Jan 12, 2022 - Business

The plan for an Amtrak station in Columbus

Alissa Widman Neese

An architect's rendering of the entrance to a proposed Columbus Amtrak station, in color — An architect's rendering of the entrance to a proposed Columbus Amtrak station. Image: LMN Architects, courtesy of the Franklin County Convention Facilities Authority

An Amtrak station could come to the Greater Columbus Convention Center if the city's goal of bringing passenger rail to Columbus stays on track.

What's happening: The Franklin County Convention Facilities Authority recently unveiled plans for a proposed $23 million, two-level station integrated into the center's south building.

Amtrak would pay for most of it using money from the federal infrastructure bill President Biden signed in November.

Why it matters: Columbus is the second-largest U.S. city without intercity rail.

Don Brown, the authority's executive director, tells Axios the location would provide easy access to all central Ohio neighborhoods for residents and visitors.

What's next: Amtrak must get the state's authority to launch the passenger rail service as part of a plan that would connect our city to Cleveland, Cincinnati and Dayton.

The intrigue: The proposed station would connect to the existing tracks under the convention center, which sits where the city's Union Station was before its demolition in 1979.

That would also require approval from CSX and Norfolk Southern, Columbus Business First reports.

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The plan for an Amtrak station in Columbus

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