Support lacking for costly Amtrak expansion in Ohio

Advocates may be all aboard with Amtrak expansion, but there is no evidence most other Ohioans are (”Advocates are all aboard with Amtrak expansion,” April 2). Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority light-rail trains ran close to empty most of the time, even pre-pandemic. Building expensive infrastructure for a statewide train system few people use will not help either the economy or the environment.

There is an easy way to gauge public receptivity to large-scale interurban public transportation. For a fraction of the cost of expanding train service, bus routes could be established following prospective train lines at frequencies of once an hour or more. This could be done in partnership with existing commercial carriers. Such a system could provide well over 100 daily connections to other cities from Cleveland, against a mere 22 for far more expensive train service. If the demand for bus service starts to exceed capacity, then it is time to consider expanding rail service.

Eric Klieber,

Cleveland Heights