Cincinnati Southern Railway Could Be a Boon for the City—If We Don’t Vote to Sell It

Cincinnati was founded as a river town, but it became a proud railroad city with a strong history of passenger rail. At its peak, Cincinnati Union Terminal served 216 trains per day—a far cry from the current Cardinal service that comes only three days a week.

It’s time to reclaim that legacy. There are already great plans to connect Cincinnati with the North, and if we restore passenger service to the South, we can fill a critical gap in Amtrak’s Connect U.S. 2035 plan. With the only municipally owned railroad in the United States, Cincinnati has a unique opportunity to do just that. But it must keep the railroad in public hands.

While many know Glenn Miller’s famous song “Chattanooga Choo Choo,” few remember that the original Chattanooga Choo-Choo was the name of the Cincinnati Southern’s inaugural passenger train to that very city. A number of other historic “named trains” have utilized the Cincinnati Southern as part of their route: theRoyal Palm, the Queen and Crescent Limited, the Carolina Special, and the Ponce de Leon. These trains operated between Cincinnati and destinations to the south such as Atlanta, Jacksonville, New Orleans, and Charleston.

Historically Norfolk Southern is the worst host railroad for Amtrak and its rail passengers: Over the past four years, Norfolk Southern has caused the most minutes of delay per mile.

The mayor’s claim that owning the line makes no difference to restoring passenger service couldn’t be further from the truth. As the public owner of the line, Cincinnati can declare its right to run passenger trains over the tracks as a condition of the lease, just like Georgia did in its lease of the Western & Atlantic to CSX. If the railroad is sold to Norfolk Southern, that option slips away forever.

Without public ownership, we’d have to beg. Negotiating trackage rights with private railroads is a painful process. Railroads drag out negotiations, demand Amtrak or the state pay for infrastructure improvements, and then flout federal law by denying passenger trains priority.

Cincinnati can help avoid this headache by simply saying: “If you want to use our rail line, we get priority for any passenger trains.” This is key, because historically Norfolk Southern is the worst host railroad for Amtrak and its rail passengers: Over the past four years, Norfolk Southern has caused the most minutes of delay per mile. If the city got serious about passenger service, it could add a financial penalty for each minute of delay caused by Norfolk Southern to trains on the line as a lease condition, since violating federal law doesn’t seem to bother them.

Restoring passenger service on the Cincinnati Southern would more than halve rail travel times between Cincinnati and Atlanta from 26 hours, with a transfer in D.C. or Virginia, to 12.5 hours on a direct train. If we can reach the fastest scheduled 1950s times for the route, travel between Cincinnati and Atlanta could be as quick as 11 hours by train. Travel from Atlanta to Chicago would also be reduced by more than 12 hours.

Expanded passenger service would be a boon for Cincinnati’s economy, bringing new investment and making the city more attractive to young professionals, as well as more accessible for those living without cars. Passenger rail is also key to achieving the city’s Green Cincinnati Plan for carbon neutrality by 2050, as a more environmentally friendly form of transportation.

The commute between Cincinnati and Lexington would be made much more pleasant by rail. The 1952 timetable for Southern Railway shows this route scheduled for an hour and fifty minutes, making it competitive with driving—especially with traffic. With modern locomotives and track improvements, as well as proper incentives for Norfolk Southern to give passengers priority, I’d wager that this trip could be done in an even better time.

Cincinnati’s unique railway can return the city to its historic role as the “Gateway to the South.” To make that a reality, we must vote No on Issue 22 to keep the Cincinnati Southern Railway in public hands.