BetsyB wrote This is something I would definitely back as it is a benefit to the entire Central Ohio region and would help alleviate issues such as downtown parking, traffic, and gas usage.

Now all we need to do is propose a levy and make sure that you’re the only person who shows up to vote!

:D

XINGColumbus wrote Potential Columbus Commuter Rail Map

March 22, 2008 by johnwirtz

Inspired by The Potential Columbus Light Rail Map, which is this site’s second most viewed post ever, I decided to try my hand at creating a commuter rail map. There are fewer stops than on the Light Rail Map, but that’s to be expected, since it’s commuter rail. According to our readers, the Canal Winchester, Grove City, Worthington-Delaware, and Marysville lines would be the easiest to start due to limited freight activity. Click on the image below to open the file, then zoom to see it more clearly.

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I’ve taken the bus from downtown to my office building a couple of times but since it only runs twice a day there is the opportunity to be in a real pickle if you’re stuck in a meeting and miss the last one.

jwing wrote LOVE the link to Marysville. If this was a reality, I would probably round trip at least eight times a month.

Maybe you find no need to come to Marysville, but I rountinely make a round trip to Columbus at least once a week as do many other Marysvillians.

I would connect the gold (yellow) line with the blue line through downtown. Grove City to Deleware. Brown line can connect all the way downtown. Purple too can connect to the downtown hub. Port Columbus can continue to Gahanna / Pataskala / Newark.

Good job, just some minor tweaks and you have a decent presentation to the city. Look forward to the cost estimates :D

Two suggestions… the green line should run through downtown, connect with German Village, and then you can just eliminate that gray connector. The yellow line should angle south, and follow the red line to a central Columbus station. That way, the downtown core will be more interconnected… would address some of Brewmaster concerns… it does seem to me that the metro downtown area/Central Business District is slightly underserved in this map. It’s amazing to see these use existing rail corridors; however we’ve lost some of those, so we may have to make a few up.

brandonphoto wrote I believe the Columbus Metro Area has one million if you count the suburbs.

Actually, it’s closer to two million, and quickly approaching.

f!5hl39 wrote now lets get someone in this city who can make this happen instead of a 3 block streetcar.

I don’t know too many people who consider walking from OSU to Downtown a quick 3-block walk. :lol:

Brewmaster wrote It looks fun, but I don’t know how functional it is. It looks like you’d be required to take a streetcar/bus transfer to actually get downtown, and german village looks like an afterthought.

Agreed. Also, there’s no central hub. There should be a “Metro Center” to help cut down on the number of transfers.

I see the parallels between Columbus & Calgary. Both cities have nearly one million people, I believe the Columbus Metro Area has one million if you count the suburbs. Calgary has developed a nice downtown core, something that Columbus is aiming for, give it time, we’re on our way. Also, according to the report, Calgary has a number of large corporate headquarters based there, something else Columbus has. Also, we have Ohio State, which is a city unto its self. The only thing that we don’t have is the reserved space set aside for urban light rail. But you can always make space, you can make it work if you want to. I say any future plans for the City Center site should include a light rail transportation hub for any future lines that may be coming in from the rest of the city and suburbs.

It’d be great for the folks living in Bexley who want to get to the fairgrounds or Rickenbacker (2 of them?). For those who want to get to practical destinations like downtown, or even franklin park, they might be better off walking. Perhaps if you turned that blue/purple line east on Broad St., then hit OTE, Franklin Park, Bexley, Whitehall, and Reynoldsburg it would look more functional.

Personally, I think COTA’s North Corridor line was a good start. Then, to augment that with a simple east-west Broad St. line, a Rt. 33 line, and an I-670 (downtown/airport/easton) line would be great.

The graphic looks cool though and it’s fun to see all of these obscure areas of Columbus on one map.