Passenger Rail in Ohio? Amtrak Releases Plans for a New Station in Columbus

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In case you aren't aware, Congress recently passed a massive bipartisan (really?) infrastructure bill (Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act) totaling roughly $1.2 trillion dollars in an effort to modernize America's aging transportation system. Included in this bill is $66 Billion earmarked for Amtrak, the national passenger rail cooperation, which is the largest investment into Amtrak in US history (Sprunt, 2021; White House, 2021). At the center of conversations as to where this funding will go is none other than the great Buckeye State (Amtrak, 2021). Discussions of bringing inter-city passenger rail back to Ohio are hardly new; In fact, Governor John Kasich struck down the so-called "Ohio Hub" plan in 2010, which was proposed to bring "higher" speed passenger rail service on the 3C+D Corridor- that is, between Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton, and Cincinnati, with speeds as high as 110 mph (Ohio Rail Development Commission, 2007; Lambert and Crawley, 2010). I guess the $400 million in federal funding Ohio would have received for the project wasn't enough for Mr. Kasich (The White House, 2010). 

Photo by rickpawl on Foter

Passenger rail is awesome, especially when it is fast. I've had the opportunity to ride on ICE (Inter-City Express) trains in Germany, making trips from Cologne to Berlin, and from Frankfurt to Amsterdam. On the latter route, trains reach speeds of up to 300 kph (186 mph). It is literally the most comfortable travel experience imaginable- you show up to the train station (which you access via another subway-type train), get on your train, and just relax. No baggage claim, no airport security, nothing. You can work, read, play Euchre (as I did), sleep, or even indulge in some German beer in the snack car. Each of my four-hour train rides went by in a flash. I can't tell you the amount of times I wish I could have that experience here in the US. 

Back to the present, in response to the $66 billion in new funding, Amtrak has been hard at work trying to turn this dream into a reality. Amtrak has released their Connect US plan which highlights their ambitions for making passenger rail relevant again across the nation. Prominently featured once again is the 3C+D (Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati, and Dayton) corridor, which will once again connect Ohio's three largest cities by rail (Amtrak, 2021). 

Earlier this week, preliminary plans for a new train station in Columbus were released, bringing us one step closer. The irony of this plan? The $23 million dollar facility sits at the EXACT SAME location as the historic union station, which was demolished in the late 1970s (by Battelle) (Colombo, 2022; National Register of Historic Places). A restraining order was issued because Battelle "followed improper procedures" in its demolition, but it was too late. The irony kills me.

Some people may have an issue with the fact that the estimated travel time between Cleveland and Columbus is 2 hours 52 minutes, and the total trip time between Cleveland and Cincinnati is estimated at 5 hours 30 minutes (Amtrak, 2021). These are not even close to the speeds that high-speed trains travel in other parts of the world, but does that mean we should scrap the plan altogether?

Well, like any other big change, we have to start somewhere. Even at speeds slower than a car, inter-city rail has numerous advantages. As anybody who has made the drive on I 71 knows, it can get a little hectic at times, particularly between Columbus and Cincinnati, where random traffic slowdowns are all too common. These trains will allow people to skip out on traffic and travel in comfort, watching Netflix the entire way. 

I think rail travel makes a lot of sense for business travel in particular. When driving, you lose half a day of productivity in transport between Columbus and Cincinnati, since you can't work on your excel spreadsheets while driving. On a train, equipped with tables, wifi, and power outlets, people can continue working the entire time. They can stretch their legs, grab a bite, and take a power nap, all without interrupting their journey. 

Photo by Mike Boening Photography on Foter

We need to convince people that having train as an option will benefit them in the form of stress-free (or at least stress-reduced) travel. I'm sure parents of OSU students would much rather pick up their kid at the train station in Cincinnati or Cleveland than make the 4 hour round trip to get them! OSU gameday hassles could be completely avoided- you hop on early morning train, fall asleep, and before you know it you are tailgating with your buddies, and you don't have to worry about having a ride home! Any car trip that is taken off the road helps the environment.

While the proposed plan is not ideal, we must not look a gift horse in the mouth. If Amtrak offers a good product, generates good ridership, and produces a solid revenue stream, we open up the possibility of bringing the high-speed service that right now is just a figment of our imaginations. 

Sources

Colombo, Hayleigh. (2022, 10 January). Here’s where a Columbus Amtrak station could go if vision for passenger rail comes to fruition. Columbus Business First. https://www.nbc4i.com/news/columbus-business-first/heres-where-a-columbus-amtrak-station-could-go-if-vision-for-passenger-rail-comes-to-fruition/

Lambert, L. and Crawley, J. (2010, December 7). U.S. yanks high-speed rail funds for Wisconsin and Ohio. Reuters. https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE6B860B20101209

National Railroad Passenger Corporation (2021). Amtrak’s Vision for Improving Transportation Across America. National Railroad Passenger Corporation.  Retrieved January 13, 2022, from https://www.amtrakconnectsus.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Amtrak-2021-Corridor-Vision_2021-06-01_web-HR-maps-2.pdf. 

National Register of Historic Places - Nomination Form: Union Station Entrance. National Register of Historic Places. File Unit: National Register of Historic Places and National Historic Landmarks Program Records: Ohio, 1964 - 2013. National Park Service. January 17, 1974. Retrieved January 13, 2022.

Ohio Rail Development Commission. (2007). The Ohio & Lake Erie Regional Rail Ohio Hub Study. Retrieved January 13, 2022, from http://www2.dot.state.oh.us/ohiorail/Ohio Hub/Website/ordc/Ohio_Hub_Final_Docs/Final_Document_Rev_12_06_07/Executive_Summary_Full_Report.pdf

The White House. (2021, November 6). Fact sheet: The Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal. Briefing Room. Retrieved January 14, 2022, from https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2021/11/06/fact-sheet-the-bipartisan-infrastructure-deal/ 

The White House. (2010, January 20). Fact Sheet: High Speed Intercity Passenger Rail Program: Cleveland - Columbus - Dayton - Cincinnati. Office of the Press Secretary. Retrieved January 13, 2022, from https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/fact-sheet-high-speed-intercity-passenger-rail-program-cleveland-columbus. 

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