A planned Milwaukee-Madison passenger rail service could be moving closer to reality with the state applying for a $218.2 million federal grant to help finance the route.
Gov. Tony Evers and the Wisconsin Department of Transportation, in partnership with Amtrak, have submitted that grant application to the U.S. Department of Transportation.
That grant would help expand Amtrak’s Hiawatha train service to Dane, Jefferson and Waukesha counties. The state would pay a 20% share of the $272.8 million construction project – around $54.6 million, a spokeswoman for Evers told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
It would initially run two round trips daily, with additional stops in Pewaukee and Watertown – bringing passenger service to Wisconsin’s second- and third-most populous counties.
The Trump administration is expected to choose grant recipients in the coming months, according to a June 25 announcement from the governor’s office.
Amtrak has been working on plans for the possible extension of its Hiawatha service, which runs between Milwaukee and Chicago. That new service, dubbed Hiawatha West, could start as soon as 2030.
Construction costs include track, crossing and bridge upgrades, as well as new platforms in Madison, Watertown and Pewaukee.
Also, Wisconsin would need to provide a $2.5 million annual operating subsidy, said Arun Rao, Amtrak’s senior director for network development, in April. The state now pays $5.6 million annually for the Hiawatha’s Milwaukee-Chicago service.
Evers, in a statement, said his administration has worked to repair roads and “expand reliable transportation alternatives.”
Evers said the Hiawatha West service would “right that wrong” from when his predecessor, Gov. Scott Walker, in 2010 rejected plans for high-speed rail between Milwaukee and Madison. Walker cited the project’s costs, which were to be covered mainly with federal funds.
“Ensuring Wisconsin has the 21st-century transportation and infrastructure we need to compete for workers and thrive in a 21st-century economy must be a top priority for our state, especially if we want to keep working toward the future we’ve been building together over the last seven years,” Evers said.
A tentative schedule calls for a departure from downtown Madison at 6:15 a.m., arriving at Milwaukee’s Intermodal Station at 8 a.m., Rao said in April. A later run would depart Madison at 5:30 p.m.
The first Milwaukee departure would be at 10 a.m., arriving in Madison just before noon. There also would be an evening departure.
Amtrak expects around 260,000 annual passenger trips, Rao said. The Milwaukee-Chicago Hiawatha service has around 681,600 annual passenger trips.
The Hiawatha West service would have an estimated $46.3 million annual direct and indirect economic impact, he said.
The Federal Rail Administration defines direct economic impact as activity generated by the construction industry at the construction site, or by the operator at its facilities.
An indirect impact is activity generated by other industries that supply the construction industry or operator with inputs by vendors and suppliers, such as equipment, steel and concrete.
The project’s benefits include an estimated 200 permanent jobs, according to the governor’s announcement.
Tom Daykin can be emailed at tdaykin@jrn.com and followed on Instagram,Bluesky, X and Facebook.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Wisconsin seeks grant for planned Milwaukee-Madison Amtrak rail route
Reporting by Tom Daykin, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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By Tom Daykin, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel | USA TODAY Network
