BY LUCY MAY and TANYA ALBERT
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Move over, light rail, there's a new train in town.
They are lightweight diesel trains that carry passengers and run on the same tracks that freight trains do.
A proposal unveiled Thursday by Cincinnati City Councilman Todd Portune encourages the development of a commuter rail line that would run from Lunken Airport to Lawrenceburg, Ind.
Mr. Portune argues the commuter rail line could be completed in the next five years and would complement a proposed riverfront transit center. The center would serve buses, cars and a proposed light-rail electric train system along the Interstate 71 corridor.
"With some bold and aggressive steps and some leadership, we not only can have that center developed, we can have a commuter rail line developed when the stadiums and other riverfront projects come on line," Mr. Portune said.
The plan is in line with an Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Regional Council of Governments (OKI) proposal to ease congestion in Greater Cincinnati's Eastern Corridor.
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WHAT'S NEXT
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The nine-point plan for a commuter rail line, endorsed Thursday by Councilmen Todd Portune and Tyrone Yates and Mayor Roxanne Qualls, asks Cincinnati City Council to endorse the idea and set in motion a series of studies to figure out how to make it work.
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The plan includes lightweight, diesel-powered rail cars that would run from downtown Cincinnati, past Lunken Airport to Interstate 275 in Clermont County near Milford. It would use existing tracks from downtown to Fairfax, known as the OASIS line, and Norfolk Southern Railway lines the rest of the way.
These are the same rail lines Mr. Portune is talking about, which is encouraging to Dory Montazemi, OKI deputy executive director. "With more people behind it, you can get money faster and build it faster," he said.
Mr. Portune said he has no idea yet how much it would cost to run commuter rail from Lunken Airport to Lawrenceburg. He's certain it would be "a fraction" of the $1.1 billion price tag associated with building a light rail system along I-71.
It would be cheaper because the train tracks already exist except for a mile-long stretch along Cincinnati's central riverfront between the Boathouse restaurant and Longworth Hall. OKI has estimated it would cost $231 million for commuter rail from downtown to Milford.
Mr. Portune doesn't know yet how his plan would be funded, and he said the Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority (SORTA) would have to be involved to help answer some of those questions. "Nobody's talking about new taxes here or anything like that," Mr. Portune.
SORTA, which owns the right of way for the OASIS line, couldn't comment on the plan for the proposed line because they didn't have enough time to review it, said Tim Reynolds, SORTA strategic planning director.
But the agency has already voiced its support for commuter rail from downtown to Milford when they voted to support the Eastern Corridor plan at an OKI task force meeting Tuesday, he said.
There is no funding yet for that project, Mr. Reynolds said. Also, for commuter rail to work, the operators would have to negotiate with freight train operators to decide what times freight trains would run and at what time the commuter trains would run, Mr. Montazemi said.
Even before those questions are answered, however, Mr. Portune argues the city should explore the idea of phasing in commuter rail lines that could eventually connect the east and west.
He wants to start with the west line to Lawrenceburg, followed by the east line to Lunken Airport and then the mile-long connector linking the two lines. Last, he wants to look at other existing railway that could be used as a commuter line.
The riverfront joining of the two lines could be made along the new Second Street that is being built as part of the city's $146.9 million Fort Washington Way project.
Second Street likely will be built with two levels. The top level would be used by cars and pedestrians, while the lower level, which would not be visible from downtown, could be used by buses and passenger trains, Mr. Portune said.
Hamilton County Commissioner Bob Bedinghaus said an east-west line could be a good test of whether the community would use commuter rail.
"I think there's a real question whether there's a market for that kind of transportation in this community," he said. "If we can test it out without putting in a billion-dollar light rail system, that might be a good way to stick our toe in the water."
Proponents for the commuter rail will begin testing community reaction Monday when they present the idea to Lawrenceburg city council.
