Contact: Scott Rogers, Co-chair, 715-864-6257
http://westwisconsinrail.wordpress.com/
Eau Claire, Wis. — The West Central Wisconsin Rail Coalition (a committee of Momentum West) and Wisconsin Department of Transportation are arranging three upcoming special events to inform west central Wisconsin citizens of the current status of efforts to bring high-speed rail passenger service to the area.
Times and locations for the events are as follows:
West Central Wisconsin Rail Coalition’s High Speed Rail: Myths and Realities
Local Open Public meeting to discuss passenger rail
September 16, 7:00 – 8:00 pm
Chippewa Valley Technical College Business Education Center
RCU Community Center Room, Main Entrance 4A, First Floor
620 West Clairemont Avenue, Eau Claire, WI 54701 6162
Free parking available in lot P1 (access off W. Clairemont Ave. frontage road)
West Central Wisconsin Rail Coalition’s Annual Meeting
Free meeting with WI and MN officials discussing specifics of passenger rail planning for our region
September 24, 9:00 am -12:00 pm
The Orchard Bar, Restaurant and Banquet Facility
571 U.S. Highway 63 (Exit #19)
Baldwin, WI 54002
RSVP to Momentum West at info@momentumwest.org or call 715-874-4673
Wisconsin Department of Transportation’s State Rail Plan Public Meeting
Attend to show your support to State Officials. Check for TBD location and date at Wisconsin’s high-speed passenger rail public involvement website. http://www.dot.wisconsin.gov/projects/state/railplan.htm
You can also sign up for e-mail updates and submit public comments at railplan2030@dot.wi.gov
In November 2009, the Wisconsin Department of Transportation issued Connections 2030, a long-range multimodal transportation plan for Wisconsin. The plan encompasses all modes of travel, but of particular interest is the reestablishment of rail passenger service between Chicago and the Twin Cities.
The planning for this service has been ongoing since 1997, but since February of this year when it was announced that the Federal government had allocated $810 million for Wisconsin passenger rail, including connecting Milwaukee and Madison and studying the final route of the remaining Madison/St Paul segment, progress and decisions have been greatly accelerated.
Of special interest to western Wisconsin is the route from Madison to the Twin Cities and whether it includes the existing AMTRAK route through La Crosse or the former “400” line through Eau Claire. A Connections 2030 map graphically highlights the two western Wisconsin area routes, and provides the following note: “Route(s) to be determined during environmental/preliminary engineering study”. Presently additional routes are also under study, but it is expected by the end of 2010 that the selected routes will closely reflect the Connections 2030 map. Then, by the end of 2011 or early 2012, expectations are that a final route will be determined as the official line between Madison and St. Paul.
