1 Can you elaborate on engineering consultant HNTB’s specific role in the Midwest Connect Corridor ID Grant? How close does this bring us to passenger rail service?
A: The role of HNTB is to help the City of Fort Wayne as the primary applicant and its partners, the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission (MORPC) and Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission, set up and prepare the scope of work for the Service Development Plan for the Midwest Connect project.
HNTB, as a well-known transportation planning corporation, will serve a vital role as the vendor helping us to meet the expectations of the Federal Rail Administration in Step One of this Corridor ID passenger rail grant.
Many factors will influence the return of passenger rail service, but our hope is to see it happen in five to seven years, less if we can do it!
2 How does NIPRA engage with local communities, businesses and government officials to ensure support and successful implementation of the passenger rail project?
A: NIPRA board members have been meeting with elected officials and representatives of business organizations like Greater Fort Wayne Inc. and the Regional Chamber of Northeast Indiana for years to ensure support for the restoration of passenger rail service to Fort Wayne, northern Indiana and the Midwest. We have also spent time educating key businesses like Steel Dynamics and others as to the importance of the restoration of passenger rail service for not only transportation options but also for the very significant economic development it will bring to our city and region.
3 How do partnerships with the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission and the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission influence the project’s scope and timeline?
A: The partnerships have been of immeasurable help to our efforts to bring back daily passenger rail service along the five-state Midwest Connect Corridor ID line. This project is not just a Fort Wayne or an Indiana-only passenger rail line; it is a five-state Midwest passenger rail corridor connecting three large cities and many smaller communities with another important transportation option.
We were selected because the Federal Rail Administration recognized the impact and importance of our unique multistate, 545-mile-long passenger rail corridor.
And the match costs to the federal grants will be spread over five states, not just Indiana.
With several states involved showing the interest and importance of Midwest Connect, we hope this will expedite and cut the timeline.
4 Is there a plan to integrate the historic Baker Street Station into the new passenger rail service, and how has the community responded to these efforts?
A: Yes, we hope to see the Midwest Connect passenger rail stop in Fort Wayne at the Baker Street Station downtown. We expect that Baker Street Station, formerly the Pennsylvania Railroad Station, will be part of the service development plan for stops along the Midwest Connect line. The public knows about Baker Street Station and sees it as a past and future home for passenger rail service in Fort Wayne and Allen County.
We have held rallies for passenger rail service twice in the past few years at Baker Street Station with 800 to 1,000 supporters attending, as well as many elected officials. Along this same theme, NIPRA is planning to hold a passenger rail rally Oct. 27 at Baker Street Station, and we expect a large and enthusiastic crowd of supporters and many elected officials as well.
5 What strategies is NIPRA using to raise public awareness and educate the community about the project’s benefits and progress? How can people get involved?
A: NIPRA has used the media to keep the public informed about our progress toward the restoration of passenger rail service in Fort Wayne, northern Indiana and the Midwest. Some of our board members, like City Councilman Geoff Paddock, speak to many organizations each year about passenger rail and the Midwest Connect Corridor ID project. NIPRA maintains a website, niprarail.org, and has a Facebook page as well with updates on our progress, and of course we do media interviews whenever there is more news to report.
We are also members of business organizations like Greater Fort Wayne Inc. and the Regional Chamber of Northeast Indiana and have representatives of business on our board of directors.
The public can support our efforts to restore passenger rail service by joining NIPRA as a member for a whopping $10 per year and by contacting state and local elected officials to express their support for the Midwest Connect Corridor ID passenger rail project.
View the full article at journalgazette.net.