Amtrak leaders pitch new Cleveland-Columbus-Dayton-Cincinnati route: 'It's our goal to get this done

CLEVELAND, Ohio — Amtrak President Stephen Gardner said Tuesday new passenger rail service linking Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton and Cincinnati could begin as soon as “a couple of years,” with support from Congress, the state and local communities.

Gardner’s comments were the most specific commitment to date from Amtrak, which earlier this year proposed a major expansion of service throughout the United States, including several new routes in Ohio.

He declined to give a firmer start date, saying Amtrak would have to negotiate with host railroads to use existing track.

“We believe we could start initial service, maybe one round-trip or a few, without much initial investment, using current track speeds,” he said. “We believe we could get started here in hopefully what would be a relatively short period of a couple of years.” .............(more)

https://www.masstransitmag.com/rail/news/21223572/oh-amtrak-leaders-pitch-new-clevelandcolumbusdaytoncincinnati-route-its-our-goal-to-get-this-done