'No longer afraid to talk about expansion': Council members consider new streetcar route

Fresh off record-setting ridership numbers for the Cincinnati Connector, two city council members have started conversations about expanding the streetcar route that was always envisioned to be longer than the 3.6-mile loop it runs on now.

Leading the conversation: Councilman Mark Jeffreys, who has prioritized transportation in his almost two years on city council, and Councilman Jeff Cramerding, who works as a labor attorney at the University of Cincinnati and says there is a critical need for coordinated transit in Uptown that could include streetcar expansion.

Jeffreys, Department of Transportation and Engineering Director John Brazina and Deputy Director of Streetcar Services Lori Burchett had an online meeting earlier this year with Kansas City streetcar officials about that city's successful streetcar expansion. There have been no public talks about expansion.

"We need to have a conversation about the future of the streetcar," Jeffreys told The Enquirer.

Cramerding said, "I am no longer afraid to talk about expansion. I think the Downtown loop, despite some growing pains, shows the streetcar can succeed in Cincinnati."

He says he's not alone. "I have heard increasing conversation from council members on what’s next for the streetcar."

Cincinnati Mayor Aftab Pureval: Conversation about streetcar expansion is worthwhile

Cincinnati Mayor Aftab Pureval said streetcar expansion is not a priority of his office, but he's not dismissing the conversation. There was a council edict early in the current term for the administration to stay informed about any possible grants for the streetcar. The city has applied for a technology grant related to arrival times and streetcar location but has not heard back from the federal government.

But there hasn't been any federal money available to expand the route.

Still, Pureval said it’s "a conversation absolutely worth having."

"It’s critical to not just talk about expanding it, but how to expand it, where to expand it, and the community’s appetite for tax dollars being used," Pureval added. "Having a robust conversation is important before any action is taken."

As this conversation starts, Pureval said the city is continuing to focus on how to make the streetcar as successful as possible in its current state.

Cincinnati streetcar expansion would be decided by city council

The streetcar cost $133 million to build. Expansion to Uptown was estimated to cost another $75 million more than a decade ago. Any changes now would need all new cost estimates.

The streetcar has long been a hot-button issue in Cincinnati. Former Mayor Mark Mallory championed the idea. It was supposed to run from Downtown to Uptown as a job center connector, but former Ohio Gov. John Kasich pulled state money from the project at the last minute, killing the Uptown portion of the project.

The streetcar runs on a 3.6-mile loop from The Banks to Findlay Market. It opened in September 2016. Former Mayor John Cranley won election in 2013 partly on a platform to kill the streetcar project mid-build, but after he won, Cincinnati City Council went forward with the project over Cranley's wishes. Ridership never lived up to predictions, but supporters say the project spurred economic growth. When the city killed the cumbersome and costly ticketing process in 2020, ridership began climbing.

Burchett is planning a citizen survey this fall to gauge interest in the streetcar and its future, Jeffreys said.

Earlier this month Burchett told The Enquirer's "That's So Cincinnati" podcast that any expansion talks would need to be directed by city "leadership."

"I would say just personally, as a transit planner, a feasibility study would be a logical step," Burchett said. "But we don't have any funding set aside for that. That hasn't been in the conversation yet. What we have been doing is ensuring that we're providing a really good product and seeing how we can improve on that."

The conversation comes as all nine Cincinnati City Council members prepare to run for election in November. It also comes in the midst of what Mayor Aftab Pureval described as a "dire" financial time for the city. Council last week passed a 2024 fiscal year operating budget of $523 million − up $33.6 million from this year's budget. But it came with warnings that revenues are not projected to grow anytime soon and there's already a nearly $10 million deficit in the 2025 operating budget.

To get through this budget, in December, council members raised property taxes. Council raised property taxes from 4.84 mills to 6.1 mills, which costs property owners an extra $39 per each $100,000 valuation of their home. The new millage brings in roughly $15.4 million more a year.

The city has more than $300 million in deferred maintenance issues, which has been cited as a reason why Pureval and other council members think selling the city-owned railroad to Norfolk Southern for $1.6 billion is a good idea. The Cincinnati Southern Railway Board is set in meeting next month to make a decision about whether to ask voters to approve the idea.

If it's sold, the plan is to create a trust with the money and use investment money from the trust on current infrastructure projects.

More answers needed before streetcar expansion, councilman says

Jeffreys said it's too soon to talk about the cost of expansion, saying he sees the conversation as answering four key questions:

• Understanding the public’s perception of the streetcar. Kansas City, which opened its streetcar shortly before Cincinnati, has done this, but Cincinnati has not. "I think most people would say probably more favorable. But we don’t have data," Jeffreys said.
• Destination. In Kansas City one destination is a future job center. Jeffreys said in Cincinnati it could be to Uptown as originally envisioned. Or it could go from TQL Stadium to Union Terminal, which would connect it to Amtrak, which is having its own route expansion talks. Or it could go to Newport and Covington, with those cities partnering with Cincinnati. "We have to think about the entire ecosystem," Jeffreys said.
• The business model. Kansas City taxed the property owners along the route. But in Cincinnati there could be business partners that cover the cost, Jeffreys said.
• Desirability. Once all the information is gathered − where it will go, what it will cost and who will pay for it − do citizens want an expansion?

Cramerding said Uptown is where the focus should be, with talk about an expanded streetcar and how the bus system links the university to downtown.

"I don’t know what the right connector is: a streetcar or coordinated bus connector? That’s the key," Cramerding said. "How we do it is the next question."

He said he has not talked to UC officials.

"UC has the opportunity to be a great partner when it comes to housing and transportation," Cramerding said. "I hope and expect for them to rise to the challenge."

Cramerding and Jeffreys are Democrats. Council's lone Republican Liz Keating said there's no city money for streetcar expansion.

"In terms of a streetcar expansion, if the private sector wants to provide the local match to take advantage of federal dollars, I’m all for it," Keating said. "But, the city does not have the money to do this right now. We have to get our priorities straight."