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The state of Ohio is seeking $564 million in high-speed stimulus funds for its 3C “Quick Start” passenger-rail service between Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton and Cincinnati. But the state shouldn’t just be running high-speed passenger trains — it also should be manufacturing them, according to an Ohio-based industrial research organization.

This week, the Edison Welding Institute (EWI) proposed to Ohio Rail Development Commission members that a national center for high-speed passenger-rail manufacturing be created in Ohio. The institute’s plan calls for building a manufacturing center as well as creating an industrial supply chain of smaller manufacturers to feed what will be a growing passenger rail-car industry.

EWI officials say their plan is ideally suited for Ohio because of the state’s industrial capacity for metal fabricating and components, skilled workforce, current rail and auto industry manufacturers, and strategic location as a logistics center.

“Ohio’s existing manufacturing assets combined with its central location make it the perfect location for business development that will be needed to support these federal investments,” said Lisa Patt-McDaniel, director of the Ohio Department of Development, in a prepared statement.