From the 2002 Light Rail Report

This following excerpt is from the 2002 MetroMoves Plan.  MetroMoves, if it had been approved by the voters, would have first constructed two streetcar lines [one nearly identical to the route currently proposed running from the Zoo in Avondale, connecting Uptown and Downtown; the other a riverfront loop similar to the extensions of the streetcar recently endorsed by Newport and Covington].  After completion of the streetcar lines, six light rail lines would be constructed–connecting virtually the entire region.

From the Report:

If the (next six year federal transportation) bill is passed and the MetroMoves projects are not included, our community may have to wait several years before we are able to begin meeting the growing challenges of our region’s aging transportation infrastructure. Indeed, the most recent FTA “new starts” report — detailing the status of public transit construction projects from across the country — notes that FTA does not recommend federal funding for the I-71 Light Rail project because it currently does not have an identified local funding source. It is very unlikely that MetroMoves could be implemented without the support of federal tax dollars returning to the region.

The situation now is similar to what it was in 2002.  The 2010 Federal Transportation Bill is currently being considered in Congress, and federal support is still needed to bring improved public transportation to the region.

However unlike then, the Cincinnati Streetcar is an eligible candidate for the FTA New Starts Program because City Council has committed a funding match to the project.  If, however, the Anti-Passenger Rail Amendment passes then the Cincinnati Streetcar will no longer be eligible for FTA funding, delaying progress in this city for years.  Support our City’s Future–Build the Streetcar.