(The Associated Press circulated the following story by Matt Leingang on September 16, 2009.)
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Amtrak said that a plan to restore passenger train service among Ohio’s major cities would draw about 478,000 riders each year on a route that has key demographics needed for successful operations.
The estimates were included in a draft study, released Tuesday, that will play an imporant part in Ohio’s application for federal stimulus money to launch a 79-mph, startup rail service connecting Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton and Cincinnati by 2011.
About 6 million people live along the 255-mile route, making it one of the most heavily populated corridors without rail service in the Midwest. Private train service from Cleveland to Cincinnati ended in the early 1970s.
Amtrak said the corridor’s population density and its concentration of colleges and universities are important factors for success. Amtrak has steady ridership support from college students throughout its national system, the study said.
The study also identified $517.6 million in potential costs before service could begin – $342.6 million for signal upgrades and other improvements to existing freight tracks and $175 million for new trains.
That’s more than the $400 million Ohio transportation officials anticipated.
Amtrak’s cost estimates are preliminary, said Scott Varner, a spokesman for the Ohio Department of Transportation. Officials will respond to Amtrak’s draft study in the next few weeks, and it’s unclear if the state will ask for more stimulus money on its Oct. 2 application to the Federal Rail Administration, he said.
Ohio is competing with other states for part of the $8 billion in stimulus money the federal stimulus package has set aside for rail projects.
Long-term plans call for the Ohio route to be part of a Chicago-based Midwest rail corridor, with trains eventually running up to 110 mph and branches connecting other parts of Ohio.
Amtrak’s Ohio ridership forecast draws parallels to the agency’s 284-mile route from Chicago to St. Louis, which has about 476,000 riders annually. Roundtrip tickets on the route range from $23 to $60. Fares are lower if purchased in advance.
The Ohio study didn’t include fare estimates but did project annual ticket sales of $12 million.
Amtrak recommends six stops for the Ohio service: downtown locations in the four major cities, along with intermediate stops in west Cleveland and Sharonville Park north of Cincinnati.
The west Cleveland stop on 150th Street is a smart choice because it would connect with a rapid transit system that can take passengers to nearby Cleveland Hopkins International Airport, said Ken Prendergast, executive director of All Aboard Ohio, a rail advocacy group.
Total travel time on the route would be 6 hours and 30 minutes. That’s about what it would take to drive the same corridor, but longer than a more direct route between Cleveland and Cincinnati on Interstate 71 that takes 4 1/2 hours by car.
Time isn’t the only factor that determines ridership, Varner said. Cost, safety, reliability and passenger convenience are other important factors. Ohio anticipates that the trains would be equipped with Wi-Fi service.
The Amtrak study also said Ohio would need to spend as much $17 million to keep the service operational each year, a bit higher than the $10 million that state officials anticipated.
Transportation officials expect to use a mix of funding sources to cover the cost, including train advertising, grants and fees that restaurants, hotels and gas stations pay to advertise on blue highway exit signs, Varner said.
Gas tax money would not be used, Varner said. Ohio’s constitution requires revenue from the state’s 28-cent per gallon gasoline tax to be used only on highway projects.