Florida High Speed rail

[railohio]

Here in Ohio, we will be getting about $400mm to upgrade existing lines to reestablish passenger rail between Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton and Cincinnati. Max speed will be 79mph. Not high speed, but an alternative to the stress of driving. Currently Interstate 71 (which connects the three C's) is at capacity in many stretches, so rail makes sense here.

Ohio's plan has some serious flaws, but it's a start. If the initial investment is followed up correctly like the Cascades corridor or Hiawatha service then Ohioans have the beginning of a sustainable system. if it's left to languish, however, like the Missouri trains, then we're just wasting our money. Three daily round-trips is just the beginning. Ideally we should have hourly service with twelve daily departures and spurs serving Toledo/Detroit and Youngstown/Pittsburgh. All of that coupled with increased national service along the lake will make a successful network. As it is planned, however, with a miserable average speed, a Cincinnati terminal near nothing, and DMUs, I'm not holding my breath. Again, this is just a start, and with the proper investments in the future it can be made into a world-class system.