High Speed Rail for Lima and Ohio 

The Ohio Rail Development Commission (ORDC) was created in 1994 by the Ohio General Assembly under Ohio Revised Code Chapter 4981 as an independent commission within the department of transportation. The Commission is in the process of rolling out The Ohio & Lake Erie Regional Rail Ohio Hub Study that analyzes the feasibility of a high speed rail corridor in Ohio with connectors to Indiana, Chicago, Pennsylvania, New York and Toronto.

On December 13, 2004, Jim Seney, Executive Director of ORDC, and other ORDC staff presented the study to the Lima community. The study clearly demonstrates that high speed rail is vital to Ohio’s future health and development in the following ways:

• High speed rail is designed to accommodate the increased movement of people and products at the local, regional, national and international levels.
   
• The Hub concentrates on the medium-distance travel market with links to international air hubs of Detroit, Toronto, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati and Chicago. This rail driven linkage of international hubs will improve Ohio’s position as a global business location.
   
• The Ohio Hub will provide a key link between high speed rail lines in the East and the proposed Midwest Regional Rail System.
   
• The envisioned passenger rail system would provide same-day, round-trip service throughout the region by reducing downtown-to-downtown travel times and increasing train speeds.
   
• Development of these networks will keep automobile trips best suited for rail off the highways, expanding their capacity for truck trips that must move over the road.
   
• Continued development of this system will identify and secure existing rights of way upon which high speed passenger trains can run as well as provide for increased capacity for the freight railroads.
   
• The new high speed passenger service envisions railroad improvements that increase capacity and improve fluidity of railroad operations.
   
• Travel and tourism, property values and tax revenues, and opportunities for downtown redevelopment are expected to increase.
   
• A preliminary economic impact analysis suggest the system would have a significant impact on manufacturing, construction and railroad employment, and stimulate broad economic growth that would create service sector jobs.

ORDC Ohio Hub Study Public Meeting PowerPoint

The Ohio & Lake Erie Regional Rail Ohio Hub Study

High Speed Rail for Chicago to Pittsburgh via Fort Wayne, Lima & Columbus
City of Lima Concept Paper 2003

Call for Action

The Ohio Controlling Board is currently reviewing a proposal from the Commission to fund the economic impact analysis to determine whether to move forward with the economic analysis for the Ohio Hub region.  The current request before the Controlling Board will be heard January 24, 2005.
Letters for support for high speed rail in Ohio and Lima should be sent to the Controlling Board before January 24, 2005. 

State Controlling Board Names and Addresses

Your comments regarding high speed rail for Ohio are welcome.
Please send your comments to: City of Lima