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| Ohio rail study passes | |
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| Topic Started: April 3 2009, 02:22 PM (58 Views) | |
| Gandalf | April 3 2009, 02:22 PM Post #1 |
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Head Moderator, Computer Tech
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COLUMBUS, Ohio -- State legislators approved a $9.2 billion transportation budget Wednesday that includes money to study a statewide passenger rail line linking Cincinnati, Dayton, Columbus and Cleveland, The Cincinnati Enquirer reported. The two-year spending bill, passed by a 31-to-2 vote in the Senate and 70-to-29 in the Ohio House, also raises the highway speed limit for trucks from 55 to 65 mph. Gov. Ted Strickland is expected to sign the bill into law. By April 18, the Federal Railroad Administration must give Congress a stimulus spending plan for $8 billion in rail projects. By authorizing the use of more than $774 million in federal stimulus funds for transportation, House Bill 2 includes more than $23 million to redesign streets around the downtown Banks project and a transit center as well as $20 million for the Interstate 275/Ohio 32 road project in eastern Hamilton and western Clermont counties. The Banks money will accelerate construction on the mixed-use riverfront development, allowing parts of the project to move forward years before they otherwise would. The I-275/Ohio 32 money will be used for studies on how to improve transportation -- including possible rail service -- in the Eastern Corridor connecting Cincinnati and Clermont County. Preliminary engineering on that project could be completed within 24 months, said Hamilton County Chief Deputy Engineer Ted Hubbard. Strickland said Ohio needs $250 million in stimulus money to resume passenger rail service along the "3-C corridor" by the end of 2010, with the state paying an estimated $10 million in annual operating costs. Ohio is waiting for Amtrak to complete a study by August on what is required to operate 79 mph trains along existing freight tracks along the "3-C corridor" between Cincinnati and Cleveland, including projected fares and ridership. Private passenger train service along the 260-mile route ended in 1971. The project lays the foundation for high-speed trains operating up to 110 mph by 2016, according to the Ohio Rail Development Commission, an independent agency within the state Department of Transportation. Ellen G. van der Horst, president of the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber, in a letter to Strickland on Friday, praised resumption of passenger rail in Ohio, writing, "The Chamber believes it is essential that the (Strickland) Administration's passenger rail efforts meaningfully advance the development of high speed service and improve the efficiency of freight service." Hamilton County Commissioner Todd Portune said the vote was a step toward "restoring Ohio's competitive advantage as an economic development hub in the nation." "It means so much to us here in Hamilton County and to us in the state," said Portune, who has been an advocate of expanding passenger and freight rail service. "It moves Ohio into the 21st century in terms of on a path to providing multiple transportation options for this state," he said. (The preceding article by Jon Craig was published April 2, 2009, by The Cincinnati Enquirer. The Associated Press and Jessica Brown contributed to this report.) April 2, 2009 |
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3:25 AM Jul 11