What Should Happen With Cincinnati’s Abandoned Subway?
Hey there, Cincinnatians! I’m reaching out because I need your creative minds to help me figure out what to do with our city’s abandoned 2.2-mile subway tunnel system under Central Parkway. Last fall, when the city asked for ideas, so many of you through Enquirer comments and social media kept saying the same thing: Why not turn it into a subway? I love that energy, and I want to hear more from you!
Source: Waring Abbott / Getty
I’ve been digging into this myself, thinking about how this dream went off the rails a century ago politics, World War I, and skyrocketing costs derailed it. Yet here we are, still paying taxes to maintain these empty tunnels that have never seen a train or a passenger. It’s frustrating, right? Someone like Brad Thomas, an attorney and former transit authority board member, said “abandoning the subway was one of Cincinnati’s biggest blunders”. I’m starting to agree fixing it could be a game-changer for us.
Could we make a subway work today? I’ve seen the old tunnel entrances east of I-75, and I can’t help but imagine trains running through them. Back in 1971, I heard regional leaders dreamed up a 57-mile transit plan that included these tunnels, but it fizzled out without federal funding.
Source: Marilyn Nieves / Getty
A smaller version suggested light rail, but the hills around here made new tunnels too pricey. A 2007 study I came across said it’d cost us $175 million in today’s dollars just to renovate the existing tunnels for light rail before even expanding them. Plus, there’s this massive water main from the ‘50s running through them that the city would have to deal with first. It’s a lot to chew on.
Still, I’m not ready to give up. Councilman Mark Jeffreys said “The city’s request for ideas was about opening our minds”, and I’m all in for that. Some of you already stepped up last December with 18 proposals.
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A few blew me away like 15-year-old Aiden Fischesser, who pitched a 1,200-mile system with 1,795 stations and five Ohio River crossings. Then there’s Fenley Jones, an 18-year-old urban planning student, who sketched out a $9.6 million, six-station subway stretching east to the Hard Rock Casino and north to Marshall Avenue. I mean, wow—talk about vision! Others suggested kayaking canals or entertainment hubs, which got me thinking outside the box too.
Source: Mark Wilson / Getty
John Schneider, Cincinnati’s “Mr. Streetcar,” is about keeping the tunnels for transit maybe light rail along I-75. He thinks “we are selling the tunnels short”, and I’m starting to see his point. Cities like Portland and Salt Lake City took years to warm up to light rail, and maybe we’re on that path too. I can feel it our highways are getting worse, and I’m ready to think bigger.
So, here’s my question: What should we do with these tunnels? Should we push for a subway, light rail, or something totally wild? Give me your boldest ideas run the numbers if you can, dream as big as you want. I’m ready to hear how we can turn this century-old “mistake” into Cincinnati’s next big win. Let’s do this together!
