Midwest Connect
Proposed, Corridor ID Program
Serving the center of Ohio, with service to Chicago and Pittsburgh
Overview:
The re-establishment of the Chicago–Fort Wayne–Pittsburgh corridor has been sought since passenger service was discontinued in 1979. Over the past decade alone, this corridor has been extensively studied and included in all existing state and regional rail plans. These efforts include the completion of a Feasibility Study, which incorporated components of a Tier I Environmental Impact Statement for most of the corridor. Similar efforts have been directed by the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission (MORPC) in collaboration with municipal partners, as part of a larger initiative to reactivate the Chicago to Pittsburgh rail corridor. The latest endeavor, the Rapid Speed Transformation Initiative (RSTI), aims to reintroduce passenger trains between Chicago, Columbus, and Pittsburgh, building on prior efforts in the Chicago–Fort Wayne–Lima, OH corridor.
Benefits:
The Corridor ID program offers a unique opportunity to address planning and project prioritization issues, defining a long-term investment program for this corridor of national significance. The reestablishment of this four-state corridor would invest in both urban and rural communities, provide an alternative to U.S. 30 as the sole interstate option connecting the corridor, enhance connectivity between major population centers, and create thousands of new full-time jobs. Additionally, the Midwest Connect Corridor would open access to major economic opportunities for small and large businesses, strengthening the region’s service, manufacturing, and tourism industries, while protecting the environment by reducing vehicular energy consumption and emissions.
Infrastructure and Potential:
The existing infrastructure's configuration and the relatively flat, straight geography of segments of the corridor lend themselves to a potentially transformative high-speed service. This could establish the corridor as a Core Express route between Chicago and the East Coast, offering a significant improvement in transportation efficiency and speed.
