Passenger Rail

Ohio lawmakers haven’t always been supportive of passenger rail. However, advocates are determined to see that proposed plans connecting Ohio’s largest cities, and beyond, stay on track.

The Midwest Connect passenger rail line would cut through central Ohio, providing Columbus and many other cities with their only local access to this mode of transportation.

Both Cincinnati and Cleveland have Amtrak stations, but Columbus doesn’t. Plans continue to bring passenger rail to Columbus, including the Cleveland-Columbus-Cincinnati route.

The Ohio Council of the American Society of Civil Engineers released its report card for critical state infrastructure Wednesday.

The latest draft of House Bill 96, Ohio’s biennial state budget, has proponents of expanded passenger rail concerned.

A proposal that rail advocates say will move Ohio toward reviving passenger train service is back on track.

Ohio's transportation budget was approved in plenty of time to make the deadline of the end of this month, and there were some changes between the House and Senate version.

At around $11.5 billion, Ohio's biennial transportation budget would primarily fund state highway, route and bridge construction projects.

The latest version of House Bill 54, the biennial transportation budget, has Ohio rejoining the Midwest Interstate Passenger Rail Commission at $25,000 a year.

The Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission organized a meeting of community and business stakeholders to start planning for passenger rail lines in the Columbus region.