We've been talking about passenger rail transportation in Columbus and Ohio since probably the day we LOST it in the first place. At a minimum, for the past 40 years! So what's new now? In his State of the State message Governor Strickland boldly proclaimed that Ohio could see the rebirth and activation of a 21st century version of the 3-C passenger rail line as early as 2010.

Is he kidding?

Apparently not. With federal dollars cloaked in the folds of an economic stimulus package, states may be seeing massive dollars flowing into infrastructure projects in the next months. Dollars that can be used to fulfill dreams of passenger rail, rebuilt bridges and other desirable and essential infrastructure projects.

Additionally, central Ohio leaders are salivating at this unique opportunity to capture the much-dreamed-about metro transportation corridor, which would connect neighborhoods with downtown.

On the surface, all these projects seem to be somewhat extravagant and even, some would say, frivolous or just "entertainment;" however, proponents cite countless economic benefits from such plans. We'll hear from some of the top experts in this field about the "Real Reasons for Rail" on February 18 at CMC.