ALL ABOARD OHIO

[KJP]

Here are a few photos from All Aboard Ohio's 2009 Fall Meeting held at the Dayton Racquet Club on the 29th floor of Kettering Tower.

The view from the Dayton Racquet Club looking southward across downtown toward the 3C Corridor tracks (crossing roughly through the middle of the photo)....


All Aboard Ohio President Bill Hutchison calls the meeting to order and pointed out that if anyone doesn't turn off their cell phones, "there's the door." Actually, he was pointing to the view in the previous photo of the 3C Corridor tracks....



Dayton Mayor-elect Gary Leitzell welcomed All Aboard Ohio attendees to the city....


Our keynote speaker was ODOT Director Jolene Molitoris, who gave us an update and a report on her department's efforts to become more than just a highway department and instead offer greater freedom of choice in how to travel....


Unfortunately there was a large bank of windows behind her so she appeared as a sillouhette in most of my pictures. This was one of the less shaded pictures of her....


Director Molitoris thanked All Aboard Ohio for its efforts to keep the pressure on for more and better passenger trains. At this point, she and others in ODOT and at the governor's office are "waiting for the call" from the Federal Railroad Administration on whether Ohio will receive some or all of the $564 million it requested for 3C "Quick Start" train service. That call will likely come by the end of January....


The Dayton Racquet Club's food and service was excellent, as were the speakers and the afternoon business meeting and discussion.

[noozer]

A lot of gray-haired heads in the room... were there many people under age 35?

Looks like a very good turnout, though.

[David]

There never seems to be any young folks interested in rail transit advocacy I wish there were more people my age involved; I'd probably try to get involved, myself. It's weird enough going to neighborhood organization meetings and being the only one under 50. Maybe the demographics of people involved are partially the reason why rail advocates get accused of just wanting trains for nostalgic reasons. I'm one of the enlightened young people who realize trains were more efficient and sustainable than cars to begin with.


BTW, Ken I saw your article on the front page of an Eco magazine I was reading at the library. Nicely done! Lots of great info. I think a lot of people are getting excited about the 3-C corridor project!

[BuckeyeB]

Demographics is an issue facing AAO and others like it. One the positive side, there were a LOT of community movers and shakers at this meeting, including the mayors of Dayton and Riverside, a rep from the Dayton Foundation, other city officials and of course, Jolene Molitoris, who gave a great speech. Not the sort of turnout these meetings used to have.

BTW, AAO pres. Bill Hutchison was interviewed by the local CBS affiliate, channel 7.

[BuckeyeB]

There never seems to be any young folks interested in rail transit advocacy I wish there were more people my age involved; I'd probably try to get involved, myself. It's weird enough going to neighborhood organization meetings and being the only one under 50. Maybe the demographics of people involved are partially the reason why rail advocates get accused of just wanting trains for nostalgic reasons. I'm one of the enlightened young people who realize trains were more efficient and sustainable than cars to begin with.


BTW, Ken I saw your article on the front page of an Eco magazine I was reading at the library. Nicely done! Lots of great info. I think a lot of people are getting excited about the 3-C corridor project!

Join AAO and get involved!!! Change the demographic!!!

[noozer]

I would suggest targeting Young Professionals groups in cities like Columbus (a very active chapter connected to the local Chamber of Commerce).  There are similar groups in Cleveland & Cincinnait I am told.

Recruiting newer and younger members is a pro-active effort.  If you look at the 3C Quick Start page on Facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/footestu?ref=profile#/pages/Ohio-3C-Quick-Start-Passenger-Rail-Plan/134456767470?ref=ts

....you will see a lot of young faces.  1,910 "friends" so far.

[MyTwoSense]

A lot of gray-haired heads in the room... were there many people under age 35?

Looks like a very good turnout, though.

I know, right?!    Was this the "comb over" convention? 

[KJP]

We do have members younger than 35 but they never come to meetings.

[Eighth and State]

   ^---- This is typical of any kind of public meeting.

[Robert Pence]

I seem to recall that the combined AAO/NARP Regional event last year in Toledo charged a significant registration fee, as do the MHSRA events. While fees are effective at filtering out the foamer-geeks and the people who would otherwise try to dominate the discussion with references to "When my grandpa was a conductor on the B-and-O," they're probably a disincentive to younger people who either don't have the cash to spare, or have other priorities for their spending.

A high-quality facility, especially with a catered lunch, incurs costs that have to be offset, and lunch on-premises reduces the likelihood of people not making it back afterwards or straggling in late and disrupting the presentations. Lunch on-premises also promotes casual off-agenda interaction among attendees who might not otherwise get to know each other.

The free events hosted by Northern Indiana Passenger Rail Association at Fort Wayne's Baker Street Station have attracted large crowds made up of a very broad demographic in terms of age and economic standing. The events were of shorter duration (1-2 hours max) though.

As BuckeyeB pointed out, the AAO events are geared toward attracting people who are in positions to influence public policy and leverage spending. Note the suits and ties; nobody looks like they just interrupted hammering and sawing on their basement HO layout to come to the meeting, and I don't see a pair of striped overalls or an engineer's cap anywhere in the room.

[noozer]

But the fact is that passenger rail advocacy groups are "aging" and memberships for most are not growing very fast, if at all. 

Those who are youngsters today will be the ones in position to influence public policy and how dollars are spent on transportation. They need to be brought "on board" now, as they are a generation already deciding that a car isn't that necessary and prefer to use local mass transit and passenger rail...provided it is available and robust enough to provide frequent and reliable service.

I think All Aboard Ohio made a wise move when it adopted it's current name: far more pro-active-sounding than the former Ohio Association of Railroad Passengers.  But while I think there are too-few younger faces at these meetings, I don't think getting them to these meetings in large numbers is the answer.

The answer, I think, is reaching out to the organizations that younger people already belong to: such as the Columbus Young Professionals and similar groups.  Let them get involved in the context of their own organizations and invite cross-membership in AAO and whatever group they belong to in their city.  This is a generation that "meets" more via social media (Facebook, Twitter, etc...) than by carving out part of their day to drive to another part of Ohio to attend a meeting in the traditional sense.  They are more likely to attend , informal, local "meet-ups" than a more formal lunch or dinner with a speaker.

[Foraker]

I would agree that reaching out to organizations that younger people already belong to would be beneficial, both in terms of recruitment and in terms of educating the next generation. 

[BuckeyeB]

A lot of gray-haired heads in the room... were there many people under age 35?

Looks like a very good turnout, though.

I know, right?!    Was this the "comb over" convention? 

You'll be there one day yourself, my friend. If you want to do something about the "comb over convention," start getting involved and start coming to these meetings.

AAO is keenly aware that it needs to do something about its demographics. The input so far is helpful.

[KJP]

Shop for the holidays at goodshop.com and help All Aboard Ohio!

If you do your holiday shopping online, don’t forget to do it through GoodShop.com! When you click on http://www.goodsearch.com/goodshop.aspx and name All Aboard Ohio as the benefitting charity, the campaign for better passenger trains and public transportation in Ohio will receive up to 30 percent of your purchase as a donation. It’s that simple!

There are 1,000 great retailers participating in goodsearch.com’s “GoodShop” program. They include Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Best Buy, eBay, Land’s End, Overstock.com, PetSmart, Priceline, Saks Fifth Avenue, Target, Travelocity, Walgreen’s, WalMart and more.

You can also do Internet searches through Goodsearch.com and All Aboard Ohio will get a donation from that activity, too.

Also, don’t forget to make your holiday food buys and other purchases at GFS Marketplace. If you do, mention you want to donate part of your purchase to All Aboard Ohio. Ask the checkout clerk or the store manager to look up All Aboard Ohio as a participating charity. For more information, see our June 23, 2009 press release at http://www.allaboardohio.org for details.

Thank you for thinking of All Aboard Ohio during the holidays season! We’re thinking of you and hoping that we’ll be able to get you a real train for the holidays sooner rather than later! Ohio needs more choices than snowy, slippery interstates and hectic airports in what otherwise is the most wonderful time of the year.

--Ken Prendergast, Executive Director, All Aboard Ohio

[MyTwoSense]

Done!  Like I need a reason to shop!

[KJP]

http://209.51.133.155/cms/index.php/news_releases/more/all_aboard_ohio_releases_report_operation_sustain_transit/

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE — November 17, 2009
Contact:
Ken Prendergast
All Aboard Ohio Executive Director
(216) 288-4883
kenprendergast@allaboardohio.org

All Aboard Ohio, which promotes better public transportation and passenger rail services, today announced a $158 million plan to reverse recent and planned cuts in bus and rail services to support greater access to jobs and opportunities while bolstering Ohio communities and employers. The nonprofit association pleaded with Ohio’s state and federal legislators to embrace its plan and restore Ohio’s public transportation systems before irreparable harm is done to them.

Download All Aboard Ohio’s “Operation: Sustain Transit!” plan at:
http://members.cox.net/corridorscampaign/Operation-Sustain%20Transit.pdf

This week, the state’s three largest transit systems announced another round in a series of service cuts, fare hikes or both. The Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (carries half of Ohio’s 250,000 daily transit riders), announced it will need to reduce or eliminate service on nearly 30 popular routes next year. Meanwhile, Cincinnati Metro recommended a 12 percent service reduction with a fare increase proposal. And, the Central Ohio Transit Authority in Columbus will increase fares by up to 26 percent in 2010. Other transit systems statewide are also following having to leave more riders at the curb.

“This is death by a thousand cuts,” said All Aboard Ohio President Bill Hutchison. “Each cut in service or increase in fares means that fewer Ohioans are able to reach jobs, health care, education or shopping. This isn’t just about the fate of essential transportation systems, it’s about the livelihood of communities, employers and people. This should be part of a plan to improve transportation overall. This is a long-running, worsening problem. We are pushing ourselves into becoming a third-rate state where hunger and poverty are getting extreme because people can't access jobs.”

The State of Ohio is one of the nation’s least generous when it comes to providing operating support to public transportation. According to the American Public Transportation Association, only 10 states support transit less than Ohio yet Ohio is the nation's 7th most populous state. Less than one percent of Ohio’s $3.8 billion annual transportation budget goes to public transit. Per capita, Indiana spends 3.6 times more than Ohio on transit, Michigan nearly 10 times more, and Pennsylvania than 33 times more, reports PolicyMatters Ohio.

“We may have disagreements about a few recent management decisions at some transit systems but that is not the reason why all of Ohio’s transit systems are in the same dire straits at the exact same time,” Hutchison said. “To focus on transit system management issues at this time is like arguing with your landlord about his choice of a painting contractor while your house is on fire. We have to put out the fire first.”

Unlike transit systems elsewhere in the nation which receive support from state governments to help operate extensive, affordable transit services for their citizens, Ohio transit systems are left to fend themselves. That’s especially true after Congress in the late 1990s axed all operating funding for transit systems in metro areas with populations greater than 250,000. Then, starting in 2001, Ohio elected officials slashed state funding for transit by 75 percent. Today, all transit agencies are dependent on municipal or county funding sources for nearly all of their non-passenger revenue.

All Aboard Ohio recommends that a healthier, more balanced approach is for Ohio transit systems to have their operating funding sources divided roughly equally from passenger fares, local taxes, state revenues and federal sources. Its $158 million "Operation: Sustain Transit" plan would begin to accomplish that goal, Hutchison said.

END

[noozer]

Mass Transit’s Reversal of Fortune

Even As Ridership Surges,
Economic Crisis Ravages Agencies’ Budgets

By Josh Stephens
InTransition
 

At some point in the past year, nurses in St. Louis discovered that they couldn’t get to their nursing home, where they cared for Alzheimer’s patients. Hipsters studying at Pratt had to fish out an extra quarter to get to the loft party in Williamsburg. And suburbanites in Aurora resigned themselves to waiting a few more years before they could take the train to work in downtown Denver.

Between volatile fuel prices, a sea change in public attitudes towards the environment, and the enormity of the world’s financial collapse, the nation’s transit agencies have appeared more like amusement parks in the past year, riding a roller coaster of increased demand, increased cost and uncertain financial futures. But as the sobriety of 2009 has set in, this wild ride eased into a new reality: deficits, fare increases and cost-cutting strategies that are ushering in a new age of austerity that rivals any crisis that American public transit has ever experienced.

More at: http://www.intransitionmag.org/Fall_2009/Mass_Transit_Economic_Crisis.htm

[KJP]

I might as well post this here. I've posted it damn near everywhere else!!

OK, I'm not yelling here. I'm just using really large, red letters to make this flier easier for you to find in the future......

SAVE PUBLIC TRANSIT!
Download the flier from:
http://members.cox.net/corridorscampaign/Save%20public%20transit%20flier.pdf

I need your help! Please print out this flier in large quantities and post them legally in visible places. Or just hand them out to people on your bus or train each day. Please be sure to post and distribute the flier responsibly. We want to create partnerships, not complaints.

[KJP]

All Aboard Ohio has created a new campaign called Linking Ohio to promote 3C Corridor now and possibly other routes later on. We've partnered with a PR firm to oversee this activity. One of the first aspects of this Linking Ohio campaign is the creation of a Facebook group at:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Linking-Ohio/181838151266?ref=ts&v=wall

[MyTwoSense]

All Aboard Ohio has created a new campaign called Linking Ohio to promote 3C Corridor now and possibly other routes later on. We've partnered with a PR firm to oversee this activity. One of the first aspects of this Linking Ohio campaign is the creation of a Facebook group at:

[url=http://www.facebook.com/pages/Linking-Ohio/181838151266?ref=ts&v=wall]http://www.facebook.com/pages/Linking-Ohio/181838151266?ref=ts&v=wall[/url]

About time.  I suggest that before. 

[KJP]

You suggested the Linking Ohio campaign??

If you're referring to a Facebook page, All Aboard Ohio has had one for almost two years. I just didn't know how to access it, manage it or why it was so important. The Linking Ohio presence on Facebook is new, like the campaign.

[MyTwoSense]

You suggested the Linking Ohio campaign??

If you're referring to a Facebook page, All Aboard Ohio has had one for almost two years. I just didn't know how to access it, manage it or why it was so important. The Linking Ohio presence on Facebook is new, like the campaign.

Yes I suggested to you that you use Facebook to market all your hard work.  FN is a hugely popular way to market things.   Our true blood facebook page has 900k members.  Harry Potter, millions of fans.  Sex and The City has it's own apps.  The FB reach is ridiculous.

[KJP]

http://209.51.133.155/cms/index.php/news_releases/more/ohio_transport_report_card_2009_a_lump_of_coal/

Ohio Transport Report Card 2009 - A Lump of Coal!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE — November 25, 2009
Contact:
Ken Prendergast
All Aboard Ohio Executive Director
(216) 288-4883
kenprendergast@allaboardohio.org

Traveling over the river and through the woods to Grandmother’s house this holiday season is more difficult than ever for many Ohioans, according to a report-card analysis by All Aboard Ohio, a nonprofit organization which promotes improvements to passenger rail and public transportation.

To download the analysis “Ohio Transport Report Card” including the 1979 vs. 2009 Ohio intercity public transport maps, click:
http://members.cox.net/corridorscampaign/Ohio%20Transport%20Report%20Card%202009.pdf

Because Ohio had fewer transportation choices in 2009, All Aboard Ohio said the state has earned the grade of a LUMP OF COAL. Had travel choices increased, the state would have earned a holiday candy cane.

Ohio urban and small city public transit systems aren’t the only ones in retreat in recent years. So are Ohio’s intercity public transportation modes – bus carriers, Amtrak and airlines – that provide essential travel between cities, towns, suburbs, and rural hamlets. They are eliminating routes and reducing the number of cities and towns where travelers can get on/off buses, trains and planes.

As Ohioans and visitors to Ohio partake of the busiest travel time of the year, All Aboard Ohio found that travelers lost access to once-significant intercity public transportation assets in Ohio over the past 30 years. Here are the lowlights:

• Bus companies like Greyhound and Continental Trailways eliminated more than two-thirds of their Ohio departures and dozens of routes between 1979 and 2004;
• In the past five years bus services have stabilized, but with some losses (Sandusky and downtown Dayton stops eliminated) and gains (Megabus adds Chicago service to Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus and Toledo);
• Ohio has lost 1,000 route miles of Amtrak train service from 1979-2005 and saw service levels decline by 60 percent from 84 trains per week to 34;
• Amtrak in Ohio has also stabilized since 2005 yet offers inconvenient middle-of-the-night services on just three routes;
• Airlines have been in retreat after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, with Ohio airports losing seat-mile capacity ranging from 10-100 percent, mostly due to cuts in short-distance flights;
• Losses accelerated since 2007 due to high fuel prices and the recession. Since 2007, airports in Ohio and within 100 miles of Ohio have seen their scheduled domestic departures decrease 7-39 percent.

Cuts in bus, rail and airline services are especially painful for Ohio’s growing elderly population, its disabled citizens (many of whom are veterans), plus lower-income and working-class families who cannot afford to own a car or reliably maintain one to safely drive it over longer distances. And if we are to keep our younger citizens in Ohio, we must give them better transportation choices.

“Given the sorry state of intercity public transportation in Ohio, it’s probably better that you travel to grandma’s house this holiday season because it’s more difficult for her to visit you,” said Bill Hutchison, president of All Aboard Ohio. “While one can attribute this decline in transportation options to many factors, I believe it’s mostly due to complacency. Too many just blandly plod along and accept their fate without a fight. Well, we don’t accept it and this report is an early salvo in our fight.”

There is a significant market for intercity public transportation in Ohio that is not being served:

• Ohio is the seventh-most populous state and the ninth-most densely populated.
• Ohioans older than 65 years comprise 16 percent of the state’s population but will be 20 percent of the population by 2030, the U.S. Census predicts.
• In Ohio’s largest urban areas like Cleveland, Cincinnati and Dayton, 20-25 percent of households have no car, with 8½ percent of all Ohio households lacking a car, the Census says.
• Ohio’s public and private colleges and universities have a total enrollment of 637,000 students, according to the Ohio Board of Regents.
• And Ohio’s young adults are getting their drivers licenses later than their parents did, and getting their first cars much later their parents.

“Ohio is facing a serious mobility crisis,” Hutchison added. “Ohio’s public officials and transportation company executives need to recognize a problem exists and start working together to address the lack of travel options.”

All Aboard Ohio is offering to assist in creating more dialogue between the Ohio Department of Transportation, Metropolitan Planning Organizations, counties, cities and, of course, the transportation carriers themselves, he said.

"For too many Ohioans, the basic need of reuniting family during the holidays is not being satisfied," Hutchison continued. "If we are still fortunate enough to have bus or train services to our town, it is often sold out or travels on inconvenient schedules. And if we are still fortunate to have a commercial passenger airport nearby, our travel choices from that airport are becoming meager. That doesn’t give Ohio travelers and visitors much to be thankful for in this holiday season."

END

[KJP]

Friends, Please click on the link below to view the latest Ohio Passenger Rail News from All Aboard Ohio....
 
http://members.cox.net/corridorscampaign/AAO%20Monthly%20Newsletter%20110109.pdf
 
This is a special newsletter focusing on the crisis in public transportation in Ohio. Feel free to share the newsletter with others. But please join us or donate (you can do both at allaboardohio.org - see links at left!) so we can keep up the fight and keep the information flowing! Also, please print and responsibly distribute our "SAVE PUBLIC TRANSIT!" flier, downloaded at:
http://members.cox.net/corridorscampaign/Save%20public%20transit%20flier.pdf
 
Articles in this November 2009 issue:
 
+ Recession Shrinks Transit Agency Budgets - Services Reduced Despite Past Ridership Gains
+ All Aboard Ohio Operation Sustain Transit
+ Ohio Among Least Generous to Transit - Ohio Ranks 40th in Transit Funding
+ Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority news
+ Toledo Area Regional Transit Authority news
+ Central Ohio Transit Authority - Worsening Economy Impacts Transit System Budget
+ Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority news
+ Greater Dayton Regional Transit Authority news
+ Developing More Transportation Choices in Ohio - ODOT Director Molitoris Addresses All Aboard Ohio’s Fall Meeting
 
Thank you for supporting All Aboard Ohio!

[KJP]

http://209.51.133.155/cms/index.php/news_releases/more/ohio_transit_shutdown_whos_next/

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE — December 2, 2009
Contact:
Ken Prendergast
All Aboard Ohio Executive Director
(216) 288-4883
kenprendergast@allaboardohio.org

On Dec. 31, 2009, Lorain County will become the most populous county in Ohio without a public transportation system. But other systems, including those in larger counties throughout Ohio could soon be completely shut down, too.

A decade ago, the elimination of federal operating funding for public transit systems serving communities of more than 250,000 people (Lorain County has about 300,000 residents) forced states and local governments to make up for the federal cut. While most states dramatically increased their support for public transit, the State of Ohio slashed its by 75 percent.

In 2009, the State of Ohio will spend $12 million to cut the grass along its Interstates. That’s more than the $10 million Ohio will spend to support public transit and its 250,000 daily users.

Cuts to federal and state transit funding have forced Ohio transit agencies to rely on local sales taxes, income taxes and property taxes. Because of this overdependence on local funding, all Ohio public transit agencies are in SERIOUS TROUBLE. See:
http://www.nacs.net/~georgez/qew1Q09.pdf

The above report finds that things are even worse in Dayton and Toledo. Even Franklin County lost more retail trade jobs than Cuyahoga County did during the recession. The $19.79 billion in lost paychecks in Ohio have caused horrible plunges in the state and local government tax revenues on a statewide basis, including both the sales tax and income tax. Further, property tax delinquencies are soaring. So, the main funding base for ALL Ohio public transit agencies is plunging, putting ALL of them under severe stress.

“This catastrophic problem is by no means limited to Lorain County,” said Bill Hutchison, president of All Aboard Ohio, a nonprofit association which advocates better trains and transit services.

Ironically, Lorain County Transit, like other transit agencies, continue to receive federal funding (including stimulus funding) that can only be used to buy buses, build transit centers and improve facilities.

“So while Ohio transit systems can hire new construction workers, they’re forced to layoff bus drivers and isolate riders from reaching their jobs, the grocery store, doctors or school,” Hutchison said. “In Lorain County alone, tens of thousands of people will be put on the transportation equivalent of house arrest, even though they haven’t done anything wrong.”

See Lorain County isolation data at:
http://members.cox.net/corridorscampaign/Lorain%20County%20-%20isolated%20without%20transit.pdf

“Congress should give local, regional and state transportation authorities the flexibility to decide whether they need their next public transportation grant to be used for capital improvements or operating assistance,” Hutchison added. “Right now they cannot decide that for themselves without breaking the law.”

Congress is considering an amendment to the pending six-year surface transportation spending reauthorization to allow such flexibility. U.S. Rep. Betty Sutton (D-13, Lorain) is a co-sponsor of the amendment. However the U.S. Senate is not willing to take up the transportation reauthorization for the foreseeable future.

For more information on Ohio’s worsening mobility crisis, please see the following resources provided by All Aboard Ohio:

Operation: Sustain Transit (funding suggestions for Ohio urban and intercity transit):
http://members.cox.net/corridorscampaign/Operation-Sustain%20Transit.pdf

Ohio Transport Report Card 2009 (Ohio’s 30-year retreat of intercity public transport)
http://members.cox.net/corridorscampaign/Ohio%20Transport%20Report%20Card%202009.pdf

Special “Save Transit” issue of the Ohio Passenger Rail News
http://members.cox.net/corridorscampaign/AAO%20Monthly%20Newsletter%20110109.pdf

Also, please distribute this “SAVE TRANSIT” flier responsibly:
http://members.cox.net/corridorscampaign/Save%20public%20transit%20flier.pdf

For more information, please go to All Aboard Ohio’s Web site at http://www.allaboardohio.org. And if you aren’t a member of All Aboard Ohio yet, please join us, make a donation, or mention All Aboard Ohio when you shop at goodshop.com or at GFS Marketplace this holiday season which will help support our efforts.

END

[KJP]

http://209.51.133.155/cms/index.php/news_releases/more/get_on_board_the_linking_ohio_campaign/

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE — December 7, 2009

Contact:
Ken Prendergast
All Aboard Ohio Executive Director
(216) 288-4883
kenprendergast@allaboardohio.org

LinkingOhio.com launched, shows federal government that Ohio wants rail!
Go to: http://www.linkingohio.com

All Aboard Ohio, a 501c3 nonprofit organization advocating the need for improved passenger rail and public transit services in Ohio, announced the launch of LinkingOhio.com, an online grassroots building effort that is garnering excitement and support around Ohio’s bid for passenger rail.

The Obama Administration and the Federal Railroad Administration created an $8 billion Federal stimulus fund specifically to develop passenger rail projects throughout the United States.  Ohio submitted a proposal on Oct. 2, 2009 for $564 million in Federal stimulus dollars, and was one of 24 states applying for the grant dollars.  Ohio’s bid is to build out the 3C corridor, a passenger rail system to connect Cincinnati, Dayton, Columbus and Cleveland.  The federal government is expected to award grants to winning states in early 2010.

“We believe that it’s our responsibility, as an advocacy group, to leverage our State’s proposal by building citizen support for passenger rail,” said Ken Prendergast, Executive Director of All Aboard Ohio. : “This new website and its tools are allowing us to generate more grassroots contacts with federal officials in a matter of days that took a month or more in campaigns of the past.  Our hope is that by showing broad support, the FRA will look more favorably at Ohio’s application.”

LinkingOhio.com is the destination point for the grassroots effort.  The Web site provides detailed information about Ohio’s proposal, including the expected economic benefits passenger rail will create for Ohio.  In addition, site visitors are encouraged to sign the “Ready to Ride” petition, and submit a letter to Congress, plus Senators Brown and Voinovich, the Obama administration and the Federal Railroad Administration.  The site also includes a video and picture upload feature for users to further express their passion for passenger rail in Ohio.  An aggressive social network marketing effort is being employed to drive traffic and build support.

“The competition for this stimulus is intense.  So if we all don’t take action to show our government how important passenger rail is to Ohio, then this opportunity may simply pass us by,” continued Prendergast.  “Writing a letter, signing our petition, uploading a creative video, joining our Facebook fan page…these are the necessary tools that will facilitate our coalition building effort.”

“Together, we must show Washington that Ohio is ready for rail,” said Ohio Department of Transportation Director Jolene M. Molitoris. “A vibrant Ohio rail initiative will spark immediate business and job growth. The service will also provide long-term economic development centers around the proposed station stops in Ohio’s major downtown areas. Through the ‘Linking Ohio’ initiative, All Aboard Ohio can help build even greater broad public support for the 3C Passenger Rail Plan.”

All Aboard Ohio employed the marketing services of The Milenthal Group, Broad & High and Solutions by Web to bring the campaign to life.  “We are deeply dedicated to supporting Ohio’s economic development projects in any way we can,” expressed Jon Milenthal, vice president at The Milenthal Group.  “When All Aboard Ohio approached us about this campaign, we couldn’t say no.  Passenger rail in Ohio will put Ohioans to work and infuse a tremendous amount of revenue into our state.”

For more information about All Aboard Ohio and the marketing team that developed LinkingOhio.com, visit these Web sites:

Linking Ohio – http://www.linkingohio.com
The Milenthal Group - http://www.themilenthalgroup.com
Broad & High Partners - http://www.broadandhigh.net
Solutions by Web - http://www.solutionsbyweb.com
3C “Quick Start” Project – http://www.3cisme.ohio.gov

END

[noozer]

columbus/stories/2009/12/07/daily7.html

Monday, December 7, 2009, 5:17pm EST
Group stirring support for Ohio rail bid
Business First of Columbus

A Cleveland passenger-rail advocate is stepping up efforts for Ohio to snag a chunk of $8 billion in federal stimulus funds dedicated to rail.

All Aboard Ohio on Monday launched a Web site at LinkingOhio.com that encourages visitors to write to legislators and the Federal Railroad Administration in support of Ohio’s bid for more than $500 million in stimulus funds. The state is looking to build a “3C” passenger rail system that would run from Cincinnati to Cleveland through Dayton and Columbus, with a “quick start” plan aiming for service as early as 2011.

Officials have said the rail system would be tied into the Chicago Hub Network, which connects with Toledo, Louisville, Ky., and Indianapolis and would serve as a gateway to the western U.S.

More at link above:

[KJP]

http://209.51.133.155/cms/index.php/news_releases/more/share_your_holiday_rail_wish_with_congress_obama/

Share your holiday rail wish with Congress, Obama!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE — December 8, 2009

Contact:
Ken Prendergast
All Aboard Ohio Executive Director
(216) 288-4883
kenprendergast@allaboardohio.org

With just 17 days until Christmas, a growing number of Ohioans are sharing their holiday wish for a passenger train with President Obama and Ohio’s members of Congress.

With help from a nonprofit grassroots association, those wishes are being made using some high-tech tools. This week All Aboard Ohio – the state’s leading public advocacy organization for passenger rail – launched its LinkingOhio.com campaign, featuring a multi-media Web site that allows Ohioans to contact their elected officials in Washington with ease.

Go to http://www.linkingohio.com/ to view the new site.

As of today, nearly 300 letters were sent to Ohio members of Congress, Senator Brown, Senator Voinovich, the Federal Railroad Administration and the White House. That early outpouring is double the number that had been sent by late last week.

The State of Ohio on Oct. 2 submitted a $564 million application for 100-percent federal funding to enhance rail infrastructure and develop passenger rail service linking Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton and Cincinnati (3C Corridor). The Federal Railroad Administration is expected to decide in early 2010 whether to approve Ohio’s application – along with those submitted by 24 other states totaling $50 billion.

All are seeking some of the $8 billion in federal stimulus funds to be used exclusively for passenger rail development to create jobs, promote economic development around stations, increase mobility for all travelers regardless of their age, income or disability, connect colleges and universities, and promote all-weather travel reliability.

That last benefit will probably be higher on Christmas wish lists this week as the weather outside gets frightful and holiday travel season resumes. Passenger trains are typically least affected by winter weather, and are often the last travel mode still dashing through the snow.

“Winter weather is about to hit Ohio once again, and a growing number of Ohioans are wishing they could ride a stress-free and cozy train that knifes through storms instead of driving on slippery, snow-covered roads,” said Ken Prendergast, executive director of All Aboard Ohio. “With All Aboard Ohio’s new LinkingOhio.com site, these winter-weary drivers are sharing their stories with President Obama and Ohio’s members of Congress. We encourage more Ohioans to use the high-tech tools on our Web site.”

END

[noozer]

Dear Santa

"All I want for Christmas is passenger train."

You don't have to wrap it up.  We'll start riding it right away.

[KJP]

Since you understand the importance of passenger rail in Ohio, you will be interested in the information contained in the brief Linking Ohio Webinar available this week. 

Two dates

-          Thursday, December 17, 2009; 3:00 p.m.
-          Friday, December 18, 2009; 3:00 p.m.

You’ll hear about the Linking Ohio campaign, our efforts to increase the number of supporters for Ohio’s 3C bid, and what you can do to help the cause.  We’ll even provide you with the materials to make it easy to engage your network of friends, family and co-workers.  There will be plenty of time for questions, too.

TO RSVP & FOR LOGIN INFORMATION—just reply to info@linkingohio.com


Linking Ohio
info@linkingohio.com
www.linkingohio.com
www.twitter.com/linkingohio