Union Terminal and the 3-C Rail

While I was away at CPAC last week, there were several important issues reported on in Cincinnati that I want to go back and highlight.

First, Ohio was awarded $400 million for the development of the 3-C train system (Cincinnati-Columbus-Cleveland). State officials are pushing to start construction as soon as possible and expect to begin operations in 2012. The relatively short timetable poses some problems for Cincinnati in particular. Naturally, most Cincinnatians feel that Union Terminal should be the permanent station for the 3-C train. However, since the Union Terminal ranks as one of the worst freight bottlenecks in the nation, most public officials feel that there is neither the money nor the time to make Union Terminal the station by 2012. This has prompted calls for a temporary station with Lunken Airport being a widely supported option. As the Enquirer reported though, some politicians, such as Councilman Chris Bortz, are calling for more time and energy to be put towards getting Union Terminal operational for 2012 or at least situating the temporary station on the eastern side of Cincinnati and I wholly agree.

Imagine riding the 3-C train from Columbus to Cincinnati. You get off and look around. What do you see? Nothing. Where is this city called Cincinnati? More importantly, how do I get there from here? Lunken is not a viable temporary station because the location is not ideal. Travelers who get off the train expecting to be in downtown Cincinnati will be sorely disappointed when they look around and see wide open fields, houses, and runways. Furthermore, METRO would certainly have to re-route more buses to this train station and travelers would be forced to either take the 20-30 minute bus ride or get a taxi.

On the other hand, consider Union Terminal. Passengers will get off the train and be met with the awe of not only Cincinnati's skyline but the beautiful architecture of Union Terminal as well the wonderful exhibits of the Museum Center. Of course METRO would still be needed to provide some transportation from Union Terminal to Fountain Square, the Banks, and other downtown locations but the trip would be significantly shorter.

The City should do everything in its power to make Union Terminal the temporary and permanent station in Cincinnati and they need to act fast. We cannot afford to wait around and risk Sharonville being the closest station to downtown Cincinnati. Sharonville is planning a $4.7 million investment for their station and Cincinnati needs to be willing to do the same. With the budget so tight, politicians and bureaucrats will need to be creative in budgeting money to make more passenger travel out of Union Terminal feasible. If the City fails to come together across agencies and organizations with concrete plans and goals we risk the future urban vitality of our great city.