Debate and discussion appears to be picking up once again regarding the 3-C Passenger Rail Plan being proposed to connect Cincinnati, Dayton, Columbus and Cleveland. Recently, the federal government offered Ohio a $400 million grant to be used in establishing the new rail corridor. Before we rush to spend these federal funds, several vital questions as to how this project will affect Ohio taxpayers should be answered, but as of yet, have not been by the Strickland Administration.
First, I have grave concern about spending more federal money that must come from borrowing against our children’s future. We should all be concerned about our ever-increasing federal spending and ballooning national debt. It is dangerous and wrong to continue spending in the present, without any concern over how and by whom the tab will be paid in the future.
Second, the Administration seems to have settled on $400 million as a sufficient amount of funding to pay for the 3-C project. Of course, this is not the first estimate offered by Governor Strickland. Ohio Hub Reports conducted in 2004 and 2007 estimated potential costs for the project to be $500 million and $660 million, respectively. A 2009 Amtrak study which was released within the last three months had a projected price tag of $546 million. Considering these varying cost estimates, I remain unconvinced that $400 million in federal money will cover the entirety of needed costs.
Additional studies are also needed to evaluate future costs. The down-the-road costs in terms of construction, operation, and infrastructure must be closely considered and scrutinized. The initial grant offered by the federal government will offer little help in maintaining the system once it is up and running. I, like many of you, feel that potential future costs will place further strain on Ohio’s current budget crunch, as well as prove an added burden to Ohio’s taxpayers. At a time of such economic woes, Ohio is in no place to commit itself to future operating costs of this system, especially when such costs are still greatly unknown. There is no doubt that such a project will continue to cost Ohioans for years to come.
Pressing questions also remain regarding whether Ohio will have to repay the federal money if the rail system were to stop operation within its first 20 years. That means that by taking the federal money, the Governor could be committing Ohio to twenty years of ever-growing subsidies to the rail plan that would greatly exceed federal money. Permanent operational subsidies by Ohio taxpayers are estimated to be between $17 and $30 million per year in order to maintain the system. As is the case with most “estimates”, this sum is likely under the real amounts that will be needed. Therefore, the State of Ohio would have to be prepared and willing to commit up to $600 million toward passenger rail over the next two decades. Simply put, that is money that could be better spent on the pressing needs of the state and its people.
Finally, the Administration notes that the 3-C Passenger Rail system will travel at a speed of 79 miles-per-hour. However, when considering the amount of time needed to accommodate for stops and pick-ups, the system will travel at an average speed of just 39 mph – hardly a time-efficient mean of transportation. Moreover, does this proposal really seem worth the price of a $50 ticket price each way? For instance, if three friends from Columbus decided to make a daytrip to Cleveland for an Indians game, wouldn’t it make much more sense to split the price of gas at a cost of less than $20 a piece? Then there still exists the added hassle of possible departure delays and cancellations that may further inhibit travelers’ abilities to maintain a schedule.
Meanwhile, proponents of the plan attest that despite the rather slow pace of travel, 3-C rail is the first step toward developing a High-Speed Rail system. While this may be a true assessment, further information is still needed before committing tax dollars and other resources to the endeavor. In fact, most experts hold that the transition to a High-Speed Rail system would require the purchase and construction of an entirely new infrastructure that could cost upward of $1.5 billion.
I have long held that what Ohio needs in light of such trying economic times is true fiscal responsibility. There is absolutely no room for excessive and frivolous spending if Ohio is meant to set itself on a glide-path to economic recovery. I remain committed to seeking out the necessary and honest answers to these and other questions before 3-C Passenger Rail is to move forward in the State of Ohio.
