing his transportation efforts on smart logistics, expanded mobility options and an environmentally sustainable transportation system.”

 

MORE:

http://www.columbusunderground.com/initial-planning-starts-for-rail-corridor-to-chicago-columbus-not-part-of-effort-bw1

This is another reason why I think Ginther is a DINO. Coleman was willing to help the project yet Ginther is all digital stuff like the "Smart City" O-Tools.

Columbus' refusal to even join the efforts is disheartening.  The leaders in Columbus are doing a DISSERVICE to its citizens yet again.  The Smart City Grant was nice, but who the heck cares if Columbus gets driverless cars a week before every other city?  There's no point.  The leaders need to put major efforts into LONG TERM transportation solutions that would help citizens and decrease the need for people to buy cars (as well as the city's needs to constantly be expanding highways).

People in Columbus need to organize and put pressure on the Mayor's office and the city council.  Organize like they did in Cincinnati for the streetcar.  That's what gets the job done. 

This is another reason why I think Ginther is a DINO. Coleman was willing to help the project yet Ginther is all digital stuff like the "Smart City" O-Tools.

 

Are you surprised!? He is after all a Clintonville resident.

Columbus to Chicago Rail Proposal Still on the Table

 

 

Yesterday’s announcement that a hyperlink route between Chicago, Columbus and Pittsburgh will be further studied might leave some wondering — what happened to the proposal to build a high speed rail line on essentially the same route?

 

The passenger rail proposal, which would connect Columbus to Chicago by upgrading existing freight lines, is not dead. In fact, initial planning for the western portion of the route is underway, and the City of Columbus recently confirmed that it will financially support the effort, a commitment it was not willing to make late last year.

 

More below:

http://www.columbusunderground.com/columbus-to-chicago-rail-proposal-still-on-the-table-bw1

MORPC used the business community support for hyperloop (did CU really mistype "hyperlink" in its opening paragraph??) to leverage funding for conventional rail project development.

 

After all, it's important to be ready to address overlooked present-day transportation issues just in case those in the future fail to materialize...

The headline is hyperloop. But the study will evaluate a near-term, modern, 110-mph #Columbus-#Chicago passenger #rail on upgraded, underutilized rail infrastructure serving Marysville, Kenton, Lima and Ft. Wayne. That's why the enroute communities helped to fund this. Hyperloop, if built, won't serve them. Passenger rail will.

 

Columbus taking steps to secure future Hyperloop route

http://www.dispatch.com/news/20180221/columbus-taking-steps-to-secure-future-hyperloop-route

People in Columbus need to organize and put pressure on the Mayor's office and the city council.  Organize like they did in Cincinnati for the streetcar.  That's what gets the job done.

 

The Cincinnati Streetcar is not the best analogy for building and operating a rail line of this size and, for that matter, any size, even a 3.5 mile loop.

The headline is hyperloop. But the study will evaluate a near-term, modern, 110-mph #Columbus-#Chicago passenger #rail on upgraded, underutilized rail infrastructure serving Marysville, Kenton, Lima and Ft. Wayne. That's why the enroute communities helped to fund this. Hyperloop, if built, won't serve them. Passenger rail will.

 

Columbus taking steps to secure future Hyperloop route

http://www.dispatch.com/news/20180221/columbus-taking-steps-to-secure-future-hyperloop-route

 

Who or what is going to build and operate this Columbus-Chicago high-speed line?

That will likely be the subject of a future RFP.

 

LOTS OF EMBEDDED LINKS IN THIS ARTICLE AT THE LINK BELOW:

http://allaboardohio.org/2018/02/21/pittsburgh-columbus-chicago-transportation-plan-starts/

 

Pittsburgh-Columbus-Chicago transportation plan starts

kjprendergast on February 21, 2018

 

All Aboard Ohio welcomes the Pittsburgh-Columbus-Chicago high-speed transportation study announced today by the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission of passenger rail and Hyperloop. This important study will extend to Columbus and Pittsburgh the planning work already occurring between Gary, IN-Lima, OH of 110-mph high-performance passenger rail and add Hyperloop as an alternative technology for consideration. Because Hyperloop is an unproven technology that does not operate in revenue service anywhere, a feasibility study of its practicality is warranted. It remains to be seen whether this technology is better suited to moving passengers or shipping time-sensitive freight between regional distribution centers.

 

“Because of this and because Hyperloop, if built, is unlikely to serve any cities between the major cities of Pittsburgh, Columbus, Fort Wayne and Chicago, it is important to also advance the planning for and development of proven, modern, high-performance passenger rail,” said All Aboard Ohio Executive Director Ken Prendergast.

 

High performance passenger rail, when combined with station-area real estate development in major urban centers and small cities alike, is a growth industry for public-private partnerships throughout America and around the world. Brightline in Florida, Acela Express in the Northeast Corridor, Texas Central in the Lone Star State, and higher-speed (90-110 mph) passenger rail in the Midwest, California and Pacific Northwest are all models for Ohio.

 

“Brightline, in particular, is leading a disruptive renaissance in passenger rail,” Prendergast said. “It’s a private-sector initiative that creates and captures value and positive synergies between transportation and supportive land use to eliminate the need for ongoing operating subsidies. A similar initiative between Columbus and Chicago could capitalize on both cities’ economic growth as well as a reported fire sale of CSX-owned rail corridors and the state’s ownership of a significant portion of the rail corridor between Columbus and Pittsburgh.”

 

Columbus-Chicago is already part of a Midwest Regional Rail Plan, sponsored by the Federal Railroad Administration, that considers this travel corridor as viable for passenger rail. This plan is scheduled to be released this spring. Envisioned for Columbus-Chicago are limited-stop express trains taking less than four hours to reach downtown Chicago regardless of weather, and local-stop trains boosting local economies in smaller cities in between. Fares will cost less than flying or driving while on-board comfort and business travel productivity will be superior to all other forms of transportation. The planning funds contributed by the City of Marysville, City of Lima and Union County demonstrate the interest by these en-route communities in being served by this transportation corridor.

 

END

 

 

The Cincinnati Streetcar is not the best analogy for building and operating a rail line of this size and, for that matter, any size, even a 3.5 mile loop.

 

 

Because of people like you.

 

 

The Cincinnati Streetcar is not the best analogy for building and operating a rail line of this size and, for that matter, any size, even a 3.5 mile loop.

 

 

Because of people like you.

 

No because the Cincinnati streetcar has become the poster city of how not to build and operate a rail line...or in CIN’s case, a rail loop.

http://allaboardohio.org/2018/10/16/lima-ft-wayne-chicago-rail-planning-advances/

 

NOTE: The Oct. 23 Lima public meeting below is separate from the Oct. 20 All Aboard Ohio Fall Meeting, also being held in Lima. The following is a press release from the Northern Indiana Passenger Rail Association. Their original press release in PDF format is HERE.

 

For Release:     Monday, October 15, 2018

Contact:         Mary Tyndall, City of Fort Wayne, 260-427-5958, [email protected]
Rich Juram, NIPRA, 260-450-0584

 

Public Meetings Set to Discuss Passenger Rail
Meetings are Next Step in Process to Secure Federal Funding

 

Fort Wayne, Ind. – Northern Indiana Passenger Rail Association (NIPRA) is scheduling four public meetings throughout northern Indiana and northwest Ohio to discuss recent work completed and the next steps in securing funding for a Chicago-Fort Wayne-Columbus passenger rail line.

The meetings are scheduled at the following dates and times:

 

Tuesday, October 23, 5:30-7:30 p.m., (EDT) Lima Municipal Center, City Council Chambers, 50 Town Square, Lima, OH;

 

Wednesday, October 24, 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m., (EDT) Allen County Public Library, Rooms A & B, 900 Library Plaza, Fort Wayne, IN;

 

Wednesday, October 24, 5:00-7:00 p.m., (EDT) City Hall Council Chambers, 102 South Buffalo St., Warsaw, IN;

 

Thursday, October 25, 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m., (CDT) Valparaiso Chamber of Commerce, 2nd Floor, 162 W. Lincolnway, Valparaiso, IN.

 

The meetings will begin with a welcome from local officials and then a brief presentation from HNTB, a consultant firm hired to complete an analysis required under federal law in order for the rail project to receive federal funding. As part of this work, HNTB, in consultation with NIPRA and the Federal Railroad Administration, developed a Purpose and Need Statement, created a Public Involvement Plan, performed an analysis of the route options, developed service alternatives along the preferred route and performed preliminary engineering to develop high-level cost estimates based on the chosen service alternatives.  The work is being done in several phases and this phase focuses on the corridor between Lima, OH and Gary, IN of the proposed Chicago-Fort Wayne-Columbus passenger rail route.

 

After the brief presentation, HNTB, NIPRA and local representatives from the respective communities will be available with presentation boards set up throughout the room to answer questions and take comments in an open house format. The information will include: proposed locations for all the train stations, an estimate of the amount of double tracking that will be needed, possible train schedules, estimated ridership and revenue, and estimated capital costs.

 

By performing this preliminary work, the Chicago-Fort Wayne-Columbus Passenger Rail Corridor will be in position to compete for the limited federal and state dollars available for passenger rail development.

“This work is complementary to and supportive of the work being done by other rail partners to improve passenger rail service throughout Indiana, especially in northwest Indiana where they are actively working to improve regional transportation with commuter and passenger rail,” says Rich Juram, NIPRA president.  “Similar efforts also continue in Ohio to develop this corridor.”

 

The proposed Chicago-Fort Wayne-Columbus corridor would provide high-quality passenger rail connections to 100 Midwest cities through a regional rail network that offers safe, comfortable and reliable service with amenities such as Wi-Fi and food service. Initial plans are for trains to travel at a maximum speed of approximately 79 miles per hour and eventually travel at 110 miles per hour. In many communities along the route, scheduled stops would take place at existing historic train stations, such as the Baker Street Train Station, 221 W. Baker St. More information about the Chicago-Fort Wayne-Columbus passenger rail, including the reports produced for this current work, can be found online at www.niprarail.org.

NIPRA partners with community stakeholders, business leaders, and government leaders to bring modern passenger rail service back to Fort Wayne and the communities of northern Indiana with strategic connections to surrounding states.

 

HNTB Corporation is an international employee-owned infrastructure solutions firm serving public and private owners and contractors. With more than a century of service, HNTB understands the life cycle of infrastructure and addresses clients’ most complex technical, financial and operational challenges. Professionals deliver a full range of infrastructure-related services, including award-winning planning, design, program and construction management.

 

###

 

Additional research on the potential economic benefits from this proposed rail link, especially to smaller cities, is available here…..

Orthoworx – Parsons Brinckerhoff 2011 study on the benefit to Warsaw, IN’s world-renowned orthopedics cluster from fast, direct rail service to Chicago and O’Hare Airport

NIPRA – TEMS 2013 Northern Indiana/Ohio Passenger Rail Corridor, Feasibility Study and Business Plan Executive Summary

http://allaboardohio.org/2018/10/16/lima-ft-wayne-chicago-rail-planning-advances/

 

###

 

2 hours ago, NorthShore647 said:

 

Then be sure to extend from Kenton to Toledo - giving Findlay and Bowling Green service. Detroit-Columbus anyone?

 

 

I really, REALLY want to see this route happen. The three of us are driving to Chicago for my wife's conference this week, dreading the traffic and parking as usual just to ride the train and walk once we get there. Amtrak would work so much better.

 

My wife's student's hate having to either make the long drive, or deal with the flight for such a short trip - and they get reimbursed by the university. I guarantee almost all of them would take the train if it was an option.

2 hours ago, mrCharlie said:

I really, REALLY want to see this route happen. The three of us are driving to Chicago for my wife's conference this week, dreading the traffic and parking as usual just to ride the train and walk once we get there. Amtrak would work so much better.

There is the option of parking at the South Bend Airport ($1.50/day) and taking the South Shore Electric Railway into CHI. Have to mind the schedules, though as not all South Shore trains stop there.   Not the best option as a train all the way would be best, but it's something in the mean time.  

Not Just 3C: Columbus-to-Chicago Amtrak Route Also Up for Federal Funding

 

The Ohio Rail Development Commission (ORDC) has since submitted an application for two corridors – Cleveland-Columbus-Dayton-Cincinnati (known as the 3C+D line), and Cleveland-Toledo-Detroit.

If approved by the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), the state would be awarded $500,000 for each corridor. Those funds would go toward a consultant who would identify the track improvements, new stations and other equipment or facilities needed on each corridor to get passenger service up and running.

But an application has been submitted to the same grant program for another route that could have a big impact on Columbus and several other Ohio cities.

Earlier this month, the city of Fort Wayne, Indiana and the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission (MORPC) applied for $500,000 to study the Chicago-Columbus-Pittsburgh corridor.

That route, which has been the focus of planning efforts by MORPC and other groups on and off for nearly a decade, would follow existing freight lines and include stops in Marysville and Lima, among other cities. 

John Gardocki, MORPC’s Transit and Mobility Manager, said that Fort Wayne officials reached out to ask the agency to be a co-applicant, knowing that it had done planning work on the corridor previously and strategizing that the grant would have a better chance of being awarded if a bigger city along the route was a part of the application. 

Although the same corridor was also touted as a possible route for the futuristic hyperloop technology, Gardocki said that passenger rail is now MORPC’s focus (the company behind the Columbus hyperloop proposal laid off over a hundred employees in 2022 and now focuses solely on transporting cargo, not people).

Hilliard ID’s Potential Sites for a Passenger Rail Station

 

The City of Hilliard has two sites picked out that could work as potential passenger rail stations, according to a new report released yesterday. The suburb hired a consultant to complete a feasibility study, specifically looking at where a stop could be placed on a future route connecting Downtown Columbus to Chicago.

 

The route, known as the Midwest Connect Corridor, was one of four in Ohio chosen last December by the Federal Railroad Administration as priorities for Amtrak expansion. The routes each received $500,000 in federal funding for planning work, as part of the FRA’s Corridor Identification and Development Program.

 

The Midwest Connect Corridor would connect Chicago, Columbus and Pittsburgh, but the stops in between have yet to be finalized (the other routes receiving funding include the 3C+D Corridor, running new service between Cleveland-Columbus-Dayton-Cincinnati; new service between Cleveland-Toledo-Detroit; and new daily service on the existing Cardinal line, which runs through Cincinnati).

 

More below:

https://columbusunderground.com/hilliard-ids-potential-sites-for-passenger-rail-stations-bw1/

 

Consultants hired to help develop plans for two passenger routes

Trains.com - Trains Staff - Aug. 8, 2024

 

"The City of Fort Wayne, Ind., working with the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission and the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission, has hired Kansas City-based HNTB Corp. to help develop the Service Development Plan required under the Corridor ID process. That plan covers the scope, schedule, and budget for full planning for a Chicago-Fort Wayne-Columbus, Ohio-Pittsburgh route."

 

Fort Wayne Press Release:

"The Corridor ID program garnered additional support from several key stakeholders, including the Northern Indiana Passenger Rail Association (NIPRA), Northwestern Indiana Regional Planning Commission (NIRPC), Michiana Area Council of Governments (MACOG), Northeastern Indiana Regional Coordinating Council (NIRCC), Lima/Allen County Regional Planning Commission (LACRPC), Licking County Area Transportation Study (LCATS), Ohio Mid-Eastern Governments Association (OMEGA), and Brooke-Hancock-Jefferson Metropolitan Planning Commission (BHJTS). The program also received advocacy from the Indiana, Ohio, and Pennsylvania Departments of Transportation."

 

On 8/2/2024 at 1:35 PM, NorthShore647 said:

Consultants hired to help develop plans for two passenger routes

Trains.com - Trains Staff - Aug. 8, 2024

 

"The City of Fort Wayne, Ind., working with the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission and the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission, has hired Kansas City-based HNTB Corp. to help develop the Service Development Plan required under the Corridor ID process. That plan covers the scope, schedule, and budget for full planning for a Chicago-Fort Wayne-Columbus, Ohio-Pittsburgh route."

 

Fort Wayne Press Release:

"The Corridor ID program garnered additional support from several key stakeholders, including the Northern Indiana Passenger Rail Association (NIPRA), Northwestern Indiana Regional Planning Commission (NIRPC), Michiana Area Council of Governments (MACOG), Northeastern Indiana Regional Coordinating Council (NIRCC), Lima/Allen County Regional Planning Commission (LACRPC), Licking County Area Transportation Study (LCATS), Ohio Mid-Eastern Governments Association (OMEGA), and Brooke-Hancock-Jefferson Metropolitan Planning Commission (BHJTS). The program also received advocacy from the Indiana, Ohio, and Pennsylvania Departments of Transportation."

 

My in-laws are in Fort Wayne and even though it’s an easy drive, wouldn’t mind taking the train up there sometime.