12/04/2015
"COULD NEW LAW MEAN DAILY CINCINNATI TRAIN TO CHICAGO?"
CINCINNATI — “Low-hanging fruit.”
That’s what railroad advocates have called restoring daily train service between Cincinnati and Chicago, as Congress stands poised to approve a new set of laws governing America’s interstate highways and railways over the next five years.
In fact, increasing that service ranks first among rail advocates All Aboard Ohio’s six recommendations for how lawmakers should improve railroad service throughout the Buckeye State.
RELATED: Highway bill could boost Brent Spence Bridge
According to AAO Southwest Regional Director Derek Bauman, it's been nearly 35 years since Cincinnati last saw daily rail service to the Windy City, which Amtrak’s Cardinal Line currently provides three times weekly.
Now, with the looming approval of the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation, or FAST Act, Bauman and other supporters say timing couldn’t be better to push lawmakers on Capitol Hill for increased service between the two Midwestern cities.
Train's in the Station
Bauman said this bill, for the first time ever, would earmark tax dollars specifically for maintaining, operating and enhancing Amtrak service — to the tune of $8 billion over the next five years.
Now, one thing to consider right out of the gate: The FAST Act is massive — as in, 1,300-pages, $305-billion massive — with Amtrak’s share equaling not quite 3 percent of the bill’s total budget.
Historically, though, the amount constitutes “a very respectable funding figure” for America’s public rail system, according to the National Association of Railroad Passengers.
As for an increase in service along the Cardinal Line, which runs from New York to Chicago by way of Indianapolis, Cincinnati, Washington, D.C. and Philadelphia among other cities, Bauman characterizes the increase as the “No. 1 inter-city rail improvement” in the nation.
Amtrak Cardinal Line, currently running three times a week. (Courtesy Amtrak)
Estimated by AAO to cost roughly $2 million each year, Bauman said restoring daily service “is not a huge lift. Probably nationally, it’s the easiest [service enhancement] because the train is already running on the route. It’s just running three days a week (now).”
On top of that, in its list of recommendations, AAO estimated a 96 percent increase in ridership along the Cardinal Line if daily service were implemented, which would result in a 31 percent reduction in operations costs per passenger.
In other words, frequency goes up, ridership goes up, and the line becomes more self-sustaining as a result.
Road-, er, 'Trackblocks' Along the Way
But the flip-side of this coin is that the increased service is still far from a sure thing, and — as Bauman was quick to acknowledge — a number of factors would need to fall into place locally even if Congress approves the FAST Act:
Fighting for a Seat
First and probably foremost, of the $8 billion Amtrak would get if the bill becomes law, only $20 million each year would go toward “restoration and enhancement of passenger rail service,” meaning Amtrak would have to agree that increasing Cardinal service alone deserves 10 percent of that section’s annual budget.
To the Cardinal Line’s advantage though, the bill directs the U.S. Dept. of Transportation to preference grant proposals “that would provide daily or daytime service over routes where such service did not previously exist (and) would provide service to regions and communities that are underserved or not served by other inter-city public transportation.”
Sound familiar? It should.
Union Terminal Not Up to S***f
According to a plan to enhance rail service to the city drafted in 2012 by city officials (but as of yet not implemented), “if additional (Amtrak) service is added, it is likely that more space will be needed.” Specifically, this would mean a larger layoff yard as well as a dedicated “station track” for Amtrak passengers, set apart from the freight rails also running through the yard.
The study went on to say that increased track at Union Terminal would also be required in order to avoid a negative impact on freight traffic through Cincinnati.
Interstate 75
It’s like I-75 can’t stop getting in the way.
The plan points out that drivers heading northbound on I-75 from Kentucky have no direct access to Union Terminal from the freeway, prompting planners to conclude that an increase in service on the Cardinal Line would require an overhaul of the Ezzard Charles interchange along the interstate corridor.
Ultimately, the city’s plan concluded that “if these access improvements are addressed, [Union Terminal] would be more of a destination in the Amtrak system.”
But, what if they're not?
Strike While the Iron's Hot (And It Keeps Getting Hotter)
Acknowledging these hurdles, Bauman said the transportation bill would represent an opportunity more than a fully-formed plan of action.
Other opportunities like this have already presented themselves, most recently in the city of Oxford and Miami University's decision to aggressively pursue the installation of a Cardinal Line station in the college town (the line runs right through it).
Current daily Amtrak service throughout the Midwest (Courtesy All Aboard Ohio)
Additionally, the Federal Railroad Administration approved in August a $3 million planning initiative that will study how best to implement improvements to the Midwest and Southeast regions' Amtrak services.
But ultimately it will come down to convincing local lawmakers to get onboard, Bauman said.
“We need our elected officials — and not just in Ohio, but other states along the route (which includes Kentucky and Indiana) — to voice this priority, and we’ll get some impetus behind this,” he said.
In no small way, U.S. Senator and FAST Act co-architect Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) could serve as a chief proponent of a proposal to increase Cincinnati’s rail service to Chicago.
WCPO has reached out to Brown on this matter and is currently awaiting comment.
Ultimately for Bauman, the key is to stoke the engine quickly: “What we’re looking for is to be at the front of the queue.”
Supporters say increasing rail service between Cincinnati and Chicago is low-hanging fruit.
