COLUMBUS — Two Delaware County leaders will serve as representatives on a new Passenger Rail Committee for the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission (MORPC).

Paul Brake, the new city manager for Delaware, and Tim Wilson, executive director of Destination Delaware (the Delaware County Convention and Visitors Bureau), are the two local representatives.

“He was invited to bring an economic development, marketing, and tourism perspective when looking at the effects of introducing passenger rail service in the region,” MORPC spokeswoman Melissa Rapp said of Wilson in an email to The Gazette.

The ad hoc committee held its first quarterly meeting this week at MORPC’s Columbus headquarters to discuss the Central Ohio Passenger Rail Initiative, the future of these services in the area. MORPC established the committee as part of the Federal Railroad Administration’s Corridor Identification and Development (CID) Program study.

“The establishment of this committee marks a step toward enhancing transportation options and connectivity in the region,” states a MORPC news release. “The committee will play a pivotal role in evaluating and recommending passenger rail projects that align with MORPC’s vision for a more sustainable and interconnected transportation network. The meeting agenda will include the introduction of committee members, discussion of objectives, and discussion of status of rail projects and potential impact to the region.”

Committee members include Joe Antram, Logan County; Christine Boucher, Columbus Region Logistics Council; Michelle Crandall, City of Hilliard; Terry Emery, City of Marysville; Bill Habig, Granville Township; Jeff Hall, City of Newark; Quincy Howard, Conference of Minority Transportation Officials; Megan O’Callaghan, City of Dublin; Kelly Scocco, City of Columbus; Robin Stewart, City of Worthington; and Monica Tellez-Fowler, Central Ohio Transit Authority.

Last December, MORPC announced that two CID applications were approved for Central Ohio, the 3C+D (Cleveland-Columbus-Cincinnati-Dayton) Corridor and the Midwest Connect (Chicago-Fort Wayne-Columbus-Pittsburgh).

“The last passenger train pulled out of Columbus in 1979,” MORPC said. “Since then, the region has grown exponentially, adding more than a quarter million residents in the last decade.”

MORPC describes itself as a “Regional Council with nearly 90 local governments and community partners, we provide nonpartisan data analysis, community resources, and long-range planning. Together, we drive the future prosperity and sustainability of the Central Ohio region.”

For more information, visit www.morpc.org.

Assistant Editor Gary Budzak photographs and reports on stories in eastern Delaware County and surrounding areas.