NEWS
50 W. Broad Street, Columbus, Ohio 43215
(614) 644-0306 telephone or fax (614) 728-4520
http://www.dot.state.oh.us/ohiorail/
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Stu Nicholson
Date: November 18, 2005
(614) 644-0513
Ohio Hub Plan Advancing
Tandem Studies Examine Economic Impact
& Additional Passenger Rail Routes
(Columbus) --- The light at the end of the tunnel
just might be a train. In fact, it could
very well be one many Ohioans haven’t seen or been able to ride for a long
time: a passenger train.
That possibility will be two big steps closer to reality as
two studies get underway this week that could greatly advance the Ohio Rail
Development Commission’s
Ohio Hub Plan to redevelop and
expand passenger rail and increased capacity for freight rail.
“We can build this system”, says ORDC Executive Director Jim
Seney, as he announced the kickoff of the tandem studies that will:
·
Conduct a
detailed analysis of the potential statewide economic impact of the Ohio Hub
Plan
·
Determine
the feasibility of adding two new routes to the master plan: a
Pittsburgh-Columbus-Chicago route (via Lima and Fort Wayne or Indianapolis) and
a Columbus-Toledo-Detroit Route
“The results of these two studies can
move the Ohio Hub Plan into its next and most important stage: the
environmental impact study”,
says Seney. “Once we complete that phase, the Ohio
Hub can become an official transportation project in the eyes of the federal
government and we can start building this system and running the kind of fast,
frequent passenger trains and faster, more timely freight rail service that
will boost Ohio’s
economy and create new and better jobs.”
Initial meetings have already been held on both studies to
set up the framework for field work, information gathering and how to analyze
what the study teams discover. It is
thought both studies should be complete within the next 8 to 12 months, but
some preliminary information may be available by early next year.
The Detailed Economic Impact Study (DEIS) is being conducted
by two teams of economic experts who will examine what were positive
preliminary numbers in the initial Ohio Hub Report. Those numbers include an estimated economic
impact of:
·
6,000-plus
construction jobs
·
1,500
permanent railroad jobs
·
6,000-plus
permanent jobs tied to development around rail stations and the general
communities served by the Ohio Hub
·
$1-billion
dollar increase in property values
·
Annual
tax revenue increased by $28-million
The DEIS will attempt to quantify and refine these numbers
down to the local level to see which communities and segments of Ohio’s economy will benefit and by how
much.
The additional route study will take a detailed look at the
infrastructure (rails, bridges, right of way, station facilities, etc) along
the projected routes. The aims will be
to determine, among other things:
·
Condition
of rights-of-way (both existing and abandoned), bridges, signal systems, tracks
·
Ridership
projections from each community along the routes
·
Existing
or potential connections with other modes: airports, mass transit, bikeways,
hotels and local business districts
·
What
needs to be done to bring route conditions up to grade to handle higher speed
trains and greater volume
“The goal is to bring these additional
routes up to the same level of feasibility as the rest of the route system
outlined in the Ohio Hub Report”,
says Executive Director Seney. “In
doing so, when federal funding becomes available to match with state dollars,
we can proceed with building the entire system and not just phasing in one rail
line at a time.”
“And with the possibility of legislation
now in Congress that would establish a first-ever federal rail infrastructure
funding program”,
says Seney, “it’s all the more important now that Ohio
works to have a funding-ready rail plan in place so we can get more people,
freight and Ohio’s
economy moving forward.”
(The Ohio Rail Development Commission is an independent
agency operating within the Ohio Department of Transportation. ORDC is responsible for economic development
through the improvement and expansion of passenger and freight rail service,
railroad grade crossing safety and rail travel & tourism issues. For more
information about what ORDC does for Ohio, visit our website at http://www.dot.state.oh.us/ohiorail/ )