Board OKs Funds Passenger Rail Cost Study
NBC 4
A legislative panel has approved $450,000 to study the cost of establishing passenger rail service along Ohio’s major cities.
COLUMBUS, Ohio—A legislative panel has approved $450,000 to study the cost of establishing passenger rail service along Ohio’s major cities.
The Ohio Department of Transportation asked the state Controlling Board on Monday to approve the funds for a California-based consulting firm to study what it would cost to use existing freight tracks for passenger service.
Gov. Ted Strickland has estimated the passenger rail plan between Cincinnati, Columbus and Cleveland will cost $250 million in federal stimulus money, but that is a preliminary estimate.
The House and Senate are currently working out details of a transportation budget that would enable the state to compete for federal stimulus money for the project.
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Reader Reactions
Unbelievable! The State is obviously not hurting if they can afford to do this but your taxpayers wallet is emptying very rapidly. Strickland wants to establish all these entitlements and obligations based on one-time stimulus money from the Federal government (actually from us taxpayers). There is never a one-time cost associated with these efforts.
An Ohio company might actually find there is no need and recommend the 3-C connector not be built so it is necessary to get an “outsiders” view that will fetch the result desired.
$450,000 just to study, they couldn’t get a firm in ohio. so how much money is it going to cost us to fly them here, house them, give them transportation, pay for the gas, just to find out we don’t need it. We should give the stimulus money back. all we are doing is down grading the dollar, and soon we will drive the country into bankrupty. they can’t keep printing money and expect it to be worth something.
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