Should Akron and Canton have an Amtrak stop? Congress members push inclusion in potential Ohio expansion

June 17, 2024

WASHINGTON, D. C. – A bipartisan group of U.S. House of Representatives members led by Akron Democrat Emilia Sykes want Akron/Canton to get an Amtrak stop if the national passenger rail service expands its Ohio offerings.

Sykes last week penned a letter that asks Ohio Department of Transportation Director Jack Marchbanks to include a passenger rail service development plan for a stop in the Akron-Canton Regional Airport (CAK) or another location in the Akron-Canton area in the 2024 State of Ohio Transportation Plan. All Ohio’s U.S. House of Representatives Democrats signed the letter along with South Russell Republican Dave Joyce.

Sykes said her constituents were dismayed in December when none of the four Ohio routes that the Federal Railroad Administration announced as Amtrak expansion priorities included Akron-Canton area stops.

Those routes included the so-called “3C+D corridor” linking Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton and Cincinnati; a route between Cleveland, Toledo and Detroit; a route that links Cincinnati to Chicago, New York City and Washington, D.C.; and the Chicago-Fort Wayne-Columbus-Pittsburgh, the Midwest Connect corridor via Ohio’s Lima, Kenton, Marysville, Columbus, Newark, Coshocton, Newcomerstown, Uhrichsville, and Steubenville.

Sykes’ letter says the 3C+D corridor and the Cleveland, Toledo Detroit route don’t adequately serve eastern Ohio, leaving behind a significant population that could benefit from the inclusion of passenger rail. The letter said the region’s business community, led by the Akron-Canton Advocacy Alliance, is seeking a stop in the region because of the economic benefits and increased connectivity it would bring to the area.

It said the region offers travel connections through Akron-Canton Regional Airport, higher education opportunities at five distinct institutions, multiple health care systems and manufacturing opportunities, as well as attractions including the Pro Football Hall of Fame, the Akron Art Museum, the Akron Zoo and Cuyahoga Valley National Park.

“The region is a gateway to Ohio from the East Coast of the United States; an Amtrak stop would better connect the workers and families of Eastern Ohio to economic, educational, and healthcare opportunities across the state and the region,” the letter says. “Failing to provide such infrastructure would undoubtedly result in adverse consequences for the economic development of the region.”

Sykes is also asking members of the public who want an Akron/Canton stop to sign a group letter to Marchbanks.

Sykes, who is the only Ohioan on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, said in an interview that when she’s asked Amtrak and ODOT officials why there were no plans for stops in the Akron/Canton area, she was told nobody was advocating for one. She decided to focus on doing so.

“We’re going to keep making the case,” said Sykes. “If they don’t want to do it, I think they’re going to have to tell us ‘no,’ and give us a reason why, but they’re not going to be able to lean on the excuse that no one told them that Akron/Canton wanted this. They know this now.”

Currently, there are two Amtrak routes that stop in Cleveland – the Lake Shore Limited, which connects New York City and Boston to Chicago, and the Capitol Limited, which connects Washington, D.C., to Chicago. Both eastbound and westbound trains on those routes stop in Cleveland in the dark, early-morning hours.

A third route, the Cardinal, travels through southern Ohio, linking Chicago and New York via Cincinnati.

Columbus, meanwhile, is one of the largest cities in the United States without any passenger rail service.

In early 2021, shortly after the election of President Joe Biden, Amtrak unveiled a dramatic expansion plan, dubbed Amtrak Connects US, which includes dozens of proposed new and expanded routes throughout the United States, including several in Ohio.

Columbus almost had rail service more than a decade ago, when the state won federal funding for a Cleveland-Columbus-Cincinnati route. But former Gov. John Kasich famously returned $400 million in federal money in 2010 because he was opposed to state support for passenger rail service.

Author: Sabrina Eaton

Source: cleveland.com