(The following article by David Patch was posted on the Toledo Blade website on August 30.)
TOLEDO, Ohio — Legislation pending in Congress would improve the funding outlook for new passenger train service in Ohio and elsewhere and address one of the leading problems for the trains that already operate here – lateness, rail advocates and planners said after a local meeting yesterday.
Along with authorizing Amtrak’s continued operation, the Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act pending in the U.S. Senate provides $1.4 billion over six years for nationwide passenger rail projects, with participating states expected to match the money, said David Johnson, assistant director of the National Association of Railroad Passengers.
That funding “is a first-time- ever for passenger rail,” Mr. Johnson said. Most of the money is concentrated in the second half of the six-year period.
James Seney, executive director of the Ohio Rail Development Commission, said he is working toward having his Ohio Hub plan lined up for funding from that program.
The plan calls for a web of passenger-train routes in Ohio with Cleveland as a primary hub and Toledo and Columbus as secondary hubs. Mr. Seney said he hopes to hire a consultant by the end of next year to study the proposed routes and identify the right-of-way and safety improvements that each would need to become available for passenger service – or, in the case of existing Amtrak routes, to handle more trains.
Rick Harnish, executive director of the Midwest High Speed Rail Association, said the federal funds could be very good for Mr. Seney’s plan. Cincinnati, Toledo, and Cleveland routes also are part of a network that could be eligible for program funding.
“We’re just at the very beginning,” Mr. Harnish acknowledged. But the bill’s high-level backing – its original sponsors are Sens. Trent Lott (R., Miss.) and Frank Lautenburg (D., N.J.), and Sen. Mike DeWine (R., Ohio) has since signed on – give it strong odds for passage, he said.
Toledo is a daily stop on two daily Amtrak routes, the Washington-Chicago Capitol Limited and the New York-Chicago Lake Shore Limited.
All four trains – two in each direction – are to stop in Toledo during the overnight or early morning hours, but Mr. Harnish noted that if on time, Amtrak offers a reasonable schedule for day trips or weekend getaways to Chicago.