Wisconsin loses train money

Efforts to build a high speed rail line connecting Madison and Milwaukee suffered a major blow Thursday, after the U.S. Department of Transportation announced it is withdrawing the $810 million awarded to Wisconsin and sending it to other states. The DOT also took...

Looking for answers on high speed rail

Avid supporters of high speed rail dominated an informational meeting in Madison Tuesday night, even though a proposed line connecting Madison and Milwaukee was not the focus of the event. The meeting is part of a series of sessions being held around the state to...

Rail money could go to deficit reduction

Members of Wisconsin’s Congressional delegation have introduced legislation that would allow high speed rail money to be used to reduce the federal deficit, if states decide they no longer want to pursue those projects. The proposal would allow states to return...

Walker asks feds to reconsider rail money

Governor-elect Scott Walker wants federal officials to put funding toward improving Wisconsin’s roads, not its rail lines. In a letter to U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, Walker asked that the state be allowed to use $810 million in stimulus money to...

Walker working to stop the train

Governor-elect Scott Walker says he will find a way to stop a high speed rail line between Madison and Milwaukee. Governor Jim Doyle in recent days has moved to finalize many of the contracts for the train before Walker takes office, possibly locking the state into...

Study looks at impact of high speed rail

A new report touts the benefits high speed rail could bring to Wisconsin. The study from WISPIRG shows proposed high speed rail lines across the Midwest would bring a big boost to the economy. Director Bruce Speight says a complete Midwest high speed rail network...

Republicans continue push against high speed rail

Plans to build a high speed rail line between Milwaukee and Madison continue to draw fire from Republicans. The $800 million plan has become a major issue on the campaign trail for the GOP, with Republican gubernatorial candidate Scott Walker this week launching a...

Doyle dismisses threats to high speed rail (AUDIO, VIDEO)

Governor Jim Doyle and local officials announced a final location for a high speed rail station in downtown Madison on Thursday, and the governor again dismissed the threats of Republican candidates for governor who’ve threatened to pull the plug on the Madison...

Madison depot site chosen (AUDIO)

The Doyle Depot? Madison will have a new high speed rail station downtown, and if the city’s Mayor has his way, it will be named after Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle. Doyle made the announcement Thursday that a site in the heart of downtown Madison has been...

Doyle says state will lead on high speed rail

With amenities such as “bistro cars” and WI-FI access, Governor Jim Doyle says Wisconsin is going to be able to demonstrate a new kind of passenger rail service to the rest of the country, and to do it first. “We are going to move beyond all of the...

DOT wants your rail views

The state’s transportation agency wants your opinion on railroads in Wisconsin. WiDOT is developing a statewide, long-range rail plan, the Wisconsin Rail Plan 2030 (PDF), to address rail needs. “The information that we receive from the questionnaire will...

Mayors express support for high speed rail

Leaders of two communities affected by plans for high speed passenger rail express their support. The Mayors of Oconomowoc and Watertown join WISPIRG and the High Speed Rail Association of Wisconsin, hammering home the benefits of the train to Wisconsin. Watertown...

Lawmakers sign off on high speed rail money

State lawmakers have approved spending $810 million dollars in federal stimulus funding on Madison to Milwaukee high speed rail. Representative Mark Pocan (D-Madison) is a co-chair of the Joint Finance Committee. “I think it’s going to positive for not...

Tax donor state now on the receiving end

The high speed rail project continues to cause a lot of controversy. It was announced last week that Wisconsin will get $810 million from the federal government to build high-speed passenger rail service from Milwaukee to Madison. Critics point to the longterm costs,...

High speed rail on the fast track to Wisconsin

Fast trains will soon connect Wisconsin’s capital city with Wisconsin’s largest city … and eventually the Twin Cities. Wisconsin gets $823-million dollars from the federal government to build high-speed passenger rail service from Milwaukee to...

Wisconsin to get $882 million for high speed rail

Wisconsin’s high-speed rail projects will receive $822 million in federal stimulus funds, according to an announcement from the state’s U.S. Senators, Democrats Herb Kohl and Russ Feingold. Of that total, $810 million will be directed to the Madison-Milwaukee...

Midwest states show unity in DC for high speed rail

Representatives from Midwestern states meet Wednesday in Washington to push for a high-speed rail network. Wisconsin is one of eight states joining forces to get federal funding to develop the Midwest corridor. Several officials met with U.S. Transportation Secretary...