The regional transit authority's grant application rated poorly in a standard scoring process completed by the Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Regional Council of Governments transportation planning agency, according to documents obtained by The Enquirer.
While construction costs are on time and on budget, operating cost discussions are ongoing for the $133 million project.
The decision is based upon assurances from the Cincinnati business and philanthropic communities that they will work with the agency in public-private partnership to secure the funds required. The FTA has also agreed to serve as a resource.
City planners concluded it’s a better public transit option for the area. Since a 2007 analysis of transit alternatives selected a commuter rail line as the future transportation choice, planners have seen the Northstar Commuter Rail struggle with operating costs.
Also asks feds for $2.065 billion in capital support and $212 million for debt service.
In part due to a compromise to pay for part of the costs requested by University of Wisconsin Transportation Services and partly because of a projected increase in the cost of renting services from Madison Metro.
Capital funding will be used largely for rolling stock renewal and other projects aimed at taking care of the existing system.
The Valley Transportation Authority rail line suffers from low ridership and high operating costs, with less than 1% of area residents riding it daily.
Opponents of the policy, which only allows federal transit dollars to be used for capital costs when the population threshold is met, will force some communities to reduce service by 15 to 30 percent.
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