COLUMBUS – It’s been 44 years since a passenger train stopped in Columbus, but that may change soon.
Columbus is one of the biggest cities in the nation with no passenger rail service but Democrat Sen. Sherrod Brown and the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission have announced that the Federal Railroad Administration has selected four routes serving Ohio and other states as priorities for Amtrak expansion and two of the routes would travel through Columbus.
“Good Amtrak service shouldn’t be a privilege only for people on the coasts. These new routes would expand opportunity, help grow businesses and create jobs, and connect communities in Ohio and across the Midwest,” Brown said.
Brown says the routes are Cleveland-Columbus-Dayton-Cincinnati, Chicago-Fort Wayne-Columbus-Pittsburgh and Cleveland-Toledo-Detroit.
Good @Amtrak service shouldn’t be a privilege just for those on the coasts.
New routes proposed today would help grow businesses, create jobs, and connect communities in Ohio & across the Midwest. I’ll keep fighting to make sure Ohio's at the center of Amtrak's expansion plans. pic.twitter.com/kH2CTNjd1V
— Sherrod Brown (@SenSherrodBrown) December 5, 2023
The administration is also considering expanding the schedule of the Cardinal Service, serving New York City, Washington and Chicago, to daily from its current thrice-weekly schedule.
Ohio, Amtrak and metropolitan planning organizations will now begin corridor development efforts including the preparation of service development plans, Brown said.
The railroad administration will provide $500,000 to each corridor for planning, he said.
Service development planning will show what safety and productivity improvements need to be made along each corridor, such as better signaling, grade crossings, trackage and bridges, according to MORPC officials.