Maryland's Ambitious Plan to Improve Their Railways Should Inspire Us

Yes, Maryland starts from a position of a solid and always improving job base, but the plan outlined by Maryland's Governor should inspire us to be vigilant (imho) about our own 3C Corridor Plan. The Washington Post article about it is here. They are running a bit on faith:

"....This is a very ambitious concept, and we don't have money in the bank to pay for it. But we have a reasonable expectation that these are cost-effective ideas that would bring a lot of transportation benefit, and we'll find the money as the years go by,..." but it's a thirty year plan to better connect Baltimore and Washington and turn the Rail System into a full fledged service, not one that enhances the rush hour commute (although there are only a few hours when it's not rush hour there, but I digress).

Henry Kay is an administrator with the MD Transit Authority and this quote interested me too:

"....Kay said the state is considering private development of stations and parking lots to generate revenue for the expansion...." - Something that could definitely help us with the 3C Corridor Plan, privatizing the Stations. Please contact your Senators, we need support for SB294 to keep our own economic future moving ahead. I am not always on my soapbox but this issue seems so important to our economy. And this article on Maryland's plan is a good read. Peace Out - 3C

Cleveland Economic News: A Ferry to Ontario

You've probably been following this idea. The Plain Dealer's Maggi Martin reports today that an ombudsman group of NE Ohioans were in Canada this week and that Ontario has agreed to fund a rather expensive study regarding the validity of a ferry (cargo and passenger) from our Lake Erie shores to Ontario. Places like Ashtabula, Cleveland and Mentor are vying for the honor. The article says Ashtabula is ahead of the game because they already have the proper docking system. Cleveland's Port Authority is lobbying heavily. You can read about it here.

Maybe it's just me, but I say let the Ferry go to whomever can do it most cost effectively. It will help our Cleveland economy no matter where it is, imho. We can host the 3C Corridor rail plan!
Peace Out -3C

Cleveland Transportation News: The Ohio Hub and The Nashville Connection

For now, the Ohio Hub plan promises to hook us up with high speed rail to places like Detroit and Columbus and Pittsburgh and Buffalo. Ohio is of course not the only state vying for Federal money for high speed train routes. I found this article interesting; it talks about the proposed Atlanta to Chattanooga rail route. They seem to be in the same holding pattern we are in Ohio: they have the money for the environmental study and then plan on being ready to apply for the Federal money when it becomes available.

What makes so much sense to me: once The Hub is in place, we can work on connecting the entire country with viable high speed train service. How can this not help our economy?

Here is another article, this one about light rail in Washington D.C. A Purple Line was proposed to add to DC's Metro system; one comment in the article is that it's harder to get monies for hard rail lines but light rail is easier......they are still not sure the Purple Line will move ahead. Read it for yourself...I plan on ferreting out all the articles I can find on a continual basis so we can see what others are doing in addition to our own progress on the Three C Corridor Plan.

I hate when this happens, but for some reason The Post article won't link here...they may be working on a new page location for it on their site. I'll check back in the morning and see if it has landed somewhere else on the site. Peace Out - 3C

Okay, here is an excerpt, in case the article enters the Bermuda Triangle:

"....The Federal Transit Administration, which helped sink plans for a tunnel through Tysons Corner and is demanding further cost accounting for the proposed Metro line through Dulles International Airport, will likewise dictate what any new transit line through suburban Maryland would look like and when -- or whether -- there will be money to build it.
"It's the driving force behind the planning process," Maryland Transportation Secretary John D. Porcari said of the competition for federal money. "You can have the best conceived transit project in the world, and it's not going forward if it doesn't qualify for federal funding."
Toward that end, Porcari delayed consideration of the Purple Line for another year after deciding that the rider estimates were too crude to impress the federal officials in charge of doling out critical funding. Analysts are now recalculating ridership predictions using more sophisticated forecasting models.
Concerns about federal guidelines also led local officials to quickly rule out heavy rail -- the type of trains used on Metro -- in favor of slower, but far cheaper, light-rail trains or express buses. State officials have also rejected calls to run the line under the popular Capital Crescent Trail, saying it would be too expensive without saving travel time -- another effort to satisfy federal criteria.
The concessions show just how focused planners are on pleasing officials at the federal agency. ..." (written by Katherine Shaver and Amy Gardner of The Post)

Transportation: Maine to Boston's 'Downeaster' Hits Paydirt

This is why The Ohio Hub and the 3C Corridor is the best idea since sliced bread. Watch this video and see what the Downeaster Railroad Line has done for people in the Maine to Boston corridor. No really, please watch it!

I also have a link here to the May 2007 financial report regarding the Downeaster. Ridership is up, they had over 28k riders in May of this year. They are getting ready to add a new daily round trip to their service schedule.

One of the guys interviewed in the above video talks about housing. He said it used to be if you were putting up a 1,000 sq ft. dwelling, the mantra was 'you need a two car garage.' Now that is not necessary!

We need this kind of economic boost in Ohio and Cleveland, don't you think? Peace Out-3C

Help Keep Funding for Ohio Train Projects To Help Our Economy

I really don't know how any of you feel about the 3C Corridor Plan or the Hub Initiative, or any train proposal for the State of Ohio. I'm pretty passionate about trains being a means to an end of Cleveland being the poorest city in the Country. All Aboard Ohio is asking for our help to contact our political representatives and make sure the plans 'stay on track' so to speak. Here is a news release from their website. I hope you will read it and then contact your State Senator through the link on their site: advance freight and rail projects....and help our economy grow.

A really talented guy named Ben Kweller sang on David Letterman the other day. The song he sang was I'm Just a Penny On A Train Track so if you want to hear some real talent, go to his website here.

Peace Out - 3C

Amtrak Comes Out of the Dark In Cleveland

Amtrak started morning train service to New York City yesterday! This is good news for weary riders who had to be night owls to do this in the past. Apparently the train is leaving Cleveland at 7am and you will arrive in New York (Penn Station) at 6:45 pm. This of course could be much faster if we get into the Three C Corridor Plan and the Hub Initiative but for now, it's great progress, imho. And not just mine.

Here is a quote from yesterday's PD article, written by Grant Segall: "It's good news for Cleveland," said Ken Prendergast, spokesman for All Aboard Ohio, a nonprofit group promoting rail travel. "We like to wake up at reasonable hours and ride trains at reasonable hours." And travelers will get some brighter views along the way. The route runs through New York's Mohawk Valley and Hudson Valley en route to Manhattan. "It's a scenic ride," said Sheldon Lustig, a railroad consultant in Mayfield Heights. (you can read about it here on the blog Cleveland vs. The World, as well as other info regarding Amtrak funding on the All Aboard Ohio website)

Want to be one of the first to do this? Here is the Amtrak train schedule; go ahead, get your ticket :-) Peace Out - 3C

Buckeye Savers Bonds: Help Build Parts of I-71 or I-90?

Watching the news on WKYC tonight I was intrigued at the story about a new plan set up by the State of Ohio. Buckeye Savers Bonds can be bought for as little as $5000. Treasurer Richard Cordray has information on his website. It includes replacement of bridges (I-90) in Lake County - a total of 24 highway improvement programs. (note: the previous link is pdf) The WKYC story said 100 million dollars worth of bonds was needed; the website says the entire highway program costs $190 million.

Supposedly, they are estimating these Series K Bonds will reap 'buyers' with a 3 1/2 to 4 percent interest on their investment...and that interest is tax free, both State and Federal. What do you think?

How about also floating bonds to fund the 3C Corridor Program? Peace Out - 3C

April 1, 2007: Here is an update to this post, also from The Plain Dealer under their Business Diary section from March 27th:

Highway bonds are triple tax-free

"Individual investors next week will have an opportunity to buy state bonds that are exempt from federal, state and local income taxes. Through the Buckeye Savers program, the state is issuing $190 million in Series K highway capital improvement bonds. The state set the minimum purchase - $5,000 - low enough to be affordable to individual investors, said Holly Hollingsworth, spokeswoman for Ohio Treasurer Richard Cordray. Investors can place orders now through brokers. The sale will be April 3. The bonds will be backed by the state of Ohio and highway receipts. Among the Cuyahoga County projects the bonds will pay for: an upgrade of U.S. 322/Mayfield Road and the installation of an "intelligent transportation system" on parts of Interstates 90 and 71. The system will help provide road weather information to drivers. "

The Ohio Hub Plan Economic Impact Study Is Yielding Potential Good News For Our Economy

I want to thank Ed, who consistently provides excellent information for us on The Ohio Hub Plan. The Econ Study is predicting even better news than before, additional train routes, more jobs, permanent and 'initiative building' related, and a cost that seems more than manageable, especially since the results are jobs jobs and more jobs.

The Impact Study press releases will be more detailed and are not ready for prime time yet but soon. In the meantime, please do read the following to find out the snippets of information we already know: Economic Impact is Positive. Peace Out - 3C

** I don't believe in duplicating content and I have two blogs so please check out the link above you will be excited about the news, I think.

Third Annual Ohio Rail/Transit Summit March 7th In Columbus

Sometimes one thought leads to another and that is what happened to get me to this post. First, All Aboard Ohio is having their Third Annual Ohio Rail/Transit Summit in Columbus tomorrow. It's a morning chock full of information, judging from the agenda, and an afternoon of lobbying for The Ohio Hub Plan ! If you can attend, it's still not too late to sign up (you can even do it on the website through paypal). If you have followed the news (or just stopped at a gas station today), you know prices are on their way up again. We need improved public transportation and we need the Ohio Hub Initiative.

While I was on All Aboard Ohio's website, I noticed their link to Better World Club. Thus my 'second thought' for this post. Remember the Un Cola (7Up)? Well, Better World touts itself as the auto club to join, as opposed to that triple A one lol. They donate 1% of their revenue (yearly? monthly?) to support of environmental causes. They provide gas purchase discounts and check this out, discounts on purchases of hybrid cars? Okay, I'm signing up for their regular email newsletter called Kicking Asphalt. I can't resist.

How can you not get excited about transportation issues. Peace Out - 3C - The Transportation Geek

Train Song Medley

What's Faster Than a Speeding Bullet? The Ohio Hub Train

It seems there are more things to do today than there are hours, which must be why I am up at 5 o'clock in the morning. So let's feature a video. One of my passions, the proposed 3C Corridor Plan/Ohio Hub Initiative. All Aboard Ohio's website is the place to find out the most recent news and details. Read my Active Rain post on The Hub and when you get to the bottom of the comment list you will find a way to support this project. You need Quick Time in order to watch this video. It features fast trains (110 mph) and as the narrator says ".....5000 HP jet engine bullet that can get you anywhere in Ohio in an hour or two....." This is definitely, they say, "Not Your Daddy's Train." Climb on board and Enjoy the video!!