One of the several passenger rail lines being floated for Ohio is picking up steam.
The Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission announced itself, Fort Wayne, Indiana and several Ohio cities ponied up $650,000 and submitted it to the Federal Railroad Administration. The line, dubbed Midwest Connect, would take riders from Chicago, through Fort Wayne, Columbus and to Pittsburgh.
The money moves the Midwest Connect rail line out of a more conceptual phase and towards an actual study should the federal government move forward.
MORPC's Executive Director William Murdock said if the federal government does move forward, they'd pay 90% of the cost to study the line. Murdock said most of the money was fronted by Ohio communities.
"Whether it's Columbus, or you're looking at communities like Lima or Marysville. They are all really anxious and excited at the possibility of adding passenger rail along that line," Murdock said.
Dublin Mayor Chris Amorose Groomes, the chair of MORPC's executive committee chimed in on the news in a press release. She said once built, the project would provide a valuable transportation connection and bring new economic development opportunities for residents.
“Re-establishing this four-state corridor would invest in both urban and rural communities, enhance connectivity and create thousands of full-time jobs while strengthening the region’s service, manufacturing, and tourism industries," Amorose Groomes said.
Murdock said this next step is critical to answering some key questions people may have about the line.
"How fast will the service be? Where will it stop and where will the stations be? How will it interact with freight rail? How often will the services be? That plan will dive into those details," Murdock said.
Murdock said this is called a service development plan by the Federal Railroad Administration's Corridor ID program.
The plan faces a potential hurdle after the change in presidential administrations from President Joe Biden to President Donald Trump. President Biden favored passenger rail, while President Trump has canceled and held up some key projects around the country.
Midwest Connect isn't the only project being considered for Ohio. The Ohio Rail Development Commission is spearheading an effort to create a line that runs between Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton and Cincinnati, dubbed the 3C+D corridor.
"I think we're both, no pun intended, we're on parallel tracks to ensure these projects move forward to that next step of the processes," Murdock said.
Another plan would expand service on the line that runs near Cincinnati. The train arrives sporadically on this line, usually arriving in the city at early morning hours. That plan is being handled directly by Amtrak.
Murdock said he doesn't think passenger rail is a political venture. He said he thinks it has broad political support among Republicans and Democrats.
"It's really a project that could connect people to jobs. It's about economic development and that gives us confidence to keep moving forward," Murdock said.
Murdock pointed out the Ohio Rail Development Commission gave a green light to further explore passenger rail lines. He said the FRA recently released a new call for grant applications of more than $5 billion for passenger rail implementation under Trump's administration.
However, the Ohio General Assembly voted to eliminate a key position on the ORDC for passenger rail earlier this year.
