“It’s not a novelty, it’s a mode of transportation,” said Patricia Quinn, executive director of Downeaster, a rail service in northern New England. Downeaster launched in 1995 and makes five round trips between Portland, Maine and Boston on a daily basis.
The highest cost for a round-trip ticket is $48, and the highest speed it can travel is 79 miles per hour, matching the top speed of the possible train connecting Ohio’s major metro cities.
If the rail system is built in Ohio, it is estimated that more than 250 immediate construction jobs will result from the project, in addition to 8,000 indirect jobs in the state. Eight stations are planned, with one stop in each Cincinnati, Cleveland, Dayton and Columbus, and four additional spots along those routes. Sharonville officials are applying for one of the four additional stops, explained Sharonville Economic Director Tammy Riddle.
Travel time via the train system between Portland, Maine and Boston takes about 30 more minutes than driving the route would, but one of the differences is also the quality of life the train provides, Quinn said.
High gas prices led to ridership hitting its peak in the 2008 fiscal year, when just over 450,000 people rode the train; just a year before in 2007, ridership was nearly 350,000.
The train was a $78 million-dollar project and took 12 years to get off the ground, Quinn said. Its 2010 estimated budget is $14 million, but only $6.5 million of that being generated, leaving a shortfall of half of its budget.
“Public transportation doesn’t pay for itself .... $6.5 million dollars is a lot to ask for taxpayers and the state of Maine to pay.”
Still, Quinn said the state will see $76 million back from taxes generated by the rail system.
“Policy makers have recognized that the benefits outweigh the costs,” she said.
Contact this reporter at (513) 483-5237 or kcano@coxohio.com.
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