Amtrak proposes increasing the number of weekly train arrivals and departures in Cleveland from 28 to 154 per week.
CLEVELAND – During their Monday meeting, the Cleveland City Council passed a resolution supporting Amtrak’s proposed expansion of rail passenger transport in Ohio.
In addition, the council calls on Ohio Congressmen to support a renewal of the state surface transportation permit and to sign the appropriate funds for the proposed expansion.
Details of Amtrak’s planned expansion of the state were announced last month unveiled by All Aboard Ohio, an advocacy group for public transport.
The new routes would include:
- Cleveland-Columbus-Dayton-Cincinnati (3C) corridor: three daily round trips with stopovers
- Cleveland-Toledo-Detroit-Pontiac: three daily round-trip journeys with stopovers, including a possible extension of the Wolverine Corridor train service from Chicago
- Cleveland-Pittsburgh-New York: A daily round-trip journey with stopovers on an extension of the Keystone Corridor train
- Cleveland-Buffalo-Albany-New York: two daily round trips with stops
- Cincinnati-Indianapolis-Chicago: four daily round trips with stopovers;
Amtrak’s ambitious expansion would be funded entirely from federal funds through a proposed new railroad program but has to be approved by Congress and President Biden.
“We have developed a visionary plan to expand rail traffic across the country and serve large metropolitan areas with little or no Amtrak service,” Amtrak spokesman Marc Magliari told 3News in an email. “Frequent and reliable corridor routes, typically less than 500 miles in length, represent the fastest growing segment of Amtrak service. Population growth, changing demographics, travel preferences and environmental concerns all point to new opportunities for the intercity passenger railroad . “
According to a statement from Cleveland City Council, Amtrak is proposing to increase the number of weekly train arrivals and departures in Cincinnati from six to 104 trains per week, in Cleveland from 28 to 154 per week, in Columbus and Dayton from zero to 42 per week. and in Toledo from 28 to 70 weekly.
The Council resolution suggests that safe, fast and convenient rail passenger transport will improve Ohio’s economy and make Ohio a more attractive place to live, work and visit.
Ohio is the seventh most populous state in the country, but only ranks 27th among Amtrak drivers, according to the city council. Ohio is also the most populous state that doesn’t see ongoing passenger rail development in the state’s proposed two-year budget. This is the sixth two-year budget in a row without funding for the planning of the passenger railroad.
A similar resolution last month was passed by the Cincinnati City Council. The Hamilton City Council also passed a resolution supporting the funding of the Amtrak Corridor Network Expansion Plan.
Editor’s Note: The following aired on February 2, 2021
