The Ohio Rail Development Commission will receive a $62,500 grant from the Federal Railroad Administration to help fund a study of a passenger rail route that would link the state's largest cities.

The commission is an independent agency operating within the Ohio Department of Transportation. ORDC is responsible for economic development through the improvement and expansion of passenger and freight rail services and railroad grade crossing safety.

The grant money will be used to help cover some of the costs associated with the study of reviving the old 3C (Cleveland-Columbus-Cincinnati) passenger rail route.

"We're excited about being selected for this grant by the FRA," ORDC executive director Matt Dietrich said. "It demonstrates the validation of Ohio's passenger rail plans at the federal level and what we hope is the beginning of federal resources to advance these plans."

The awarding of the FRA grant follows the request earlier this year by Gov. Ted Strickland to Amtrak CEO Alex Kummant to begin a ridership and revenue study of possible startup service in the 3C corridor. The corridor, the most densely-populated in Ohio with almost 60 percent of the state's population, has not seen passenger rail service since 1971.

Ohio has contracted Amtrak to assess the feasibility of initiating a startup service of two round trips per day between Cleveland and Columbus and possibly to Cincinnati.

The proposed project would complement the Amtrak assessment and advance the analysis of alternative 3C routes and station locations that would most effectively serve the corridor -- both in the short term and the long term.

An announcement from the ORDC stated that the tasks funded by the grant include: program management, coordination with Amtrak and oversight of Amtrak train operations analysis; drafting purpose and need; and long-term alternative route analysis.

ORDC spokesman Stuart Nicholson said the planning objectives are to support the state initiative for startup service in the short term by conducting short-term/long-term planning analysis of 3C corridor requirements, helping to align any short-term actions with the long-term needs, planning and environmental documentation.

It is expected that the project would:

• Support a state-supported Amtrak startup service.
• Advance the conceptual engineering and analysis of alternative routes and station sites and facilities.
• Clarify a long-term corridor development strategy.