by Andrew Beckett | Dec 9, 2010
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...
by Andrew Beckett | Dec 8, 2010
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...
by Andrew Beckett | Nov 17, 2010
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...
by Andrew Beckett | Nov 10, 2010
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...
by Andrew Beckett | Nov 3, 2010
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...
by Andrew Beckett | Sep 27, 2010
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...
by Andrew Beckett | Aug 17, 2010
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...
by Bob Hague | Jul 1, 2010
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...
by Bob Hague | May 6, 2010
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...
by Bob Hague | Apr 16, 2010
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...
by Bob Hague | Mar 23, 2010
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...
by Bob Hague | Feb 20, 2010
It’s being pitched as a boon to business, with riders tapping away on laptops as they multi-task their way between Milwaukee and Madison. But state Senator Judy Robson says a couple other demographics will welcome the option to hop on high speed rails: seniors...
by Jackie Johnson | Feb 17, 2010
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...
by Bob Hague | Feb 16, 2010
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...
by Jackie Johnson | Feb 1, 2010
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,...
by Jackie Johnson | Jan 28, 2010
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...
by Bob Hague | Jan 28, 2010
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...
by Jackie Johnson | Sep 17, 2009
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...