Issue #94 — April 1991
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the 6:53 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- April 1991 OHIO ASSOCIATION OF RAILROAD PASSENGERS Issue# 94 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- OARP MEMBERS: Please write letters now to your state senator and representative and your Congressman and Senator. 1) The PENNSYLVANIAN will be extended, but $5 million is needed for the "Ravenna Connection. • Press your elected leaders for both federal $$$ and state $$$. 2) We need adequate funding for urban transit in the Ohio budget now, not a reduction, plus extra dollars for rail transportation. 3) We need state funding NOW to begin to move on the development of passenger service in the 3-C Corridor. More details are spelled out in Pres. Howard's column. For what it's worth, what is needed from our members now are phone calls, visits, and letters to our elected local, state, and federal officials stating our case. 4) Finally, the pot is dry in the CLE-PITT fund promoting the PENNSYLVANIAN extension -- OARP needs earmarked contributions now, from $5 to $10 to hundreds and even thousands of dollars. Give what you can, see if you can encourage an individual or friend to give a larger donation. Much looks hopeful --but we dare not drop back. Your help in any form is appreciated! #~~~~_,#~~~~/~#-.-#/#-~/~~~,.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~····~~~ should be short and to the point: *** "Please vote for $15 million in state capital and operating WRITING LETTERS TO LEGISLATORS NOW! funds for two daily round trip trains between Cincinnati and by J. HOWARD HARDING, OARP President Cleveland via Sharonville, Dayton, Springfield, Columbus, Delaware and Galion. President George Bush, preoccupied with the glamour of global issues, continues to leave the boring complexities of *** "Please vote for $5 million in state funding for rail capital domestic problems to the White House staff which would improvements needed to permit operation (at no operating cost decimate American transportation in the name of free enterprise to the state) of daily round trip train service between Cleveland purity. While perpetuating totally indefensible subsidies to and Pittsburgh via Youngstown. heavy trucks (35% underpayment of user fees), and $2400 per *** "Please vote to restore the funds removed by Governor vehicle annual operating subsidies to auto owners, the Bush Voinovich's 25% cut in state transit support, then increase it, to administration proposes to reduce federal capital and operating reduce congestion, air pollution and other costs associated with funds for Amtrak, to freeze urban transit at current substandard expanding urban auto use. levels, and to eliminate federal assistance for rail branch line *** "If these expenditures require higher state revenues, preservation. provide them by apply the state sales tax to motor vehicle fuels. In Columbus, Governor George Voinovich displays equally *** "These investments will provide Ohio travelers with flawed vision, cutting urban transit funding by 25 percent and economic, safe and energy-efficient alternatives to driving or refusing to provide any funds whatever for intercity rail flying and cost less than freeway or airport expansion." passenger services. Use your own words, and add brief comments about benefits In the face of this double-barreled myopia, we must redouble to your legislator's district added jobs, economic our efforts to educate ourselves, our friends and our legislators development, community access, etc. Get your friends, co about our alternative vision of future transportation. The recent workers, neighbors, lodge-brothers, anyone you talk with to NARP Region Six meeting in Akron (discussed elsewhere in this write also. issue) was one part of that process. A more immediate, concrete YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE. WRITE RIGHT NOW, to step in which we can all share is writing letters to our your federal and state legislators, leaders of the Ohio newspapers and to our legislators, urging their support for more Senate and House, and members of the finance committees. balanced funding for transportation. Letters to legislators Names and addresses were· provided in a recent ACTION ALERT. Or call your nearest OARP officer or regional coordinator. The time to act is now! OFFICIAL NOTICE: Spring OARP Meeting, Saturday, May 18, 1991 at the Springfield Inn of Springfield, Ohio. Agenda includes elections of area board members and board members at large. If you want to serve, or if you know of a member who would serve well, then get the word out! Watch for status reports on Ohio and Federal legislation at this meeting. Featured speakers Include Gordon Flax, Green County Commissioner, and Walter Szczesney Director of the Clark County Transportation Coordinating Committee. Detailed info and registration form enclosed in this edition of the 6:53 sent to OARP members. Please return It ASAP! CLEVELAND-PITTSBURGH UPDATE ..... Kenneth Prendergast, Director, CLE-PIIT Special Project been providing valuable assistance to this effort are the City The last several months have been very exciting and busy for Planning Commission, the Cuyahoga County Planning the CLE-PITT Project and for the on-line communities involved. Commission, and the Greater Cleveland Growth Association. Area business interests, local officials, state legislators, and > Encouraging words came from Youngstown City Council Federal representatives are all playing an ever increasing during its regular meeting on March 6. The majority view from activist role in the extension of Amtrak's PENNSYLVANIAN to council seems to be: "if we can't locate the $5-10 million [for Cleveland via Youngstown. Their prompt involvement is track connections] to bring the PENNSYLVANIAN to necessary and timely considering that Amtrak Public Affairs has Youngstown, then we ought to hang up our lobbying hats!" informed OARP that "Amtrak wants the PENNSYLVANIAN These friendly words came during a discussion regarding a extension and we want it soon. There's a sense of urgency to resolution sponsored by Councilman AI Chance which states get it done." "The City of Youngstown is deeply concerned that, absent a There are still obstacles (such as permission from host public investment of less than $10 million to restore needed railroads CSX and Conrail to run the train) and there are track connections, the PENNSYLVANIAN will bypass negotiating points to be resolved with PennDOT, who sponsors Youngstown in favor of better tracks via Alliance." Councilman the train. Barring any major difficulties, the PENNSYLVANIAN Chance, Mayor Pat Ungaro, and others have begun taking that could be extended to Cleveland via Alliance this Fall at the message to elected officials at the state and federal levels. At October timetable change. According to Amtrak's Operating this rate, Youngstown officials may not have to hang up their Department, implementing the extension via Youngstown could lobbying hats! add a year over and above the possible start-up timetable via In closing, I would like to thank those of you who Alliance. Amtrak seems to be keeping an eye on the local responded to my request for monetary support in the last effort to secure funds for the Youngstown route; it's no secret 6:53. Thus far, OARP members have contributed $80 to that Amtrak would like to run the train via Youngstown. On the help keep the CLE-PITT Project on stable ground, but we're other hand, if local efforts come up short in locating capital not out of the woods yet. Expenses such as telephone, dollars, it doesn't mean the PENNSYLVANIAN won't be postage, and photocopying cost the project, on average, extended. What it does mean is that the preferred route won't $250 per month. The project's account balance Is $175. be used for the foreseeable future. But if recent developments While I have suspended some activities, ADDITIONAL continue at their current pace, service via the optimum roote MONETARY SUPPORT IS STILL NEEDED. Please direct may be at hand. checks or money orders made payable to "OARP Here is a partial list of recent developments .... CLE-PITT SPECIAL PROJECT FUND" to OARP, 2422 South > U.S. Congressman Dennis Eckart met with OARP and Patterson, Dayton, Ohio 45409. Four organizational grant Ravenna city officials on February 14 to discuss the Ravenna requests are pending; in the meantime, your contribution Connection. Restoring the connection, expected to cost $3-5 will help us keep the PENNSYLVANIAN extension effort on million, will permit direct Cleveland-Youngstown Amtrak, and track! possibly, freight service. Eckart stated that he would attempt to locate funding for the line and that he would work with OARP, the city of Ravenna, and others to that end. From a conference room at City Hall, we then proceeded to the connection site. After climbing down a muddy slope to inspect the abandoned connection, Eckart said "this is terrific!", referring to the relative ease with which the connection could be restored. > As a result of a February 21 meeting in New Castle, Pa., area officials will be gathering data for use by state and federal legislators to "sell" the CLE-PITT Corridor proposal to their colleagues and to secure funding for the Youngstown route. Data which is being sought includes determining the economic development impact of the service and a ridership study for the Youngstown route. A ridership study was recently conducted for the less populated Alliance route. It predicted that the PENNSYLVANIAN extension would be "incrementally profitable" via Alliance. A follow-up meeting is scheduled for late April. > Amtrak has asked Conrail for detailed cost figures for the Ravenna and New Castle connections in addition to projects such as an alternative connection at Youngstown and to determine the availability and costs of upgrading the Koppel Secondary to access downtown Beaver Falls from New Castle. Cost figures are not expected to be available until at least May. Boarding the PENNSYLVANIAN In Pittsburgh on a typical >Increased support for the PENNSYLVANIAN extension has morning. Hopefully this scene will be repeated daily In been growing in a very vital area: Cleveland.