The little engines that could are hoping to go to the big city.
The Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad is now part of study looking into the feasibility of extending service from Akron to Cleveland.
But there are a lot of hurdles to overcome — not the least of which is the ongoing rail restoration work to address erosion issues in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park so the scenic trains can once again traverse the full 26 miles.
Work on the $450,000 feasibility study, approved by the Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency, begins this month.
The Cleveland office of the engineering firm AECOM will be looking at the logistics of extending the rail line another 11 or so miles.
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This is not the first time the idea has been floated.
There have been two previous studies that have looked at establishing rail service between Akron and Cleveland.
Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad President Joe Mazur said hopefully the proverbial third time will be the charm.