City of Dayton planning department staff will talk about what a passenger rail Amtrak station could look like in Dayton and potential locations, said Lenny Zaleski, a spokesperson with the nonprofit All Aboard Ohio and a senior at the University of Dayton.
Visitors also are expected to get a brief history of what passenger rail was like in the Gem City before it shut down, Zaleski said. Dayton hasn’t had passenger rail service since the late 1970s.
“We’ll be kind of talking about what we saw in the past and what we want to bring into the future,” he said.
The Ohio Rail Development Commission received federal funding to study expanding passenger rail service in Ohio.
The commission, through its planning partner HDR, is working on the first step of the corridor ID process, said John Esterly, executive director of All Aboard Ohio.
Esterly said passenger rail advocates are trying to ensure that funding for a second step of the passenger rail development process is included in next year’s biennial state budget.
“With that funding secured, by this time next year Ohio will likely be having serious conversations about what the 3C&D route will look like operationally,” he said.
The proposed 3C+D corridor would connect Ohio’s largest metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs), plus potentially other cities like Springfield.
More than 57% of Ohio’s 11.8 million residents live in these four areas, says the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission.
“The 3C&D corridor would provide access to major economic opportunities for small and large businesses and strengthen the state’s service, manufacturing and tourism industries while protecting the environment from increased vehicular energy consumption and emissions,” the planning commission says.
The Federal Railroad Administration awarded a $500,000 grant to study the 3C+D corridor. The second step in the process likely would evaluate what existing freight lines would be used, where the stations and stops would be located and how many trains operate each day.
Credit: JIM NOELKER
Credit: JIM NOELKER
Zaleski said it’s important for state leaders and decision-makers to hear from community members and stakeholders who support passenger rail service and find out why they think it would be helpful.
Community members interested in attending Thursday’s meeting are encouraged to RSVP.
People can RSVP at https://www.allaboardohio.org/event-details/aao-dayton-chapter-meeting-southwest-region-1.
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