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Dayton Aviation Heritage Streetcars

The Federal legislation of 1992 that established the Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park made provisions for an “interurban” to connect the Wright Cycle Shop with the Huffman Prairie Flying Field. In February 1995 the Transportation Subcommittee of the National Park Committee was established to examine various transportation options for linking the National Park Sites. In 1996 Dr. Richard Henry was asked to prepare a plan for a rail link .

Federal Transit Authority (FTA) earmark funding for a Major Investment Study (MIS) was made available in 1998. The MIS, performed by Burgess & Niple, did not provide a preferred alternative. However, it did recommend further alternative evaluation and resulted in four consensus statements being adopted:

  • Agreed to pursue a Heritage Rail Trolley System to link park sites, promote and serve tourism and enhance local transportation service.
  • Agreed to pursue detailed study of the rail system for the purpose of seeking planning, engineering and construction funding.
  • Agreed to pursue bus and electric bus options.
  • Recommended creation of a committee to monitor the study and make final recommendations for implementation.

An additional FTA earmark was secured in 1999 for a second phase MIS for evaluation of the alternatives. This study, performed by Parsons Brinckerhoff, recommended a Locally Preferred Alternative (LPA) which included a heritage rail system linking west Dayton to downtown and a broader bus transportation system linking sites in Greene County. After reviewing this study, the Miami Valley Regional Planning Commission (MVRPC) Steering Committee did not recommend its endorsement.

In the Spring of 2004, MVRPC and the Greater Dayton Regional Transit Authority (GDRTA) agreed to work together in an effort to validate the recommended LPA.

In the summer of 2004, MVRPC hired Stone Consulting to review the study findings and cost estimates. As a result of Stone Consulting’s review of the study, the recommended streetcar routes were altered and are now comprised of two circulator routes in the downtown area and a linear route the would connect to the National Museum of the Air Force. MVRPC also hired GEM Public Sector Services to conduct an independent economic impact analysis. A Ridership survey was conducted in the Fall of 2004 by MVRPC staff. The survey was administered at nine locations along the proposed streetcar routes and over 1,000 completed questionnaires were collected.

A comprehensive presentation outlining the revisions to the recommended LPA was created and presented to various stakeholders in the community. In 2006, Parsons Brinkerhoff completed a Summary of all the Dayton Aviation heritage Streetcar studies to date. This report provides a review of each of the aforementioned studies and provides an outline for the steps necessary in order to reach a consensus on a Locally Preferred Alternative for the Miami Valley Region.