Initial Figures Paint Promising Picture for Rail
Northeast Indiana Passenger Rail Association Study Almost Complete
The Northest Indiana Passenger Rail Association (NIPRA) has almost finished the process of a study on the possibility of high speed rail passenger service linking Chicago--Fort Wayne--Columbus, Ohio and several smaller cities between the larger centers. Transportation Economics and Management Systems, Inc. (TEMS) is the vendor doing the study for NIPRA. TEMS has done a number of passenger rail studies throughout the Midwest and other parts of the USA. The preliminalry results of the high speed passenger rail study look very encouraging with early draft results pointing toward travel times of four hours or slightly less for the approximate 300 mile dstance between Chicago and Columbus and less than two hours for the Chicago to Fort Wayne trip. The full study is expected to be finalized by early March 2013 complete with an executive summary for the funding partners and press releases to the general public on the great potential for this new transportation option for business and the public in general. The funding partners include both local governmental entities and private sector businesses in both Indiana and Ohio. A bistate caucus is being planned to move the project forward to completion and eventual operation within four to seven years time. The next steps after completion of the study by TEMS will be development of a service development plan and application for federal funds to begin the tier I and II Environmental Impact Studies.
Information courtesy of Fred Lanahan. To learn more about NIPRA, visit their web site.
