Few people in the local area recall the days when trains carried passengers from Bellaire to Barnesville, but many will recall freight trains rolling through the region.

Though passenger railroads once criss crossed our region, Ohio has become flyover country for many in the U.S.

But expansion projects announced last month by U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, may change that.

U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Railroad Administration officials have selected four routes in Ohio as priorities for Amtrak expansion: Cleveland-Columbus-Dayton-Cincinnati; Cleveland-Toledo-Detroit; Chicago-Fort Wayne-Columbus-Pittsburgh, the Midwest Connect corridor that includes Steubenville; and Daily Cardinal Service, which would increase service frequency from three days per week to daily on Amtrak’s service to Cincinnati.

The announcement “is a great first step toward expanding Amtrak in Ohio,” Brown said. “Good Amtrak service shouldn’t be a privilege only for people on the coasts.”

Of course, it would be wonderful to hope railroad safety reforms will accompany such an expansion. But increased transportation options for Ohioans will be an important part of the expansion and diversification of the state’s economy.

Those who helped make the announcement happen are to be commended.