City Council Hears High Speed Passenger Rail Feasibility Study Proposal
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Jennifer Peryam-jperyam@timesuniononline.com
Warsaw City Council and the community heard a presentation Tuesday night on a 300-mile high speed passenger rail system proposal from Union Station in Chicago to Columbus, Ohio. The proposal calls for stops in Warsaw, Gary, Valparaiso, Plymouth, Fort Wayne, Lima, Marysville, Kenton, and Columbus. Fred Lanahan, Northeast Indiana Passenger Rail Association president; Rich Davis, rail association consultant; and Pam Holocher, planning director for the city of Fort Wayne and rail association board member, attended the meeting to present information on the passenger rail system. There were 50 community member who attended the presentation. A year ago Tom Henry, Fort Wayne mayor, approached Warsaw about seeing if they were interested in donating money towards a feasibility study for the rail system. The city, OrthoWorx, and Warsaw-Kosciusko County Chamber of Commerce donated $5,000 for the study. OrthoWorx also conducted an economic impact study that showed the orthopedic industry would benefit from the rail line. “This is a sophisticated and expensive project that requires intergovernmental and interlocal cooperation between three states and cities and counties along the line,” said Joe Thallemer, Warsaw mayor. The total cost for the 300-mile system is estimated at $1.285 billion shared between Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio with 79 percent of the cost in track, signals, and stations, and 21 percent in train equipment and facilities, according to Lanahan. A location for the proposed Warsaw stop has yet to be determined. Davis said the line would allow passengers to get from Warsaw to Chicago at Union Station in less than 90 minutes as well as provide opportunities to cultural and sporting events. Along the route are Fortune 500 companies that would benefit from the line. The line would serve 138 educational institutions and 880,000 students located along the line from Chicago to Columbus. “It is this workforce that needs to be mobile by taking advantage of regional travel,” Davis said. The proposal was prepared for Northeast Indiana Passenger Rail Association by Transportation Economics & Management Systems. An environmental impact study needs to be completed still, and funding will need to be sought from the public and private sectors and federal grants. Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery grants also could be sought. The Chicago-Fort Wayne-Columbus corridor will provide Chicago, Northern Indiana, and Central Ohio with a passenger rail service that provides services at 110 to 130 miles per hour. Lanahan said in the 1920s and 1930s passenger trains went through the area from Ohio, Pennsylvania, Warsaw, and Chicago daily. “We are hoping to bring back this service as a travel option we don’t have anymore,” Lanahan said. Holocher said the system will bring jobs and economic prosperity. An average of 26,800 full time jobs are projected to be created as a result of the line over the next 30 years. Operating the 110 mile per hour trains provide a four-hour local train service from Chicago to Columbus. Fort Wayne would see a one hour 38 minute service to Chicago and two-hour service to Columbus. Benefits include reduced travel times between cities such as Fort Wayne to Chicago which will be less than two hours. The proposed train schedules for the eastbound train starting in Warsaw and going to Columbus, Ohio are departing times at 6:18 a.m., 10:43 a.m., 12:48 a.m., 5:18 p.m., 7:48 p.m., and 10:18 p.m. The six westbound trains starting in Columbus, Ohio, and coming back to Warsaw would arrive in Warsaw at 7:37 a.m., 12:12 p.m., 2:12 p.m., 5:12 p.m.; 10:27 p.m.; and at midnight. For more information on the rail system visit niprarail.org or on the Warsaw city website at warsaw.in.gov under the city happenings high speed rail presentation tab on the home page.
