Berea a Likely Stop on the Cleveland - Columbus - Cincinnati Passenger Rail Line

Ohio is seeking federal stimulus money to bring passenger train service back to the state to connect three major cities - Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnati. Transportation officials said that Akron and a stop at the U.S. Air Force museum near Dayton will be left out. However, there are several other cities, such as Berea, that are likely to be added as additional stops on the start up rail line.

Stu Nicholson, a spokesman for the Ohio Rail Development Commission, said that the state is racing to develop an operational plan and apply for stimulus money by the October 2 deadline.

While the line will connect major cities like Cleveland, Dayton, Columbus and Cincinnati, other stops will also be included. Some potential stops have been removed from consideration to keep travel time on the 250-mile route down to about six hours, which is competitive with highway driving times along the same corridor.

Akron and Riverside (home of the Air Force Museum) have been dropped because that would add an additional hour and thirty minutes to the travel time. They could be added to the route as operations expand, but for now they do not fit in.

Intermediate stops are likely, and those sites still under consideration include Berea, Galion, northern Columbus, Springfield, Middletown, Hamilton and northern Cincinnati.

Throughout its history, Berea has been a major center for train travel. It was one of the stops to view President Lincoln's casket after he was assassinated, and continues to be a popular destination for train enthusiasts as well as photographers interested in capturing photos of the city's many historic tracks. The city has also built one underpass to accommodate that once interrupted the flow of traffic on Bagley Road, and is currently working on another on Front Street. Once completed, it would be an ideal location to add passenger rail service, especially with Berea's proximity to the I-X Center, to Cleveland Hopkins International Airport, and the RTA Rapid Transit Line.

Amtrack is currently working on a study of ridership and revenue projects which is expected to be done by September 15.

Ohio is hoping to get as much as $400 million in government stimulus money to purchase rail cars and make upgrades on existing freight tracks so that Amtrak trains running at up to 79mph can begin running in 2011.

Under a long-term plans, the trains would eventually travel up to 110mph, and new branches on the route would connect other parts of Ohio, as well as feed into networks connecting cities throughout the Midwest and along the East Coast.