As Introduced
134th General Assembly
Regular Session H. C. R. No. 42
2021-2022
Representatives Sheehy, Miller, A.
Cosponsors: Representatives Lepore-Hagan, Blackshear, Ghanbari, Smith, K.,
Miranda, Weinstein, Brent, Skindell, Sobecki, Liston
A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
To express support for the "Amtrak Connects US" plan and 1
to urge Congress to facilitate and fund the plan. 2
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF
OHIO (THE SENATE CONCURRING):
WHEREAS, Since the 1840s, passenger rail has been an 3
important means of transportation in Ohio, but most Ohioans have 4
had limited or no access to passenger rail since 1979; and 5
WHEREAS, In the past, passenger rail connected communities 6
across the state, which facilitated faster, more affordable 7
transportation; and 8
WHEREAS, Amtrak, the primary U.S. passenger rail carrier, 9
is mandated by law to provide a national network of trains to 10
serve all parts of the country; and 11
WHEREAS, Amtrak management currently has plans to increase 12
the frequency of all long-distance rail corridors serving Ohio 13
under its "Amtrak Connects US" national service expansion plan; 14
and 15
WHEREAS, In FY2019, Amtrak spent $40,017,703 on goods and 16
services in Ohio and $5,421,234 in wages to Amtrak employees 17
H. C. R. No. 42 Page 2
As Introduced
living in Ohio; and 18
Whereas, Once carried out, the "Amtrak Connects US" plan 19
would provide a travel option not currently available or 20
convenient to many Ohioans, greatly increase ridership and 21
revenue, and positively impact the economies of every Ohio 22
community Amtrak serves; and 23
WHEREAS, A route from Cleveland to Columbus to Cincinnati 24
alone is estimated to serve 400,000 to 500,000 passengers a year 25
and have an annual economic impact of almost $130 million; and 26
WHEREAS, Fast, frequent passenger rail service can 27
simultaneously help the environment, reduce traffic congestion, 28
and provide needed cost-efficient transportation; and 29
WHEREAS, Amtrak is 46% more energy efficient per-passenger- 30
mile than car travel and 34% more energy efficient per- 31
passenger-mile than domestic air travel; and 32
WHEREAS, The "Amtrak Connects US" plan would do all of the 33
following: 34
-- Restore regularly scheduled passenger rail service to 35
the Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton, and Cincinnati Corridor, Ohio's 36
most densely populated and heavily traveled corridor; 37
-- Bring an estimated additional 22 trains a day to 38
Cleveland and increase train stop frequency in Cincinnati, as 39
well as bring new and more frequent service to Toledo, Sandusky, 40
Elyria, Ashtabula, Oxford, Bryan, Delaware, Crestline, 41
Sharonville, Springfield, and Alliance; 42
-- Improve mobility for underserved communities and 43
provide reliable and efficient transportation to education and 44
employment opportunities along the route; 45
-- Make connections to Cleveland's RTA Light Rail System, 46
Columbus' COTA system, and Cincinnati's Metro system, thereby 47
H. C. R. No. 42 Page 3
As Introduced
serving dozens of colleges and universities and connecting 18 48
Fortune 500 companies; now therefore be it 49
RESOLVED, That we, the members of the 134th General 50
Assembly of the State of Ohio, do all of the following: 51
-- Support the expansion of daily service in Ohio under the 52
"Amtrak Connects US" plan; 53
-- Support a more robust and fully functioning Amtrak with 54
new routes and frequencies to fill the transportation gap, due 55
to a lack of bus and airline services, for hundreds of Ohio 56
communities and to enable Amtrak to take advantage of changing 57
travel patterns in a post-pandemic world; 58
-- Urge Congress, including Ohio's Congressional 59
delegation, to facilitate this expansion by decreasing the 60
minimum Amtrack route length that qualifies for federal funding 61
from 750 miles to 250 miles and to fully fund the "Amtrak 62
Connects US" plan; 63
-- Urge the Governor, the Director of the Ohio Department 64
of Transportation, and the Executive Director of the Ohio Rail 65
Development Commission to actively and visibly support the 66
"Amtrak Connects US" plan; and be it further 67
RESOLVED, That the Clerk of the House of Representatives 68
transmit duly authenticated copies of this resolution to the 69
United States Secretary of Transportation, the President Pro 70
Tempore and Secretary of the United States Senate, the Speaker 71
and Clerk of the United States House of Representatives, the 72
members of the Ohio Congressional delegation, the Governor, the 73
Director of the Ohio Department of Transportation, the Executive 74
Director of Ohio Rail Development Commission, and the news media 75
of Ohio. 76