Amtrak Investing In Ohio Passenger Rail
We’ve talked about the tangled history of passenger rail in Ohio many a time on the journal. Taking a look at the transportation history of both individual cities and state-wide systems of the past. Despite Ohio’s Rail Development Commission primary focus almost entirely on state freight rail; both Amtrak and the Federal Rail Administration (FRA) are preparing to invest new routes into the state. Before we get to those however, let’s look at how the Amtrak routes are currently faring. FY 2022, Amtrak operated almost five trains per day over three routes...
Capital Limited ~ 167,713 riders (FY 2022)
Union Station, Washington DC ~ 3,631,672 riders
Alliance, OH ~ 3,132 riders
Cleveland, OH ~ 48,887 riders
Elyria, OH ~ 6,697 riders
Sandusky, OH ~ 8,400 riders
Toledo, OH ~ 45,212 riders
Union Station, Chicago, IL ~ 2,359,084 riders
Cardinal ~ 80,322 riders (FY 2022)
Union Station, Chicago, IL ~ 2,359,084 riders
Cincinatti, OH ~ 8,734 riders
Penn Station, NYC ~ 8,008,700 riders
Lake Shore Limited ~ 319,254 riders (FY 2022)
Union Station, Chicago, IL ~ 2,359,084 riders
Bryan, OH ~ 4,262 riders
Toledo, OH ~ 45,212 riders
Sandusky, OH ~ 8,400 riders
Elyria, OH ~ 6,697 riders
Cleveland, OH ~ 48,887 riders
South Station, Boston, MA ~ 1,216,560 riders
Though these routes terminate at some of busiest stations in the country; ridership dips in Ohio. Most notably, Cincinatti Union Station picked up just 8,734 riders in 2022. For comparison, Cincinnati Union was taking 34,000 passenger A DAY at its peak ridership in 1944. On its opening in 1933, the station was built to accommodate 216 trains.
The lack of ridership in Ohio can be attributed to a few things. Firstly, the service frequencies of all three routes is very limited. Only offering one daily train on the Lake Shore Limited and the Capital Limited, with the Cardinal service only offered three times a week. Amtrak’s service expansions however, include 4 additional daily roundtrips on Cincinatti-Chicago, 3 additional daily roundtrips on Cleveland-Detroit, and 2 additional daily roundtrips on Cleveland-NYC.
Though frequency can only work if on-time reliability is there. Ohio’s route reliability is less than sparkling. FY 2022 On-Time Percentage (OTP) goes as follows;
Capital Limited ~ 32%
Cardinal ~ 48%
Lake Shore Limited ~ 59%
Most of Ohio rail infrastructure is own by freight rail companies and they aren’t gonna bend to bend their precious time or money to passenger trains. In fact, all three of the Amtrak routes passing through Ohio have railroad own by Norfolk Southern (NS) or CSX. However, with the implementation of a new Ohio State passenger rail route featuring more frequent service and greater accessibility; Ohio has a chance to rebound their ridership. Yes. It is time to talk about the plans for Ohio’s 3C Corridor.
Projected to be in service by 2035; Amtrak’s 3C+D Corridor is looking to once again connect Ohio north to south. Here’s the scoop according to the Amtrak Route Fact Sheet;
3C+D Coridor ~ 400,000-500,000 riders est. (FY 2035)
3 roundtrips daily (5h30m initial Cleveland-Cincinatti trip time)
Proposed Stations
Cleveland, OH (city pop. 372,624)
Cleveland Hopkins Airport
Crestline, OH (pop. 4,486)
Delaware, OH (pop. 42,814)
Columbus, OH (city pop. 906,528)
Springfield, OH (pop. 58,763)
Dayton, OH (city pop. 137,644)
Sharonville, OH (pop. 13,987)
Cincinnati, OH (city pop. 309,317)
Furthermore, community support for more frequent Amtrak service is on the rise. Most notably seen in the main cities on the route, as well as places like Sandusky and Worthington. On the economic side the corridor ain’t too shabby either. Adding $129.6 million in annual economic impact earnings (est. FY 2035) on the overall route. As for the main cities along the route, the positive effects can be seen in jobs created and earning generated. According to the ‘All Aboard Ohio’ Economic Impact Fact Sheet',
Dayton
220-280 jobs created
$12-16 million earnings generated
$27 million economic impact
Columbus
400-520 jobs created
$22-29 million earnings generated
$48 million economic impact
Cincinnati
190-410 jobs created
$10-23 million earnings generated
$36 million economic impact
Cleveland
150-240 jobs created
$8-14 million earnings generated
$24 million economic impact
State of Ohio
1,000-1,200 jobs created
$64-66 million earnings generated
$107 million economic impact
I’ll have updates on the 3C Corridor as they come, as hopefully this thing comes closer to groundbreaking. Thanks for reading!
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