Cleveland Real Estate News » 3C Corridor Plan

Become a Facebook Fan of Ohio’s 3C Quick Start Passenger Rail Plan

Carole Cohen — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 09:25:04 +0000

According to this press release from ODOT, 93 percent of the people surveyed said they favor a mid speed passenger rail to start off the 3C Corridor Plan. Be a Fan on Facebook, read the press release and see the link below to become a fan! Let’s get over 2k Fans by Friday! And also at the link below, take the survey (over 7k people already have!)

Ohio Rail Development Commission

& Ohio Department of Transportation

For Immediate Release: Sept. 22, 2009

Contact: Stu Nicholson 614-644-0513

E-mail: stuart.nicholson@dot.state.oh.us

Ohio’s 3C “Quick Start” Passenger Rail Plan Gets Fans Quick
Fans on Facebook and Online Polling Show Growing SupportOn September 14, the Ohio Department of Transportation – in partnership with the Ohio Rail Development Commission – launched the department’s first trial run with the nation’s largest internet social networking site Facebook, starting with a page featuring the 3C “Quick Start” Passenger Rail Plan. If you’re a Facebook member, the page can be accessed at:
http://www.dot.state.oh.us/Divisions/Rail/Programs/passenger/3CisME/Pages/default.aspx

In the short time since the launch, the 3C “Quick Start” page is on track to have at least a thousand Facebook subscribers become “3C Plan fans.”Ohio’s 3C “Quick Start” Plan – connecting Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton, and Cincinnati with medium speed 79 mph passenger trains – is a strong contender for stimulus funding. With the funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, Ohio’s “Quick Start” plan would have initial service running as early as 2011.

A recently released ridership and revenue study prepared by Amtrak estimated that 478,000 passengers would board the train each year in Ohio, due in large part to a pent-up demand for passenger rail travel and the unique opportunity to connect with more than 60 percent of the state’s population.

“The concentration of colleges and universities along the corridor is another major component for success,” the Amtrak report said. “Historically, throughout its national system, Amtrak has enjoyed steady ridership support from college students.”

Facebook fans of the 3C “Quick Start” Plan range from college students and young professionals to business and community leaders, including members of the Ohio General Assembly – State Representatives Michael Skindell (House Dist. 13) and W. Carlton Weddington (House Dist.27).

At the same time, more than 7,200 people have responded to an online survey at 3CisMe.ohio.gov, the state’s online portal for passenger rail information. In the month since the survey has been active, more than 93 percent of respondents favor the medium-speed passenger rail start-up plan.

###

“Social networking sites such as Facebook are increasingly becoming a very useful tool in sharing information, especially among our younger populations,” said ODOT Director Jolene M. Molitoris. “It would send a great message to Washington if we could get two-thousand or more fans before we submit our application to the Federal Railroad Administration for stimulus funding on October 2nd.”

COLUMBUS (Tuesday, September 22, 2009) – Like a virtual train quickly filling up with passengers, Ohio’s 3C “Quick Start” Passenger Rail Plan is quickly growing an online fan base well before the first trains run.

Keep Your Fingers Crossed, But Passenger Rail Service From Cleveland to Cincinnati Could Be A Reality By 2010.

Carole Cohen — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 16:15:42 +0000

No, you are not dreaming, we could have a Cleveland to Columbus to Cincinnati passenger rail service up and running before you know it. Stu Nicholson of the ORDC (Ohio Rail Development Commission) is quoted in the Karen Farkas PD article as being cautiously ecstatic (I love that phrase lol).

It’s tied into the infrastructure monies being bantered about by the Feds. This is not high speed rail, but it IS passenger rail. Supposedly, the National Amtrak staff feels the Cleveland to Cincy corridor is the best underdeveloped passenger rail corridor in the U.S.

From the Farkas post:

Gov. Ted Strickland wants to make sure the state gets its share of money. At the governor’s request, ODOT Director James Beasley sent a letter last month to Ohio’s congressional delegation outlining $1.7 billion in transportation projects that could be under way by next March.

They are “shovel-ready”and would create thousands of new jobs, said Scott Varner, ODOT deputy director of communications.

Among the requests were $100 million for the passenger rail system, which ODOT supports, but has not been able to fund, Varner said, and the $200 million for the high-speed rail network.

The Cleveland to Columbus route is something long overdue and I can only imagine how much of a boost for the economy available rail service will be once this becomes operational. High speed would be better, but one step at a time. Peace Out and Woo Hoo! 3C

Ohio Hub/3C Corridor Moves Along With Grant To Start Work On The First Leg

Carole Cohen — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 14:28:40 +0000

The Ohio Rail Development Commission (ORDC) received a grant of $62,500 and they consider this a positive sign that The Feds consider The Ohio Hub a valid project for Ohio’s economy and future. The grant came from the Federal Railroad Aministration. The grant is for a feasibility study with AMTRAK to “start up two round trips per day between Cleveland and Columbus and possibly to Cincinnati (which together define the “3C” corridor”).”

It sounds like the goal of the study is to figure out a short term ’round trip’ service but make sure it fits into the long term plans and strategies for the general 3C Corridor, Ohio Hub.

Good stuff. From the ORDC press release:

The awarding of the FRA grant follows the request earlier this year by Governor Ted Strickland to Amtrak CEO Alex Kummant to begin a ridership and revenue study of possible start-up service in the 3-C Corridor. The corridor is the most densely-populated in Ohio with almost 60-percent of the state’s population, but has not seen passenger rail service since 1971. You can read about the 3C Corridor Plan here.

Peace Out – 3C

The Ohio Hub Plan Economic Impact Study Is Yielding Potential Good News For Our Economy

Carole — Fri, 09 Mar 2007 22:17:00 +0000

I want to thank Ed, who consistently provides excellent information for us on The Ohio Hub Plan. The Econ Study is predicting even better news than before, additional train routes, more jobs, permanent and ‘initiative building’ related, and a cost that seems more than manageable, especially since the results are jobs jobs and more jobs.

The Impact Study press releases will be more detailed and are not ready for prime time yet but soon. In the meantime, please do read the following to find out the snippets of information we already know: Economic Impact is Positive. Peace Out – 3C

** I don’t believe in duplicating content and I have two blogs so please check out the link above you will be excited about the news, I think.

Cleveland City Council Supports Rail Plan

Carole — Thu, 15 Feb 2007 18:46:00 +0000

There are plans in the works to bolster our area’s economy through commuter rail. One plan is the Cleveland Hub Initiative . On a smaller scale, the West Shore Corridor commuter rail plan is also proposed. This would develop a system that runs from Lorain to Cleveland. All Aboard Ohio(AAO ) is the website to track for all Ohio rail plans. The big news this month is City of Cleveland support for it. Last week, Cleveland City Council passed a resolution asking our Congressional Delegation to support funding for analysis over the next two years. You can read the press release here. I was happy to see my Councilman (and Council President) Martin Sweeney listed as a supporter on this resolution.

The West Shore Corridor was listed as ‘potentially feasible’ with the possibility of providing local and regional benefits to the economy. This comes from a ten county NEOrail study done in 2001. There are commuters from places like Lorain, Avon, Westlake and Rocky River who would benefit from this commuter rail. There are also a slew of Clevelanders who could accept jobs in the western suburbs if commuter rail existed. One area to continue in this analysis is that of ‘Quiet Zones’ that have to do with, among other things, noise levels at train crossings. Transit Oriented Development(TOD’s) has been really successful in areas with Quiet Zones.

This Rail System would be run with (theoretically) a three car 450 passenger train. The cars are available very inexpensively from other cities already relying on commuter train systems. The kind of RR Tracks needed are pretty much already existing on this corridor. Environmentally, 450 commuters on a train use less fuel than 450 cars (duh!) and they estimate 2.5 acres of Downtown Cleveland parking lots could be put to good use as mixed use development, shops, etc., adding to the vibrancy of Downtown. For a clear analysis, Ken Prendergast, spokesperson for All Aboard Ohio has written a post on Green City Blue Lake.

Enjoy today’s music video Runaway Train. Peace Out – 3C