2nd Annual Ohio Rail & Transit Legislative Summit

Trains Magazine General Discussion
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2nd Annual Ohio Rail & Transit Legislative Summit
Sponsored by All Aboard OhioWednesday, April 26th 2006
9:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Columbus YWCA/ Huntington Hall
65 South 4th Street
Columbus, OH 43215

9:30 a.m. - Registration: continental breakfast

10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. Morning consists of a series of invited speakers:

Joseph L. Calabrese, General Manager/CEO; Greater Cleveland RTA
• Public Transportation Needs and Funding

Carrie Markarewicz, Program Manager for Community and Economic Development; Center for Neighborhood Technology
• Reconnecting America’s planes, trains, and buses: the economic benefits of a multi-modal network

Jim Seney, Executive Director, Ohio Rail Development Commission
• Current Developments of Ohio Hub Plan Update

Featured Speaker:
Rod Diridon, Chair Emeritus and Member of the California High Speed Rail Authority Board and Vice Chair of the national High Speed Ground Transportation Association
• High Speed Rail Development In the United States and Around the World

12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m. Catered Lunch
Gubernatorial candidates that have been invited to speak:

• Ken Blackwell
• Bryan Flannery
• Jim Petro
• Ted Strickland

1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. Legislative Visits
State House and Senate visits will be scheduled for attendees after lunch.

Members: $50
Non-Members : $75
Fee for Non-Members includes a one year membership to ALL ABOARD OHIO!

Free Chartered Bus Service Provided from Cincinnati, Dayton and Cleveland

Registration deadline is Wednesday, April 19th
For more information, please call 614-228-6005.
Please register early, space is limited!

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psst hey what about toledo and nw ohio? sorry to get on the political soapbox but the state has alot more issues to deal with.also look at your history for example the videos they just played this week about the cincinnati& lake erie.people in this state still love to drive their cars(fast especially the I-71 corridor between cleveland and columbus)
stay safe
Joe

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Joekoh… I agree. You should contact All Aboard Ohio and let them know about appearing to ignore NW Ohio. The Toledo area has some very active passenger rail advocates.

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noozer
its not just the rail advocates its also the state govt in gerneral.didnt mean to shout too loud.
stay safe
Joe

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Actually, the State of Ohio (in particular, the Ohio Rail Development Commission) has a very agressive plan underway to upgrade both passenger and freight rail in and around Ohio. It’s called the Ohio & Lake Erie Regional Rail / Ohio Hub Plan. You can check out the details at http://www.dot.state.oh.us/ohiorail/

Part of the plan even calls for using the rail line betwen Toledo & Fort Wayne as an alternate route to Chicago. They are also looking at adding a a Columbus-Toledo-Detroit route to their overall master plan.

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noozer
and where is the state going to get the billions it will need for this project?they are already doing the fort/port project here in nw ohio.if you want to see the proposed route I can give you a tour of the maumee and western.
stay safe
joe

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The plan is to leverage funds the state is already spending on rail and rail-related highway projects for larger federal funds, once a federal rail infrastructure development and funding plan is enacted. That’s closer than you think. Senator Lott of Mississippi managed to get just such a bill passed by the US Senate last fall by 93 to 6. His bill would allow states to even “granbfather” credit for previously spent $$$ going back to the year 2000.

The Ohio DOT has $50-million dollars committed to replacing railroad grade crossings. Under the ORDC Ohio Hub Plan, as I have read it, those dollars could be part of a 20% state match for a larger 80% federal dollars. The entire Ohio Hub plan will cost an estimated $3.2 billion dollars. A lot of money? You bet. But consider this: Lucas and Wood Counties in Ohio have submitted their 20 year transportation improvement plans recently to ODOT. The total $$ for all transportation projects amount to … (wait for it)… $3.2 billion dollars… and that’s just for two counties.

The Hub Plan calls for spending $3.2 billion for an entire statewide high-speed passenger and freight rail system. I’d say that’s better bang for the buck.

BTW: I’ve seen the Maumee & Western’s tracks… needs a lot of work, but the important thing is that the rail corridor is intact.

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I would like to see the plans enacted. I really think Ohio would benefit from having high speed trains in the state.
My brother travels from Cincinnati to Columbus 2 to3 times a week and to Clevland now and then. He would love to save some wear and tear on his car, let alone the gas money spent.