CU Podcast #23: Coffee with Stu Nicholson
In this week’s ColumbusUnderground.com Podcast, we grab coffee with Stu Nicholson, the Public Information Officer for the Ohio Rail Development Commission. Stu provides us with some updates on the current development status of passenger rail service in Ohio, where the new routes could run, what a local station in Columbus could look like, and how the 3C Corridor will benefit the entire state of Ohio.
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Related Tags: 3c corridor • Audio • Development • interviews • odot • ohio hub • passenger rail • podcast • stu nicholson • Transit • transportation
July 2nd, 2009 at 3:08 pm
Nice interview, Walker! Hard not to share Mr. Nicholson’s enthusiasm and positive feelings about making the 3C corridor a reality. I think of particular interest was his feeling that rail transit should be presented to the public as a compliment to air and road transportation, not as a substitute. I don’t remember hearing many other arguments for rail travel crafted in this manner. Well done.
As an aside, appreciated the Janis Joplin tune “Me and Bobby McGee” in the background - isn’t the first line something about waiting for a train in Baton Rouge?
July 2nd, 2009 at 4:13 pm
Yeah, it’s hard not to sit down with Stu for coffee and leave feeling inspired and hopefully for a future filled with rail transit options. I think Stu has probably heard every criticism in the book and has great answers for everything. ;)
Personally, I’m looking forward to a future where I can easily ride to Cleveland, Dayton, or Cincinnati and spend some of my Columbus dollars in those places. ;)
July 2nd, 2009 at 8:49 pm
One follow up question: What about the state owned corridor between Columbus and Pittsburgh? What does he think of that corridor’s potential?
Great interview and very informative.
July 2nd, 2009 at 10:28 pm
I’ve wondered about the Cbus to Pitt as well. It seems to perform well according to the Ohio Hub report, but one thing that may work against it the corridor is that it is state-owned.
The following is speculation, but one of the activities that Mr Nicholson noted are the Preliminary Environmental studies for four of the corridors (3-C, Cbus to Toledo, Cle-Pitt, and Cle-Toledo). Once those studies are complete, the corridor(s) can be recognized as a project and rights-of-way can begin to be preserved for passenger service. The fact that the Cbus-Pitt corridor is already owned by the state may already preserve that right-of-way without completion of the study. Thus, the urgency to perform a study on the Cbus-Pitt corridor may not be as intense as the other corridors that are not controlled by the state. Again, that is just speculation.
In my opinion this corridor opens up a lot of opportunity, especially if the Keyston corridor is completed between Pittsburgh to Harrisburg. It would seem to me that the attraction from the Columbus market to the Pittsburgh market would be just as strong as the Cbus-Cincy and Cbus-Cle markets.
July 13th, 2009 at 10:49 pm
Smaller Ohio towns angling to be a stop on new rail line
Monday, July 13, 2009
BY KAREN FARKAS
THE PLAIN DEALER
Communities of all sizes across the state are touting their best assets in hopes of being chosen as one of the stops for the proposed passenger rail line from Cleveland to Cincinnati.
READ MORE
July 18th, 2009 at 1:53 pm
High-speed rail for Ohio estimated at $1.53 billion
Saturday, July 18, 2009 3:06 AM
BY JAMES NASH
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
Ohio’s three largest cities can be connected by passenger trains that go 110 mph for $1.53 billion, according to the state’s new application for federal stimulus money earmarked for high-speed rail.
Speedy trains connecting Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton and Cincinnati could be running as soon as 2016, the state’s preliminary request for funding says.
READ MORE
July 18th, 2009 at 2:05 pm
They also point out that they asked for the 3-400 million dollar regular speed rail (top speed 79), either way, just build something.