U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin and Dem Gov. Tony Evers announced they’ve secured more than $218 million in federal funds to expand Amtrak passenger rail service from Milwaukee to Madison — and ultimately connect the state capital to Chicago.
The project envisions twice-daily service between Madison and Milwaukee with stops in Watertown and Pewaukee, and the federal money would finance construction of new rail stations while rehabilitating and expanding the capacity of rail tracks, bridges and crossings.
Under project plans, the service could start as soon as 2030. But it would need $54 million in state money to cover 20% of the project cost and match the federal funds. The Legislature could take that up in the 2027-29 budget, along with the annual state subsidy that would be required to run the trains once constructed, a cost pegged at $2.5 million.
Baldwin, D-Madison, says the project will create 200 jobs and create $46 million in annual economic impact.
“For our agricultural and manufacturing businesses that use freight rail, this investment will reduce delays and give them reliability and confidence that their products are getting in the hands of customers on time,” she said in a statement.
Even if the project gets a friendly reception in the Legislature, the fate of that state money could rest with who wins the race for governor.
Wisconsin has been through a debate over connecting Madison and Milwaukee via rail before.
Sixteen years ago, then-Gov. Jim Doyle touted the possibility of using $810 million in federal funds to build a high-speed rail line between the two cities. While advocates touted it as an economic development opportunity, Republicans dismissed it as a boondoggle. They argued it was faster to drive between the two cities with the proposed project making stops along the way, and they objected to the state subsidy.
Ultimately, Doyle paused the work after Republican Scott Walker won the governor’s race in 2010 with his opposition to the proposed line, and the work never restarted.
Likewise, even with the funding secured by Baldwin and Evers, this fall’s gubernatorial election could throw a wrench in the plan.
GOP candidate Tom Tiffany has said the project wouldn’t be a good use of taxpayer dollars and raised concerns that Wisconsin families who never used the line would be forced to cover the annual subsidy.
Dem David Crowley, meanwhile, has praised the possibility the project would link Madison and Milwaukee while bemoaning Walker’s role in the high-speed rail line’s demise.
See more in an earlier story.
