Butler County Journal-News: Amtrak leaders, Ohio mayors call for 3-C+D passenger rail service

Dayton hasn’t had passenger rail service in more than 40 years, but Amtrak leaders and some Ohio mayors hope that will change with a new intercity route connecting the Gem City to Ohio’s largest cities.

Amtrak’s president, CEO and a few Ohio mayors, including Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley, on Tuesday participated in a roundtable about the proposed 3-C+D corridor.

The corridor gets its name from the major Ohio cities it would connect: Cleveland-Columbus-Cincinnati and Dayton. It would also include a stop in Springfield in Clark County, according to proposal maps.

With state and federal support and local partnerships, Amtrak potentially could launch new initial passenger service within several years, said Stephen Gardner, Amtrak’s president.

The 3-C+D route would offer three daily roundtrips, carrying an estimated 400,000 to 500,000 passengers annually, he said.

The annual economic impact of the new service could be nearly $130 million, he said.

“Ohio deserves energy-efficient, world-class intercity passenger rail service, and it is possible,” he said. “It is within reach.”

Mayor Whaley said the proposed passenger rail line would greatly improve the connectivity of mid-sized cities across the Midwest.

“Making sure that folks can move easily between the cities will really expand regional opportunities for all the people who live in those three regions particularly,” she said.

Amtrak served more than 500 U.S. communities and transported 32 million passengers in 2019, before the coronavirus crisis upended travel and everyday life. Amtrak saw its ridership decline by 95% early in the pandemic.

But ridership is recovering, and the transit company proposes connecting as many as 160 additional communities with 30 or more new routes.

Amtrak is seeking federal funding and state and local partnerships to assist with its expansion plans.

The new proposed 3-C+D corridor route would stretch about 250 miles and connect Cleveland, Cincinnati, Columbus and Dayton, as well as Springfield, Delaware, Crestline and Sharonville, Gardner said.

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