COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Federal Railroad Administration has plans to bring passenger rail back to central Ohio.
Right now, the City of Hilliard is being considered for two routes. The city currently owns two areas off of Interstate 270 near the CSX railroad tracks that could serve as train stops along the routes.
According to the city, the stops could accommodate up to 100,000 arrivals and departures per year.
“Pittsburgh, Columbus to Chicago and from Detroit to New Orleans,” said Dan Ralley, assistant city manager for Hilliard.
The city said the development of a railroad station could bring re-development to the Cemetery Road area. That could include different housing options, hotels and restaurants. The station would also connect to other transit options.
“It would be an intermodal station so we are fully planning for COTA, for example, bicycle travel and obviously train,” said Ralley.
Ralley said the stop in Hilliard would serve hundreds of thousands of people in central Ohio.
“It would offer people around central Ohio, a half million people within a 15 minute drive of the location, it would offer them a suburban location to get the train,” said Ralley.
The Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission is a part of the passenger rail project. Elliot Lewis, the principal planner, said passenger rail would also bring a lot of environmental benefits.
“We know passenger rail is also environmentally sustainable transportation. It’s twice as clean as a personal vehicle. It has efficiency to carry a lot of people,” said Lewis.
Passenger rail could have a station in Hilliard anywhere between 2028 and 2030.
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