Cleveland Real Estate News

If Ohio were to build a high speed rail system would you use it?

Yes  63.3% No  19.8% Not sure  16.9%

The above are results of a WKYC on line poll being conducted - and you can vote too. Would you support passenger rail improvements in Ohio?

The poll information was at the end of a very positive report by Eric Mansfield on the WKYC 7pm news.  For many of us, The Ohio Hub and passenger rail are not new ideas but what IS new, is the support being generated, and at a fast pace, over the last 12 months.

From my studies, it seems like Senator Sherrod Brown is a huge supporter of high speed rail. Certainly Governor Strickland is, as is evidenced by his comments in his latest budget proposals and state of Ohio report. The Mayor of Akron hopes everyone in Ohio will see the value of an improved rail system, something already done on a wide scale in Europe (I remember riding the Shinkensen high speed train in Japan in the 80s and being mesmerized at how efficient it was). 

This is no longer a pie in the sky idea. And I think Ken Prendergast, the new All Aboard Ohio executive director, made a most critical point:

the purpose is not so much to build a train system as it is to build a low mileage lifestyle that makes us less dependent on oil.

The WKYC report was good at pointing out that the first step is to improve passenger rail in general (meaning about 79 mph) and Governor Strickland is committed to the 3C Corridor passenger rail system (Cleveland-Columbus-Cincinnati) getting up and running under his watch. Then with Federal monies etc., we can work on upgrading to high speed rail and the entire Ohio Hub Plan

So many of us feel strongly about how this can improve Ohio’s economic situation, with immediate jobs being created (in steel, for example, construction too) and then with new job development, new housing and commercial development, springing up along all the new rail lines.

 for the entire wkyc on line article related to their news story, go here.