Ohio ‘3C’ rail line lands $400M, two local stops
Dayton Business Journal – Ohio will receive $400 million of its $564 million request from the federal government to pay for development of a passenger rail system connecting Cincinnati, Dayton, Columbus and Cleveland.
The announcement came early Thursday from the office of U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, who said he expects the planned rail system to be a boost to the state’s economy.
In addition to a station in downtown Dayton, the cities of Riverside and Springfield will probably get a stop as well, according to a spokesperson from the Ohio Rail Development Commission.
Bob Murray, director of economic development and planning for Riverside, has been fighting for a train station near the U.S. Air Force Museum, which he said will bring tourism dollars to the area.
“People will leave Cleveland and Columbus to come to the museum,” Murray said. “Grade school kids from across the state will come in groups to the museum. This stop will be an importer of cash.”
Officials project the expanding passenger rail service in Ohio could ultimately create more than 16,000 permanent jobs, in addition to tens of thousands of construction jobs, generate more than $3 billion in development near stations and create an annual $80 million windfall for the state’s tourism industry.
“Connecting Ohio’s largest cities through rail will create immediate jobs and set our state on a path towards long-term economic growth,” Brown said in a release.
