COLUMBUS, Ohio — The results are in: a new study shows that a passenger rail could bring as much as $16 million in economic impact to the greater Columbus area every year.
The results of the study come two months after the Federal Railroad Administration approved funding for the planning of four passenger rail routes across Ohio.
Scioto Analysis released the economic impact study on Wednesday looking at the statewide effects of the proposed Cleveland-Columbus-Dayton-Cincinnati rail corridor, also known as the 3C&D Corridor.
“We focus on giving information to policymakers that they can use to make informed policy decisions,” said Principal of Scioto Analysis Rob Moore.
The study was funded by the Columbus Foundation through a nearly $17,000 grant given to the nonprofit organization All Aboard Ohio in July.
Special Report: Thursday at 6PM on 10TV: The economic impact of passenger rail on cities like Dublin remains unknown. 10TV’s Collin Dorsey recently traveled to a mid-sized midwestern city with a passenger rail to find out how it has impacted their community. Tune in to 10TV on Thursday to hear about its impact.
Amtrak has proposed three new stations in the Columbus area that include Crestline, Delaware and downtown Columbus.
The study estimated the number of passengers who may use those stations and the range of revenue a passenger rail could bring to the cities. It showed that:
- Between 3,500 and 7,100 passengers could use the Crestline station each year, bringing in between $600,000 and $1.2 million in ticket revenue.
- Between 13,000 and 26,000 passengers could use the Delaware station each year, bringing in between $2.3 million and $4.6 million in ticket revenue.
- Between 28,000 and 56,000 passengers could use the downtown Columbus station each year, bringing in between $6 million and $11 million in ticket revenue.
The study estimates that the 3C&D Corridor could have an ongoing economic impact of between $25 million and $47 million on the state of Ohio each year, with $14 million of that coming from transportation and warehousing, over $2 million from the finance and insurance sectors and just under $2 million from real estate, rentals and leasing.
Ohio is in the first of three phases in planning for the potential of a passenger rail. In the second phase, municipalities will have an opportunity to advocate for stops along the corridor.
One of those municipalities is Dublin, which is already working with the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission (MORPC) to determine the feasibility of a station on Houchard Road.
Special Report: Thursday at 6PM on 10TV
The economic impact of passenger rail on cities like Dublin remains unknown. 10TV’s Collin Dorsey recently traveled to a mid-sized midwestern city with a passenger rail to find out how it has impacted their community. Tune in to 10TV on Thursday to hear about its impact.
