Writer: Ryan Gandolfo
2 min read January 2023 — The city of Cincinnati is another step closer to new passenger rail routes that would connect it to other regional hubs.
Ohio cities and regional planning commissions recently submitted proposed passenger rail routes to the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA). If approved, the $100 million corridor between Cincinnati, Dayton, Columbus and Cleveland would have a significant impact on economic development across the state, citing a letter signed by Mayor Aftab Pureval and nine other mayors.
“If Ohio wants to continue to grow its economy, expand existing business, new employers and jobs, and develop a larger, more mobile workforce we must (move) this forward with faster, more frequent trains that connect with local transit options in our cities,” said All Aboard Ohio Executive Director Stu Nicholson in a recent press release. The nonprofit promotes greater intercity passenger rail service and public transit throughout Ohio.
The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, signed by President Joe Biden in 2021, included $102 billion in total rail funding in the attempt to expand existing FRA programs and create new programs to improve the nation’s combatted rail infrastructure. Ohio’s passenger rail infrastructure has long been a topic of debate, with former Gov. John Kasich rejecting a $400 million federal spending plan on high-speed rail development in 2010.
More than a decade later, transportation advocates and Queen City officials have new hopes of expanding rail across the state and region. In September 2022, the Cincinnati City Council passed a resolution supporting Mayor Pureval in “urging Governor Mike DeWine to participate in the Federal Railroad Administration’s new Corridor Identification and Development program to better connect Ohio communities with enhanced intercity passenger rail service.”
One of the suggested corridors in the latest Amtrak Connects Us map would also connect Cincinnati to Louisville, Indianapolis and Chicago. The economic impact of the corridor would amount to $448 million annually, in addition to $8.2 billion in economic activity from one-time capital investments, according to Amtrak.
With a clearer path to expanded passenger rail in sight, Cincinnati and the state may soon begin to capitalize on opportunities derived from a better connected region.
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