CLEVELAND —A lot more Ohioans are one step closer to being able to rely on train service to help them get around the state.

What You Need To Know

  • The Federal Railroad Administration is prioritizing four Ohio routes for expansion

  • The additional lines could make it easier for business travelers to get around the state

  • Amtrak’s plan would make three daily round trips across the state with a travel time expected to be about five-and-a-half hours each way 

That’s because the Federal Railroad Administration announced its prioritizing four Ohio routes for expansion, including one that connects some of Ohio’s biggest cities.

“So the line that goes from Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton, Cincinnati, we call it the best business case in the country for new passenger rail service,” William Murdock with the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission, said.

Murdock is talking about a proposed rail line dubbed 3C+D.

“It has the most people; it has the highest density of businesses and universities and job opportunities,” Murdock said.

The route is one of several that cleared another federal hurdle this week and could become a reality over the next several years.

Providing Ohioans with an opportunity to travel easily from one major city to another while efficiently completing work during the journey.

“Business is very supportive of the application. If you’re thinking of retaining employees, giving them other ways to get to work. Whether it’s going up to a university and getting students to work or getting folks to that new Intel facility or other major facilities like Honda, this is an opportunity to make it easier to get to work, but it also makes our state a more attractive place to live,” Murdock said. 

The line could pave the way for companies like Intel, Google and Amazon that are moving into Central Ohio to attract workers from further away.

And it could also connect Ohio’s major sports teams in a brand new way.

“If you’re a sports fan and you live in Columbus, boy it makes it so much easier to go up to a Browns game or down to a Reds game, and certainly being here in Columbus with the Buckeyes it’ll make it easy for the whole state to come here,” Murdock said. 

Amtrak’s plan would make three daily round trips across the state with a travel time expected to be about five-and-a-half hours each way. But there are still a lot of details that need to be figured out. 

“Folks are going to ask, well, what does this mean? So, this week’s announcement, means we can answer the questions that everybody really wants to get to. How fast will the trains go? Where exactly will the stations be? How much will a ticket cost? This study is that step that answers those and sets us up to take that final step which is to implement the service,” Murdock said.

Murdock said that the survey should take 18-36 months. He said by the end of this decade we should see the trains rolling throughout Ohio.

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