Passenger Trains To Be In Ohio By 2011

CENTRAL OHIO—The fight for federal money is on, and Ohio is in the race for a piece of the $8 billion that President Obama recently allocated towards improving passenger-rail service.

Passenger trains were expected to be up and running in Ohio by 2010, but the fight for federal money is pushing the project back to 2011.

Governor Ted Strickland is asking for about $250 million to complete the 3-C corridor.

The 3-C corridor would connect Columbus to Cincinnatti, Cleveland, Dayton and stops along some suburbs.

Stu Nicholson, the spokesperson for the Ohio Rail Development Commission, say Ohio is considered a front-runner in the competition for federal funding because the state is working with other Mid-Western and Great Lakes states to share resources.

Aside from transportation, Nicholson points out trains could bring another benefit to Ohio: jobs.

He says there are currently no domestic passenger-rail-vehicle manufacturers and that closed automobile manufacturing plants and skilled auto workers could be put to work on building train cars.

Nicholson says a train ticket will cost you about 14 cents a mile.

That means a one-way trip to Cincinnati or Cleveland from Columbus would cost you about $20 to $25

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