High speed rail’s future in Wisconsin continues to unravel Monday, as Governor Jim Doyle announced a pause in the project, effectively placing its fate in the hands of Governor-elect Scott Walker, who made stopping the Madison to Milwaukee route one of the cornerstone’s of his campaign.
“While I could force the issue, I believe that this project will only be successful in the long run if the state of Wisconsin and the U.S. Department of Transportation are strong partners,” said the statement from Doyle. “My position remains the same,” Walker told reporters in the Capitol on Monday. “I don’t see anything that would change my mind.” Not even, apparently, the loss of federal money to upgrade the existing Hiawatha service between Milwaukee and Chicago. Doyle said the state will no longer be eligible for $82 million dollars for that, if the $810 million Madison to Milwaukee project is rejected.
