NEOTrans Blog, Cleveland, OH 5/6/24
Cleveland: a target of rail competitors?Amtrak, Brightline to compete for routes, real estate
A COMMENTARY
Last week, two things happened in the rail world that are probably related. They have been brewing in the background for a while, but they finally appeared in public almost simultaneously. Federal corporation Amtrak and private-sector company Brightline showed their hands that they may compete for Ohio passenger rail expansions and real estate developments. And Cleveland may end up the winner.
NEOtrans reported on one of those two developments. Amtrak revealed in its fiscal year 2025 budget request to Congress that it wants a five-year, $300 million Great Lakes Station development program. Amtrak specified it wants to enhance stations between Cleveland and Chicago, starting with $25 million next year for environmental permitting and blueprints. In Cleveland, Amtrak is working with community officials to plan for a multimodal transportation hub on downtown’s lakefront.
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Nearly 2,000 miles away in Las Vegas, NV, dignitaries pounded in yellow spikes into a section of track, commemorating the start of construction of Brightline’s $12 billion, 200-mph high-speed rail line linking Sin City to Greater Los Angeles, namely Rancho Cucamonga.
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“In the Midwest you have places like from Cleveland to Columbus and whatnot,” he said.
The “whatnot” hopefully refers to continuing the 3C&D route to Dayton and Cincinnati to link four of Ohio’s largest metro areas in 255 miles, as has been considered for a long time. Several other routes have also been pursued before and are being considered again now.
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