Well Michigan does pay more for its trains that many states do. Yes, Michigan could do better. And it would be nice if they'd stop playing this "let's kill the funding for Amtrak" game every few years. But there are states that spend zero on rail.
Like Ohio!
Well, we're working on that I think...
M - I read an article the other day about a group in Cincinnati who is strongly opposed to the Three-C idea and wants NO trains from Cincinnati to Columbus and Cleveland to happen. Have you heard anything about that? I can't find the source I read right off.
There's a couple of issues boiling right now.
1. There is a group in Cin-city who are opposed to a proposed tax increase that would, amongst other things, offer monies to improve Union Terminal. (Though its primary focus is their planned streetcar bit)
article here.
2. Amtrak delayed a deadline for a report with NS and CSX to determine how Amtrak could do the CLE, C-Bus, Dayton, CIN, route with minimal impact on freights as well as potential ridership figures. This could make it harder to get funds from HSR and is pretty much a political flub.
article here.
3. The Tri-C corridor is the most densely populated midwestern corridor, and probably rivals the densities of of most others. The 255 original Tri-C route (without a stop in Dayton) has a total population of seven million and a density of 27,500 people per rail mile. Add in Dayton and that density increases. This should be a no-brainer for HSR.
4. There are many Ohioans who, when told about HSR thought TGV but when they realized it was a couple of Amfleets dawdling along at highway speeds the idea lost the appeal. There are some who propose jumping on the Talgo boat, but this is unlikely to happen in a state that was built on steel, cars, (trains even), and good old blue collar American industry. The outsourcing argument would do well here, though a Talgo set would improve the image of an Ohio train. (image, nothing more)
Myself, while not opposed to the idea, don't think it is going to work. I'll hold out until Amtrak releases its numbers, but if they cannot get the schedule trimmed this just will not work. Ohio is more conservative than most other states vying for HSR funds, it has also been very neglectful of its rail lines, mostly leaving them in the hands of the freights. The best lines in Ohio are the ones Amtrak uses, CHI-TOL, TOL-CLE, CLE-PGH, and CLE-Erie. There is very little traffic between the three major cities on this route, thus neglect. NS runs its trains between CLE and PGH, anything South of that line gets little traffic, and if it does-- they don't run lines North/South, they run East/West, C-bus-PGH, Indy-C-Bus, the CIN-CLE line doesn't exist without switching to CSX trackage, which is bad according to what I hear.
The Tri-C corridor, more than any of the other viable midwestern corridors I've seen requires the highest capitalist investment if Amtrak doesn't want it to flop flat in five years.
