Chamber President Gives Warsaw Passenger Rail Update
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Jennifer Peryam-jperyam@timesuniononline.com
A passenger rail system business model is being developed that could include a possible stop in Warsaw. Mark Dobson, Warsaw-Kosciusko County Chamber of Commerce president, provided an update on efforts to develop a model for passenger rail during Monday night’s Warsaw City Council meeting. The Northeast Indiana Passenger Rail Association’s proposal is for a passenger rail system to go through Chicago to Ohio with possible stops in Warsaw and Fort Wayne. Dobson said the association is beginning to develop a business model for passenger rail, and if successful the model could be developed in six years. “The association is finding it can start developing a business model for passenger rail that could come through Warsaw,” Dobson said. “Realistically, if data turns out as anticipated, passenger rail could be restored in as short as six years through this line,” Dobson said. Dobson said the holdup is passenger rail being approved for Indiana. A passenger rail line that connects Columbus and Cleveland, Ohio, and Columbus and Pittsburgh, Pa., already has been approved by the federal government. Dobson said he is looking into what the city and county needs to do to be part of an environmental study for the rail system. Dobson said the railroad association is moving toward a “Build, Own, Operate and Transfer” model. This is a partnership using public and private dollars to build a passenger rail line. In September, Dobson attended the city council meeting requesting the city provide funding for an economic impact study for the passenger rail, which it did.
