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Rail plans have city upbeat

The Whistle Stop gift shop in Middletown is the location Middletown officials are pitching to be part of a statewide rail system.

Staff photo by Pat Auckerman The Whistle Stop gift shop in Middletown is the location Middletown officials are pitching to be part of a statewide rail system.

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By Jessica Heffner, Staff Writer 10:05 PM Tuesday, July 7, 2009

COLUMBUS — Middletown leaders were assured during a meeting with state officials that the city is on track for a stop on a new passenger rail system.

The Ohio Rail Development Commission held an informational meeting Tuesday, July 7, to discuss the discuss the 3-C Corridor project, which would have passenger trains running along existing freight tracks through Cincinnati, Dayton, Columbus and Cleveland. The plan calls for at least one station stop in Butler County, with Middletown designated as the preferred site.

The city’s name was invoked often by leaders at the conference, and used as an example of an industrial city that would benefit from the economic growth from a rail line stop. City Manager Judy Gilleland said the response “made me feel great.

“It indicates Middletown is indeed on the top of the list (for a station stop),” she said.

Butler County Development Director Mike Juengling, who also attended the meeting, said he was impressed by the turnout from local governments across the state in favor of the project — about 150 attendees overall.

The support from the Obama administration on down through Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland and other state officials may finally help a rail system come to fruition, as the project has been talked about since 1985, he said.

Phil Pasterak of Parsons Brinckerhoff, a rail consulting firm working on the 3-C project, said the project will be submitted for federal stimulus dollars as soon as Friday, July 10.

The 3-C Corridor would likely start with conventional trains running at about 80 miles per hour and eventually be upgraded to high-speed passenger rail incrementally. Trains could be running the route between major cities in as soon as two years, he said.

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