MOUNT VERNON, Ohio — Mount Vernon resident Kevin Verhoff is passionate about high speed rail in Ohio.

The data analyst recently moved back after spending time in Oakland, California and New Jersey, where he commuted to work daily via train.

• The extensive rail network could connect half of Ohio’s counties, surrounding states and Canada
• The plan would cost $9 billion, or $450 million over 20 years
• The plan has plenty of support on social media as well as transit advocates All Aboard Ohio 

Verhoff says it doesn't make sense that Columbus, the 14^th largest city in the country and projected to have three million people by 2050, doesn't have a passenger rail system.

“It's the biggest city in the Western hemisphere that doesn't have passenger rail. We need this. Ohio needs it. It will be good for jobs, it will be good for families to be able to get around,” said Verhoff. 

So, in his spare time, Verhoff developed his own fantasy map of sorts, complete with detailed lines, stops and financial numbers, posting it to his website and Twitter.

It soon went viral after catching the eye of All Aboard Ohio Executive Director Stu Nicholson, who shared the post with his LinkedIn followers.

To date, it's been viewed 116,000 times, with hundreds of comments and likes. 

“A whole generation of people from late in high school up through their mid- to late-30s now that are saying why? Why don't we have this? Why are we spending literally billions to add capacity to a small section of interstate in Columbus, yet we're putting zero into passenger rail,” said Nicholson. 

Verhoff's plan calls for an 1,800-mile statewide rail system using existing and upgraded lines for passenger rail up to 110 miles per hour, 12 trains per day.

It calls for $9 billion, or $450 million over 20 years, which Verhoff says accounts for 10% of ODOT’s yearly budget.

It would have stops in 44 Ohio counties and 80% of the population would have access to the network within their county. There would also be seven hubs, which would connect Ohio to other major cities.

“Connecting Athens to Toledo, Cleveland to Cincinnati and then beyond to Indianapolis, Chicago, New York, Pittsburgh,” said Verhoff. 

It's an ambitious idea, considering the National Limited train operated by Amtrak that went through Columbus and Dayton was eliminated more than 40 years ago.

The last time state officials talked seriously about a rail coordinator between Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnati was back in the early 2000, when Nicholson was with the Ohio Rail Development Commission. 

But Nicholson believes this time around, the money is out there, as well as federal partners, and he points to the fact that the General Assembly allocated $70 million to public transit—mostly busing — in last year's budget. 

He says he knows there is bipartisan support and challenges legislators to really examine Verhoff's plan and get the ball rolling for next year's budget.

“If you are willing to take that leap of faith, to get that done in the last budget, let's start talking now about how do we get this going and putting a larger share of money into the development of rail-based transportation,” said Nicholson. 

What started off as pipe dream is now Verhoff's new passion.

He's encouraged by the mostly positive feedback he's received from not only millennials, but baby boomers alike, and looks forward to the future of transportation in the Buckeye State.

“I would love to see it become more of a statewide conversation at the policy level. And then beyond that, let’s start doing the planning, start getting the money together, and then let’s break ground in the next five years,” said Verhoff. 

The complete proposal can be found here.