OH: U.S. Rep. Emilia Sykes pushes for Amtrak stop in Akron or Canton

U.S. Rep. Emilia Sykes on Tuesday brought her case for an Amtrak stop in Akron or Canton to the head of Ohio’s Rail Development Commission.

Speaking at a House Transportation and Infrastructure subcommittee hearing, the Akron Democrat questioned Ohio Rail Development Commission Executive Director Matthew Dietrich about why plans for an Amtrak line between Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati and Dayton doesn’t include the areas she represents.

“Please tell me and share with this community why Ohio’s 13th congressional district and my community is not eligible and should not get passenger rail,” said Sykes, who has pushed for an Amtrak stop in the Akron/ Canton area.

Dietrich - who appeared before the committee to discuss ways to streamline federal railroad grants - told her that planners in Ohio looked at a route through Akron years ago, but it was ruled out. He said it would be reevaluated as plans for the so-called “3C&D” corridor move forward.

He said communities need to understand the differences between commuter rail and inter-city passenger rail. Transportation officials in the Akron/ Canton area have made multiple requests for rail service in addition to asking that the area be included in the 3C&D corridor, he said. Those include rail service to airports, to Pittsburgh,and for commuter rail service to Cleveland.

“From a technical standpoint, those are all different projects to us, and they fall under different funding sources and grant sources,” Dietrich said. “So I’m happy to continue to have that conversation. But I think that’s that’s something where we can help the community by providing guidance on which is the right program to apply for for these things.”

Sykes also asked how former Ohio Gov. John Kasich’s decision more than a decade ago to reject $400 million in federal money for a high speed rail project between Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton and Cincinnati held back passenger rail in Ohio.

Kasich had said the proposed rail line wouldn’t be fast enough to qualify as high-speed, wouldn’t attract enough passengers to be feasible, and would require a $17 million yearly subsidy from Ohio taxpayers.

Dietrich said that he was rail commission chair at the time.

“We were the agency that developed the project – so that decision was made at the executive level and did not involve the staff in terms of returning the funding,” said Dietrich.

Sykes, who was not in Ohio’s legislature or Congress at that time, said she was amazed “the state government sent back $400 million – and I’ve seen estimates of upwards of 16,000 jobs – out of the State of Ohio, where we are losing population and need as much job support and economic development as possible.”

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