The Connector is a streetcar system in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States. The system opened to passengers on September 9, 2016. The streetcar operates on a loop from The Banks, Great American Ball Park, Paycor Stadium, and Smale Riverfront Park through Downtown Cincinnati and north to Findlay Market in the northern edge of the Over-the-Rhine neighborhood. Future extensions have been proposed to the Uptown area, home to the University of Cincinnati, the regional hospitals on Pill Hill, and the Cincinnati Zoo; and to Northern Kentucky.
Due to the cost, and lack of distance, the project faced opposition on several occasions after being first proposed in 2007. Challenges included ballot initiatives to stop the project in 2009 and 2011, opposition from members of Cincinnati City Council, Governor John Kasich, and Mayor John Cranley (elected in 2013). However, both of the anti-rail ballot initiatives were rejected by voters, and a pro-streetcar majority was elected to City Council in 2011, allowing the project to move forward. Naming rights to the system were purchased by Cincinnati Bell in a $3.4 million, 10-year deal in August 2016. The streetcar was known as the Cincinnati Bell Connector until 2022, when the system gained its current name after the rebranding of Cincinnati Bell to Altafiber.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, fares were suspended and eventually eliminated.
History
Context
At the end of the 20th century, Over-the-Rhine, which is adjacent to downtown, was one of the most economically distressed areas in the United States.3CDC, Over-the-Rhine Overview . Retrieved on April 2, 2009 Over-the-Rhine's instability was preventing growth and investment in Downtown Cincinnati, the city's central business district; this, in turn, has been affecting the health of the entire region. Ideally, the streetcar line would attract downtown (and uptown) workers to live near the line, provide economic stimulation and development, and provide transportation for local residents and tourists. The streetcars appeared in Cincinnati's massive 2002 transit plan, MetroMoves, which was rejected when taken to a public vote. A "Phase 1B" was considered that would connect to the "uptown" neighborhoods that surround the University of Cincinnati. The fundamental goal of the streetcar proposal is to create transit-oriented development.
Feasibility study
On May 31, 2007, Omaha-based HDR Engineers completed a feasibility study that focused on a loop from The Banks, through downtown and Over-the-Rhine. According to the study, the city would gain between 1,200 and 3,400 additional residences, raise an additional $34 million in property taxes, and yield $17 million in retail activity per year from new residents. Within of the line there are of surface parking lots along the downtown and Over-the-Rhine line. The potential yield of the parking lots for redevelopment is 3,787 housing units or of commercial/office/hotel space. The study says lots would create between $54 million and $193 million additional redevelopment per year, with a conservative estimate of $112 million per year. A total property value premium of $379 million plus $1,480,000,000 of redevelopment over 10 years (conservative estimate) would equal a total of $1,911,000,000 of benefits for the city. The study estimated the cost to be around $100 million and concluded that the benefit-cost ratio of the downtown and Over-the-Rhine line would be 15.2 to 1, which means for every dollar Cincinnati spends it will receive $15.20 in return. The University of Cincinnati "checked the math" of the study and found that the "projections of the benefits of ridership and economic development" are "credible."
The study projected that a 2010 opening year would draw an estimated 4,600 riders of the downtown and Over-the-Rhine portion of the line each weekday. According to city leaders, if 2 percent of downtown workers, and 2 percent of convention attendees, and 2 percent of Over-the-Rhine residents ride the streetcars it will meet that daily ridership. By 2015 (assuming the system opened in 2010) about 6,400 people were estimated to ride the streetcars per weekday. Ridership numbers for the uptown line were not included in the study.
The 2007 study also claims the streetcar system would have four significant economic effects: Customer base and customer access will expand for existing businesses. Improved market values of existing properties. Catalyst for new transit-oriented development where less parking is required. Supporting neighborhoods by making them more walkable.
Votes and political involvement In 2007 the city completed a study to determine if installing streetcars would be beneficial. On April 23, 2008, Cincinnati City Council approved a plan to build a new streetcar line.
In 2009 and 2011 the city voted on referendums designed to stop the streetcar project, but in both cases a majority of voters favored the project.
2009 referendum Special interest groups COAST (Coalition Opposed to Additional Spending and Taxes) and the Cincinnati NAACP both oppose the streetcar system. Both groups gathered signatures for a ballot initiative that would amend the city's charter and force a public vote on the streetcars. However, the amendment would have prohibited the city "from spending any monies for right-of-way acquisition or construction of improvements for passenger rail transportation." This would have affected more than just streetcars, forcing a public vote on any rail-based system including the proposed high-speed rail that connects Cincinnati to Columbus and Cleveland, and potentially even the "Safari Train" at the Cincinnati Zoo. Since the amendment is usually described as a vote on the streetcars, CityBeat has suggested the amendment is "deceptive" and an attempt to reverse "COAST's waning political influence" in the city. (COAST has been described as "rabidly anti-mass transit.") The Cincinnati Enquirer, who wrote that the city is not ready for streetcars, called the proposed amendment a "poison pill" that is "DECEPTIVE in its language and intent."
A political action committee called Cincinnatians for Progress was formed to oppose the amendment proposed by COAST and the NAACP.55KRC March 29th: What The Coast Transportation Ballot Initiative Prevents Our City From Doing . Accessed on May 3, 2009. According to Cincinnatians for Progress, the amendment would unnecessarily delay projects by 10 to 12 months while the city waits on a public vote, and put Cincinnati at a competitive disadvantage with other cities. In the November 3, 2009 local elections however, this city charter amendment proposal failed, losing 56% to 44%.
2011 referendum After losing at the ballot box in 2009, COAST and the local NAACP began collecting signatures in 2011 for a similar ballot initiative. This referendum, known as Issue 48, differed by banning any spending on rail until December 31, 2020, rather than requiring a citywide vote for spending. It would have banned spending, no matter the source of money (federal, state, privately financed, etc.). Critics believed the language of the amendment again applied to all forms of rail transit, including any plans for a streetcar, light rail, or commuter rail.
The Cincinnati Enquirer endorsed a "No" vote on Issue 48, stating, "we vigorously oppose Issue 48 and urge voters to reject it. ... Issue 48 is a bad, bad, bad idea." According to "a majority of legal experts" interviewed by the Enquirer, Issue 48 "is written so broadly it could stop other rail projects in the city." Non-streetcar commuter rail projects that may have been affected included the county-backed Eastern Rail Corridor project, which plans to connect the eastern suburbs to downtown using an abandoned rail line. Others who endorsed a "No" vote were Cincinnati CityBeat, League of Women Voters of the Cincinnati Area, and former leaders of the local NAACP.
Issue 48 was defeated 52% to 48% on November 8, 2011. This, along with Cincinnati electing a more progressive city council, allowed the streetcar project to proceed.
Construction begins Construction of the streetcar system began with a groundbreaking on February 17, 2012, and utility relocation began at that time. The contract with Messer/Prus/Delta JV for the construction of the tracks, power system, and a maintenance facility was signed on July 15, 2013.
Former Cincinnati mayor Mark Mallory, a supporter of the streetcars, acknowledged the possibility of reinstalling one or more inclines if the new proposal for streetcars is successful enough. The city still owns the rights-of-way where the inclines once sat.
Construction pauses after 2013 election
On November 6, 2013, in a mayoral election to replace Mayor Mallory, who is term-limited, Cincinnati Streetcar supporter Roxanne Qualls was defeated by streetcar opponent John Cranley. In addition, Laure Quinlivan, a council member and streetcar supporter, lost her re-election bid by placing tenth in a race where only the first nine are seated; Amy Murray, a Charter-endorsed Republican who opposed the streetcar, placed ninth. By the time the election was held, contracts had been signed, utility relocation had been ongoing for months, and nearly a half mile of track had been installed on Elm Street. John Deatrick, the Project Executive for the Cincinnati Streetcar, presented numbers to Council showing that it would cost nearly as much to cancel the project as to finish it. Cranley reiterated his intent to cancel the project; however, City Councilman P.G. Sittenfeld, one of the main critics of the streetcar during the election, opposed the cancellation of the project by then. Still, five out of nine members voted to "pause" construction of the streetcar on December 4 to allow for an outside audit of the project.
An independent audit confirmed Dietrich's estimates of the cost of canceling the project. However, Cranley and several council members expressed concern about the annual operating cost of the streetcar and the effect it would have on the city's operating budget. The Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority offered to take responsibility for the streetcar's operating cost, but Cranley refused this offer and insisted that financial support must come from the private sector. Finally, after the Haile Foundation committed to providing $9 million in funding towards the project, City Council voted on December 19 to continue construction of the streetcar. Council Members Kevin Flynn and David Mann, who had supported the "pause", joined with four other Council members to vote in favor of the project. Since a supermajority of six Council members voted to resume the project, Cranley was unable to veto the ordinance.
Operations
The system opened to passengers at noon on September 9, 2016. The opening was celebrated with a weekend of free rides. Over 50,000 rides were taken during the three-day opening weekend. It is operated under contract by Transdev.Cincinnati Streetcar becomes Cincinnati Bell Connector with naming rights sale Railway Gazette International October 20, 2016
Following its opening, the streetcar fell short of ridership projections, averaging 2,012 riders per day during its first year. Large events such as the Cincinnati Reds Opening Day draw much larger crowds. Low ridership has been blamed on frequent track blockages by cars that contribute to delays as well as an anti-rail mayoral administration. In August 2018, Cincinnati Bell approached the City of Cincinnati about ending its sponsorship of the system, less than two years into the 10-year contract.