This fall, All Aboard Ohio sat down for lunch with 91 community and business leaders from across Greater Cleveland. Over two midday sessions of our Lunch and Learn series, presented in partnership with NOACA, employers,

neighborhood organizations, developers and civic leaders joined us to talk about one question: what would better passenger rail mean for Cleveland?

These conversations were made possible by a mini-grant from the Cleveland Streets Coalition, hosted by Bike Cleveland. The Coalition is a network of residents, businesses and community groups working toward safer, people-friendly streets and more transportation choices across the city. We are grateful for their support, and for a shared belief that how we move around Cleveland shapes how the city grows.

Our speakers were Brian Schriver, Board Secretary of All Aboard Ohio; Andrew Bean, Associate Director of Government Affairs at NOACA; and Sarah Davis, Senior Transportation Planner with the City of Cleveland. They started with where we have been. Cleveland was built as a rail city, and for much of the last century its downtown was one of the busiest passenger hubs in the Midwest. Today, the trains that serve Cleveland arrive in the middle of the night, and it has been more than 55 years since Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnati were linked by passenger rail. From there, we turned to what comes next: the proposed 3C+D corridor connecting Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton and Cincinnati, the Cleveland–Toledo–Detroit corridor, and how the City of Cleveland's Cleveland Moves plan fits into a more connected future for the region.

The energy in the room was hard to miss. Attendees asked sharp questions, shared what better rail access would mean for recruiting talent, attracting visitors and connecting their customers, and stayed after to keep the conversation going. Many went a step further and added their names to our letter of support for passenger rail, joining a growing list of Ohioans ready to say so publicly.

The takeaway is clear: Cleveland's business community is paying attention. When the time comes for key decisions on passenger rail in Ohio, these leaders will be ready to speak up and stand behind it. If you or your organization want to add your voice, sign the letter and keep an eye out for future Lunch and Learn sessions.