Lunken Airport seen as "temporary" solution for Cincinnati's 3C Corridor station

Officials looking to restore passenger rail service between Ohio's largest cities have announced a temporary location near Lunken Airport for Cincinnati's primary train station for the 3-C Corridor.  Previous discussions about a station near the Montgomery Inn Boathouse near Downtown were quickly squashed with concerns from nearby residents.

At the meeting held in Cincinnati just over a week ago, many Cincinnatians expressed concerns over the station not being located at Cincinnati's historic Union Terminal which is currently used for Amtrak service to Chicago and Washington D.C.  Officials have long stated though that the Union Terminal location is problematic due to the enormous volume of freight rail traffic and congestion experienced along the rail lines leading to the terminal.

This is all symbolic of the "quick-start" approach that Ohio officials are using to restore the service.  Over time the temporary location near Lunken Airport might eventually be replaced by a more prominent location at Union Terminal once additional funds are made available to significantly increase train capacity through Queensgate, and once upgrades are made to Union Terminal to be able to accommodate the additional passenger rail traffic.

Legislative and public affairs associate for the Ohio Environmental Council, Coby Williams says, "Union Terminal is clearly the best permanent location.  Being a native of Cincinnati, I know it's a well recognized landmark.  It also has existing shops and museums, and it's near downtown.  There is also room for more development nearby, and of course, it's already a train station."

Williams goes on to caution that, "if Union Terminal's track conditions cannot immediately support increased traffic, and if refusing to consider a temporary station will imperil Ohio from getting federal stimulus funds, then a temporary facility, as long as it's only temporary, would be satisfactory."

Ohio officials are currently competing against a slew of states who are all looking to get a part of the roughly $8 billion available for rail projects as part of the American Recovery & Reinvestment Act.  Last week, United States Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) announced $700,000 for the larger Ohio Hub for improving the capacity of passenger and freight trains which is seen as a critical component of the plan.

Should Ohio secure the necessary funding for the initial $517 million system connecting Cincinnati, Dayton, Columbus, and Cleveland, then train service with top speeds of 79 miles per hour (6.5 hours from Cincinnati to Cleveland) could be operational by 2011, with peak speeds of 110 miles per hour (3.5 hours from Cincinnati to Cleveland) operating within a few years after that depending on available funding.

Writer: Randy A. Simes
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