Dublin is helping shape plans to restore passenger rail to Central Ohio, with Mayor Chris Amorose Groomes chairing MORPC’s passenger rail advisory council and the city planning for a potential station in its West Innovation District.

Columbus has not had passenger rail since 1979 and is the one of the largest metropolitan areas without passenger rail, according to MORPC. Dublin has identified a proposed train station site along State Route 161 in the West Innovation District, according to city planning documents. The Dublin Ohio Daily newsletter reported in May that the city has also contributed money to the project's planning fund.

William Murdock, executive director of the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission (MORPC), discussed Dublin's role in the project during an Oct. 8 podcast appearance. In an October 2025 interview with WOSU, Murdock called the rail line a project "that gives us confidence to keep moving forward" because it could connect people to jobs across the region.

MORPC, Fort Wayne and several Ohio communities committed $650,000 to the Federal Railroad Administration in October 2025 to advance the corridor study. If the federal government proceeds, it would cover 90% of the study cost, Murdock said at the time. Most of the local share came from Ohio communities.

The next planning phase, a Service Development Plan identifying station locations, train frequency and construction costs, was projected to begin in summer 2026 and take 12 to 18 months, according to WOSU reporting in April. Completion of the Midwest Connect line is estimated between 2032 and 2033.

Federal funding remains uncertain. WOSU reported in October 2025 that the Trump administration had pulled back support for some passenger rail projects that advanced under the Biden administration.

LinkUS brings transit projects to Dublin

COTA and MORPC presented a $544,300 check at a Sept. 18 groundbreaking for a shared-use path along Shier Rings Road. The path, a partnership between Washington Township and the city, will connect Avery-Muirfield Drive to Cosgray Road. Construction began in August and is expected to wrap up by mid-October.

The project is the third of 83 initial LinkUS infrastructure projects funded through the Franklin County sales tax expansion voters approved under Issue 47. The long-range LinkUS plan calls for more than 500 miles of sidewalks, bikeways and trails across the region by 2050.

COTA also extended fixed-route bus service into Dublin on Sept. 7, with Line 1 Kenny now running every 30 minutes from downtown Columbus through the Ohio State University area to Ohio State Outpatient Care Dublin.

Groomes has tied the transit investments to Dublin's zoning future. At a Feb. 23 council meeting, she advocated for updating the city's development code to prepare for LinkUS corridors running through Dublin's center, including identifying potential station locations and planning for transit-oriented development around them.

MORPC is also developing a 2028–2055 Metropolitan Transportation Plan and is seeking public input through an online survey.