Wednesday, January 27, 1999
Chicago-Cincinnati bullet train gets nod
Line would be part of Midwest corridor
BY TANYA ALBERT and PHILLIP PINA
The Cincinnati Enquirer
It could be possible to take a high-speed train from Chicago to Cincinnati in the next decade.
On Thursday, U.S. Secretary of Transportation Rodney Slater will announce the approval of the Chicago Hub High Speed Rail Corridor linking Chicago to Cincinnati via Gary, Ind., and Indianapolis, said Pamela Barry, spokeswoman for the U.S. Department of Transportation.
INFOGRAPHIC
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Map of proposed Midwest high-speed rail system.
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But this is just an initial step. The designation makes Cincinnati and Ohio eligible for federal grant money.
“And there is state and local money that would have to be obtained,” Ms. Barry said.
The plan to connect Cincinnati and Chicago is part of the Midwest Regional Rail Initiative. It's an effort sponsored by Amtrak, the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) and transportation agencies in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio and Wisconsin to link the Midwest with high-speed passenger trains. A draft study released last year calls for a 3,000-mile Midwest network.
Estimated cost for a full-scale operation: $3.5 billion.
Federal approval of the $300 million Indiana high-speed rail corridor brings only about $1.4 million from FRA and Amtrak. That money would be used to study railroad crossing safety improvements needed to support trains traveling at up to 120 mph, instead of the maxi mum 79 mph allowed now.
The trip from Chicago to Cincinnati, which now takes almost nine hours by rail, could be cut in half. By automobile, the trip takes about 51/2 hours.
“The designation is exciting news for Cincinnati,” said Cincinnati City Councilman Todd Portune. Earlier this month, council passed a resolution supporting the Cincinnati-Chicago route.
U.S. Sen. Mike DeWine, R-Ohio, has supported rail transportation for years and has been following the Midwest Rail Initiative with interest, said his spokesman, Charles Boesel.
As more is learned about rail transportation, people will see the value and benefits, said Dori Monta zemi, deputy executive director of the Ohio Kentucky Indiana Regional Council of Governments. A Chicago-Cincinnati connection would enhance transportation offerings to Greater Cincinnati, which already has one of the nation's busiest airports.
“We need to get the specifics, but I think any time you open up any area tranportation-wise, it's a great benefit and value,” Mr. Montazemi said.
Chicago has long been a railroad hub for the nation. The Midwest Rail Initiative seeks to develop a plan for improving and expanding passenger rail service, with Chicago as the hub, throughout the Midwest. Other links would include Chicago to Milwaukee and St. Louis, as well as Chicago to Detroit and Cleveland.
A time line for the project puts Cincinnati in the second phase of development, which could be complete by 2002 or 2005. Legs between Chicago and Detroit, Chicago and St. Louis and Chicago and Minneapolis/St. Paul are slated for the first phase.
The rail initiative group meets in Chicago on Thursday to announce money going into the Midwest Rail Initiative and will hold a one-day conference to talk about how states can apply for the money, Ms. Barry said.
Ridership throughout the entire system is projected to reach nearly 8 million passengers by 2010, four years after full implementation of the system, according to the rail initiative. That's about four times higher than the ridership forecast for the same period if no rail improvements are made.
The infrastructure investment for the project will be about $1 million per mile, the rail initiative group estimates. A rural stretch of interstate highway costs $5 million to $10 million to build. The trip between Cincinnati and Chicago is about 300 miles.
Later this year, officials in Michigan will test 110 mph trains on a 30-mile segment of track between Chicago and Detroit. And Amtrak will begin operating 150-mph trains between Boston, New York and Washington in October. Systems in France and Germany reach speeds approaching 180 mph.
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