A passenger heads into a train car at the Amtrak station in Newport News on Monday, December 11, 2023. (Kendall Warner / The Virginian-Pilot)

The Federal Railroad Administration selected four routes across Ohio as priorities for expansion Dec. 5, bringing Ohioans one step closer to having the “Three C’s” — Columbus, Cincinnati and Cleveland — connected by rail.

Amtrak is calling the vision the “3C+D” and will connect the three major cities in addition to Dayton. The federal agency will provide $500,000 per corridor to begin planning under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, according to a press release by Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) on Dec. 5.

“Today’s announcement is a great first step toward expanding Amtrak in Ohio,” Brown said. “Good Amtrak service shouldn’t be a privilege only for people on the coasts. These new routes would expand opportunity, help grow businesses and create jobs, and connect communities in Ohio and across the Midwest.” 

The three cities haven’t been connected by rail since 1967, but the project would fill this gap, connecting 18 Fortune 500 companies and dozens of colleges, according to Amtrak. In addition, the company is planning for three daily round trips on the line with an annual economic impact of $129.6 million.

According to Jason Reece, associate professor in city and regional planning, this will partially come from jobs in the area.

“They’re anticipating that there will be not only immediate production of jobs from Amtrak expansion, [but] those new jobs and the investment is going to produce more tax revenues,” Reece said. “And we’ll probably see more economic development happening around the stations as well because those will become nodes and kind of gateways into the city. 

Columbus and the surrounding area are home to over two million residents, and it is the second-largest metropolitan area in the United States without Amtrak service, according to Amtrak.

Harvey Miller, a professor of geography and director of the Center for Urban Regional Analysis, said Amtrak’s expansion will provide more mobility choices. 

“What Amtrak will do is provide another way of getting among our cities in Ohio in a way that’s much safer, and in many ways, much more pleasant and enjoyable than driving,” Miller said. 

The expansion will also mean a more efficient travel style with lower costs, making traveling within the state more convenient, Reece said. 

“[Take] students that don’t have cars for example,” Reece said. “The ability to take a train, to go home for Thanksgiving break, not having to figure out some kind of ride-sharing agreement or needing a family member to come get you in a rental car. People are just going to have more options.”

The proposed stations, in addition to the four cities in the name of the route, include Ohio cities like Crestline, Delaware, Springfield and Sharonville.

According to Brown’s press release, other proposed lines to receive funding for plans include the following: 

  • Cleveland-Toledo-Detroit 
  • Chicago-Fort Wayne-Columbus-Pittsburgh, the Midwest Connect corridor via Lima, Kenton, Marysville, Columbus, Newark, Coshocton, Newcomerstown, Uhrichsville, and Steubenville in Ohio
  • Daily Cardinal Service, new daily use on Amtrak’s current service to Cincinnati between New York City, Washington, DC and Chicago, IL via the States of Virginia, West Virginia, Kentucky, Indiana, and Illinois.