The idea of a rail corridor between Chicago and Cincinnati, conceived by an Indiana passenger rail group, would include Connersville as one of its major stops.
The Indiana Passenger Rail Alliance announced Wednesday that it is raising funds to create a business plan and economic impact study of a new rail corridor project which, if it comes to fruition, would run between the Windy and Queen cities, with Connersville a focal stop on the line.
The study, which will be a joint venture between the IPRA and Transportation Economics & Management Systems Inc. of Frederick, Md., would cost between $150,000 to $200,000 and project capital costs, projected revenue and and operating expenses for a modern passenger train, along with projections of the economic impact such a service would have on the state and the cities along its route.
Connersville is one of those cities, according to Dennis Hodges, founder and vice president of business relations for the IPRA.
"We feel that we need to include another Indiana stop between Indianapolis and Cincinnati, and we've had some support from the average guy on the street to do this," he said. "We, as a group, feel that Connersville should be very, very important to the entire project."
The study is a requirement for the group to perform an environmental impact study of such a rail corridor, along with being able to apply for federal funding for capital improvements which would be incurred through such a project, according to the IPRA. It would also allow the group to have a reasonably accurate estimate of what capital and infrastructure costs would be, in addition to revenue and expense estimates.
While only in the beginning stages, if it comes to pass, the rail corridor project would add another passenger train coming through Connersville, likely to be operated by Amtrak, Hodges said. The proposed service would, according to the IPRA's concept, involve several passenger trains traveling daily between Chicago and Cincinnati, topping out at a speed of up to 130 miles per hour.
The trains would also include modern travel amenities, according to the IPRA.
One Amtrak passenger train, the Cardinal, already counts Connersville as one of its stops on its Chicago to New York run.
"Amtrak will probably be the operator of the line," Hodges said of the conceived rail corridor. "The service will be improved, there could be more trains stopping at Connersville ... wherever the train stops, we feel it will grow the economy."
Such a corridor, as a whole, could be a viable travel alternative given the economic conditions of the day such as gas prices, along with other factors such as airlines moving away from short haul flights and congested interstates, Hodges continued.
"We feel that Indiana's already a business-friendly state, but the trains could add to the friendliness, giving the business traveler a choice of transportation, and also the leisure traveler could go places as well," he said. "With parking in Chicago, Cincinnati and Indianapolis, as expensive as it is, and gas as expensive as it is, trains could provide a viable option to the traveler."
The hope, according to a release from the IPRA, is to "demonstrate the usefulness of modern 21st Century passenger rail development in the Chicago to Indianapolis and Cincinnati corridor." Another proposed rail corridor would also span from Chicago to Indianapolis and Louisville.
Dan Parker, executive director of the Economic Development Group of Connersville and Fayette County, said Thursday while he had not heard of the proposed plan for such a rail corridor — and Connersville being a part of it — it was wonderful news.
"We would certainly welcome it, from every standpoint," he said. "Tourism, the economic development impact, helping our economy, helping Connersville to get on the map. Depending on how it's marketed, if the marketing was such, it could be a huge plus for Connersville and Fayette County. We would love to be a stop on that route ... I don't know what the deterrents (to being part of the project) would be. I think it's all upside. I don't see any minuses anywhere. It's all pluses."
Hodges said his group will soon be approaching county foundations, manufacturers, banks and municipalities included in the corridor to solicit funds for the study. Once funding is gathered and the study begins, it will take about four months to complete.
"We do want to reach out to your city administration and the economic development planners," Hodges said. "The study will give us a lot of information, and in fact, there will be a Connersville-specific clause in it, how the trains will benefit your community."
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