Re: (rshsdepot) Cincinnati, OH Union Terminal

[Dherbert53_@_aol.com]

We love Union Terminal BUT it was built at the railroad's convenience and  
is not near the downtown area of Cincinnati...as well as the removal of the  
passenger concourse some years ago makes the structure awkward to use for  
passenger service.
 
Deano from Cincy
 
 
 
In a message dated 5/5/2009 4:14:12 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time,  
brwagenblast_@_comcast.net writes:

From The  Associated Press.

Bernie  Wagenblast

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

New  Ohio rail line would bypass historic station 

By The Associated Press  Updated 3:31 PM Monday, May 4, 2009 

COLUMBUS, Ohio - Amtrak recommends  restoring passenger rail service among
Ohio`s major cities by bypassing the  grandest train station left in the
state. 

Getting new passenger  trains into Cincinnati`s Union Terminal, a 
76-year-old
landmark known for  its bold Art Deco style and enormous rotunda, would
require extensive  capital improvements and add to freight congestion 
already
in the area,  according to Amtrak`s preliminary study, which recommends
building a new  train station on the city`s riverfront instead. 

Amtrak`s route  recommendation, obtained by The Associated Press through a
public records  request, is part of a study on what it would take to run
79-mph trains  along existing freight tracks connecting Cleveland, Columbus,
Dayton and  Cincinnati - a project that Gov. Ted Strickland wants funded 
with
federal  stimulus money. 

President Barack Obama`s $787 billion economic  recovery package, signed in
February, sets aside $8 billion for passenger  rail projects in the U.S.,
something Obama sees as a down payment for a  future high-speed network. The
first round of funding is expected to be  announced this summer. 

Strickland has estimated Ohio would need $250  million in stimulus money to
begin new Amtrak operations by the end of  2010, with the state picking up 
an
annual $10 million operating cost.  

Despite being one of the most treasured buildings in Cincinnati,  Union
Terminal, which handled 17,000 passengers and 216 trains a day in the  
1930s,
isn`t a good option for a new passenger line, Amtrak told  state
transportation officials. 

A new train station near the  Montgomery Inn restaurant along the Ohio River
is the only cost-effective  way to serve Cincinnati, Amtrak said. The
Indiana&Ohio Railway has a  lightly used track at the riverfront, although
the site has parking  limitations that would need to be resolved. 

Matt Dietrich, executive  director of the Ohio Rail Development Commission, 
a
state agency that hired  Amtrak to conduct the study, said he agrees with 
the
findings. 

It`s  possible that Union Terminal, which was converted into a museum center
in  the 1990s, could be included in long-term plans for higher-speed  
110-mph
trains, he said. But even with major upgrades and a new concourse,  the
terminal has significant traffic problems - the rail route there is one  of
the biggest freight bottlenecks in the country. 

Bypassing Union  Terminal is a blow to supporters who had hoped to see
expanded passenger  rail service there. Amtrak has a national route
connecting Chicago,  Washington and New York that stops three times a week 
at
the terminal.  

Amtrak`s preference for a new station diminishes Union Terminal and  the
city, said Douglass McDonald, president of the Cincinnati Museum  Center, 
the
organization at Union Terminal that oversees its children`s  museum, a
natural history museum and a local history museum. 

The  terminal was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1977. 

Amtrak`s  other route recommendations include bypassing Elyria and Akron on
the  northern leg in favor of a more direct route linking Cleveland to
Columbus.  

Cleveland`s existing downtown Amtrak station, which picks up travelers  for 
a
Chicago-based national route, would be expanded for the new state  line,
according to the study. Station sites for Columbus and other  potential 
stops
are undetermined. 

The study also concluded that the  entire 250-mile Cleveland-to-Cincinnati
trip would take six hours, compared  with about 4 1/2 hours nonstop by car 
on
Interstate 71. 

But Amtrak  cautioned this was only a rough estimate. Computer modeling of
trains on  the route is incomplete. 

Also, time can be shaved with anticipated  safety upgrades to tracks along
the route, allowing trains to travel up to  79 mph for longer stretches,
Dietrich said. 

Amtrak`s full study,  which will include ridership and revenue forecasts, is
expected by the end  of August.

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End of RSHSDepot Digest V1 #1884
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The Railroad Station Historical Society maintains a database of existing
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