LIMA — What a difference a few days make.
Lima is now part of the high speed rail equation for which Ohio is seeking federal funds. Lima’s inclusion came about because Indiana settled on a route from Ohio to Chicago.
Lima learned Friday the Ohio Rail Development Commission is including the Lima route in its submission to the federal government for a piece of the $8 billion in stimulus money earmarked for high speed rail development, Mayor David Berger said.
“We were delighted. The state’s initial plan had been to seek funding for four of the seven corridors for the Ohio Hub Plan,” Berger said. “Suddenly it made sense for the state to put all seven routes in the plan. It’s really great news.”
Ohio will learn about funding by the first of next year.
Indiana’s recent selection of the Fort Wayne, Ind. route linking Chicago to Columbus was crucial to establishing Lima and Ohio’s role in an interstate system, Berger and Ohio Rail Development Commission Executive Director Matt Dietrich said.
“Indiana’s actions create that important interstate link we need to connect Ohio and the Midwest states with high speed passenger rail,” Dietrich said.
Establishing passenger rail through the Midwest with Chicago as a hub is a priority for the Obama administration.
“This is the president’s initiative. I mean he and (White House chief of staff) Rahm (Emanuel) personally saw to it that Congress included $8 billion for high-speed rail,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, according to the Chicago Tribute and Stateline.org. “And I don’t want to answer to the president why we’re not doing something in the Midwest.”
About 6 million people live along the 250-mile route from Cleveland to Cincinnati, making it one of the most densely populated corridors without rail service in the Midwest.
The pre-application is the first step taken by Gov. Ted Strickland’s administration to secure as much as $400 million in federal stimulus money to buy railcars, build stations and make necessary upgrades on existing freight tracks so that passenger trains traveling up to 79 mph can start running in 2011, the Associated Press said.
In its preliminary application to the Federal Rail Administration, the state said it will operate its Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton and Cincinnati route with $10 million from businesses advertising on blue highway exit signs, the AP said.
The train’s operating costs for the first three years would be covered by a federal fund for projects that reduce highway traffic and improve air quality, said Scott Varner, spokesman with the Ohio Department of Transportation.
Breakout:
The pre-application filed by Ohio July 10 includes all seven corridors of the proposed Ohio Hub:
• Cleveland, Toledo, Detroit
• Cleveland, Pittsburgh
• Cleveland, Buffalo, Toronto
• Columbus, Pittsburgh
• Columbus, Toledo
• Columbus, Chicago (through Lima and Fort Wayne, Ind.)
