It will take a lot of discussions to make this happen (especially since CSX owns most of the trackage needed to extend the line), but here’s hoping:
Scenic rail pushing for Terminal station
Valley line seeks downtown extension
Wednesday, June 16, 2004
Tom Breckenridge
Plain Dealer Reporter
The Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad is yelling “All Aboard!” for its eight-mile push into downtown Cleveland.
The nonprofit railroad will mail 300 letters to the valley’s movers and shakers, asking them to join an effort to extend passenger service eight miles north from the railroad’s Rockside Road terminal to the base of Terminal Tower.
The scenic railroad, in partnership with Cuyahoga Valley National Park and others, has already established a 51-mile line from Independence through Akron to Canton. There are nine stops along the way.
By linking to Cleveland, the scenic railroad expects to double its annual ridership of 100,000 and burnish its standing as a regional attraction.
Estimated costs start at $8 million, and the work could take four to six years , officials said. But they eagerly anticipate the payoff in tourism and economic spinoff.
“It would bring national park visitors, and their discretionary spending, downtown,” said Cleveland Planning Director Chris Ronayne. “It should have the inherent opportunity to raise real estate values in the Cuyahoga River valley corridor, and it’s another opportunity to make Cleveland cool, too.”
Park Superintendent John Debo loves the idea of Clevelanders hopping the train to pour into his park.
“There’s access benefits to the national park and tourism benefits to Cleveland, Akron and Canton,” Debo said.
But first, there are some big hurdles. The railroad will need to acquire track rights from CSX Corp. The company does not have any scenic railroads on its lines, said spokeswoman Meg Sheu.
Passenger-rail services
