We're not on board with train travel

From an editorial in the Appleton Post-Crescent:

If gas prices tripled and quadrupled, train travel might make sense.

If traffic and congestion were stifling, train travel might make sense.

If we could easily get to wherever we wanted to go after getting off a train, train travel might make sense.

If trains were fast enough to overcome all their other inconveniences, train travel might make sense.

If we somehow no longer cared about the freedom to drive wherever and whenever we wanted to, train travel might make sense.

Do you get where we're headed here?

A group of passenger rail advocates called NEWRails seeks to re-establish passenger rail service between Milwaukee and Green Bay by 2011. It suggests that Amtrak establish a pilot route, with stops in Appleton, Neenah and Menasha.

Travelers going to Milwaukee could connect with other trains going to Chicago. The train would travel as fast as 79 mph, using the current Canadian National tracks.

Proponents say that, if enough people ride the train, it'll be an overall fuel-saver. The project would cost $125 million, expected to come from federal funds, to upgrade the tracks and signals.

As noble as the effort is, we're extremely skeptical about its chances for success in today's times. It's just too easy, convenient and cheap for people to drive. The train would be less easy, less convenient and less cheap. That's a deal-breaker.

Advocates push for passenger rail route through Fox Valley

From an article by Steve Wideman in the Appleton Post-Crescent:

APPLETON — Local passenger rail advocates want Amtrak to establish an experimental passenger train route between Chicago and Green Bay.

Bringing passenger trains back to the Fox Valley would connect this area to the world economy and significantly reduce the carbon footprint of travelers, said a spokesman for NEWRails, a group dedicated to renewing passenger rail service after a 39-year absence.

"We could transport people from here and get them connected to Chicago, one of the biggest economic engines in the country and the world. That's an incredibly powerful thing to have," said Paul Linzmeyer, president of NEWRails and a founder of New North, an economic development consortium of 18 northeastern Wisconsin counties.

The last passenger train traveled through the Fox Valley on April 30, 1971.

"What if Chicago gets the 2016 Olympics? If we had a passenger rail system in northeast Wisconsin we could be a part of that whole venue," Linzmeyer said.

NEWRails leaders brought their rail travel wish list to Appleton last week, including a plan to convince state transportation leaders to ask federal officials to approve an experimental Amtrak route on existing Canadian National Railway tracks with local stops in Appleton, Neenah and Menasha, Oshkosh and Fond du Lac.

Students to rally for high speed rail

From a news release issued by WISPIRG:

While many students head home, start their summer jobs, or begin long vacations, some students in the WISPIRG Student Chapters are hitting the road in support of high speed rail. Forty students will travel next week from Green Bay to Milwaukee to Madison to La Crosse over four days to show support for Wisconsin’s proposed high speed rail route.

President Obama seeks to connect our cities in “priority corridors” (including the Chicago-Milwaukee-Madison-Twin Cities route) with high speed rail. Congress this year passed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which will spend $8 billion for high speed rail on projects that have not yet been determined. Governor Doyle and WISDOT Secretary Busalacchi are advocating to bring high speed rail to Wisconsin; they are seeking Recovery funds to connect Madison and Milwaukee with intercity rail as part of the Midwest Regional Rail Initiative, a nine-state project that would connect over 100 Midwestern cities and link the region’s major economic centers. Doing so will give us more transportation choices, alternatives to lengthy airport delays, and reduced dependence on oil, while helping to rebuild our economy. Wisconsin would especially benefit because it is perfectly situated in the corridor connecting Chicago to the Twin Cities.

Enthusiasm for the project among students and other young people is infectious. At most stops students are planning a short bike route through each town to the location of the media event. WISPIRG students will wear matching t-shirts and carry a giant map of the proposed train route. Events will also include a human-powered train with many people, much like a Chinese dragon costume.

Come join us to show support for bringing high speed rail to Wisconsin!

Monday, May 25
10am Green Bay - National Railroad Museum
1pm Appleton - Houdini Plaza, downtown Appleton
3pm Oshkosh - Opera House Square

Tuesday, May 26
10am Milwaukee - Downtown Transit Center
1pm Brookfield - Town Hall
3pm Oconomowoc - Maxims, 115 E. Collins St.

Regional transit authority for Fox Cities gets state budget panel OK

From a story by Scott Bauer in The Capital Times:

The Legislature's budget committee on Friday approved a plan to use a mixture of higher sales taxes and car rental fees to pay for high-speed rail and other transit projects in the two most populated parts of the state.

The measures, part of the two-year state budget, must pass the full Legislature and be approved by Doyle before it becomes law.

In Dane County, a half-cent sales tax could be imposed to pay for commuter rail and other transit projects.

In Milwaukee, Racine and Kenosha counties up to $16 could be charged on car rentals to pay for a commuter rail line connecting the three southeastern Wisconsin cities. A new board created to oversee the rail line's construction also could levy $50 million in bonds to help pay for it. The project has been discussed for years but always stalled over ways to pay for it.

Also, Milwaukee County would be allowed to impose a 1 percent sales tax to pay for a countywide regional transit authority. The $132 million raised each year would pay for transit, parks, cultural and emergency medical services. Fifteen percent would go to the city of Milwaukee.

On a 9-7 vote, the committee voted against Gov. Jim Doyle's proposal to create a regional transit authority in the Fox Cities to help pay for the existing regional bus system using up to half a cent sales tax. . . .

Commuter rail supporters include environmentalists, business groups, organized labor and local governments, and organizations representing the disabled and elderly. They supported commuter rail to ease congestion, create jobs and spur economic development.

Trains idea isn't totally off track

From an editorial in the Green Bay Press-Gazette:

The last regularly scheduled passenger train rolled out of Green Bay in the spring of 1971, and the political and environmental realities of 2009 have brought rail service back to the future. We're not entirely sold on the idea, but it's worth a serious examination.

The Green Bay Press-Gazette recently wrote about Frank Ingram, a native of England who moved here 10 years ago and believes the time has come to resurrect rail service in this country.

In a way, America's fascination with railroads never went away. The little train at Bay Beach Amusement Park is one of its most popular attractions, and tourist railroads do a brisk business. The reuse of old train stations, like the Titletown Brewing Co., retains the charm of that past era.

And perhaps more to the point, when Green Bay residents visit places like Washington, D.C., or Chicago, or Europe, they often come back with wistful stories about the convenience of a well-run railroad system. And there's the rub.

Once the United States of America was crisscrossed by an impressive rail network, but midway through the 20th century, transportation dollars were diverted for the construction and maintenance of an interstate system of highways that is second-to-none in the world. Trains lost favor because the tracks were allowed to deteriorate to the point where they could not safely carry passengers at the speeds required to compete with the highways.

Now, the cost of re-creating that rail network is measured in many billions. The recently passed American Reinvestment and Recovery Act allocated up to $8 billion for railroad capital projects, but that's a drop in the bucket spread over 50 states. The cost of the 33-mile proposed Kenosha-Racine-Milwaukee commuter service is estimated at $209 million, for example.

Therefore it's a bit pie-in-the-sky to believe Green Bay could become a passenger rail hub again anytime soon. The costs at first blush seem to be prohibitive.

But Ingram makes a compelling point: Linking Green Bay to Chicago by rail could be a huge boon to the local economy.

Rail service might be a key to Fox Valley's economic growth

From an article by Paul Srubas in the Appleton Post-Crescent:

GREEN BAY — Government intervention helped kill passenger rail service in Wisconsin, but supporters of rail service say it can now help bring it back to life.

That's why Frank Ingram, of Green Bay, is organizing a local push for statewide rail service to include Green Bay.

Ingram, a native of England, is used to European passenger rail service and believes "the time is now" to resurrect the service in this country.

Passenger rail service is more economical, efficient and environmentally friendly than airline and automobile transportation, said Ingram, a builder and building renovator.

Encouraged by talk from President Barack Obama and Gov. Jim Doyle, Ingram sees growing interest in cooperative efforts between Wisconsin and Illinois to upgrade rail service between the two major cities of both states and to build a line linking Madison to Milwaukee.

Like Green Bay Mayor Jim Schmitt, Ingram believes Green Bay needs to be part of those plans. The system is certain to grow in southern Wisconsin, and Green Bay needs to remain economically relevant, Ingram said.

"There will either be a greater Chicago area that includes Milwaukee and Madison or a greater Chicago area that includes Milwaukee, Madison, the Fox Valley and Green Bay. Green Bay has got to be part of a dynamic core of the Midwest," he said.

Passenger rail service fell into decline in the U.S. not because it wasn't economically feasible but because the federal government forced it into decline, said Ray Ash, an 83-year-old railroad buff who worked most of his life for the Railway Express Agency.

"The government was all gung-ho on building an interstate highway system during the Eisenhower administration," Ash said.

He believes that sufficient tracks remain in place to re-establish passenger service that would be attractive to many travelers, especially senior citizens.

Officials disagree on potential Green Bay train service

From an article by Paul Srubas in the Green Bay Press Gazette:

Mayor Jim Schmitt hopes that Green Bay continues to be part of conversations about passenger rail service in Wisconsin.

Gov. Jim Doyle, in recent discussions about passenger rail service linking Madison and Milwaukee and possibly the Twin Cities, has hinted at the possibility of a rail spur someday connecting Green Bay to the network. Discussions of uses for federal economic stimulus money have fueled interest in mass transit and revitalized discussions of passenger rail service in Wisconsin.

"You'll see significant focus and improvements on passenger rail service throughout the U.S. in coming years," Schmitt predicted. "It's all something the federal and state governments are working on, and we just need to be part of the conversation.

"Linking Chicago, Milwaukee and Madison is important, but I don't want it to stop at Milwaukee. So much of it will come back to how much is being allocated, how much the state is going to get, and we need to keep the idea of Green Bay as a possible spur as a priority.

"It's not something we'll see in the next two or three years, but in the next five or 10? I think it's very doable."

But Paul Jadin, president of the Green Bay Area Chamber of Commerce and Schmitt's predecessor as mayor, thinks it could be even further away. The idea is attractive for Green Bay, but Jadin said there are a number of problems that need to be solved.

Jadin was a member of former Gov. Tommy Thompson's Blue Ribbon Task Force on Passenger Rail Service nearly 10 years ago.

"We initially explored the possibility of a train traveling 79 mph, with four stops" between Milwaukee and Green Bay, Jadin said. "It would take 4.5 hours. Who is going to get on a train for 4.5 hours when you can drive it in two?

"We did look at the possibility of speeds of 110 mph, with significant track improvement, would obviously increase the cost of such a project. We found that even if you had a train that could travel 110 mph, with multiple stops between Milwaukee and here, there would be little incentive to use it. It'd still take in excess of three hours."

Gov. Doyle vows to spend federal rail funds fast

From an article by Ellyn Ferguson in the Appleton Post-Crescent:

WASHINGTON — Wisconsin could quickly and effectively spend any rail money Congress provides in an economic recovery package, Gov. Jim Doyle said Thursday.

Doyle and others were called by the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee to rebut a federal report that said states could not use economic recovery money for roads, bridges and transit quickly enough to generate jobs and counter the recession.

States would have to commit money to projects within a 90-day deadline.

Opponents of the infrastructure portion of the $825 billion economic recovery package have used the report by the Congressional Budget Office, the fiscal watchdog for Congress, to fight the bill.

"The purpose of this hearing today is to nail down the ability of the states to meet these deadlines," committee chairman Rep. Jim Oberstar, D-Minn., said.

Oberstar said transportation and infrastructure projects could produce 1 million jobs by early June if Congress approves the economic recovery package by mid-February.

"We share your view that this recovery act should be designed to get people to work," said Doyle, who testified on behalf of States for Passenger Rail Coalition.

Our public rail system and the jobs it provides are at risk

From a column by Wisconsin State Senator Dale Schultz:

As Wisconsin employers increasingly turn to our state’s rail roads to get their goods to a global market, state residents and communities enjoy the benefits of keeping jobs here, cleaner air from less truck emissions, and safer roads with less truck traffic.

Those benefits make our state owned railroad system a great investment and explain why I believe, despite a tough fiscal climate, we should increase funding to preserve the infrastructure of our public rail system in the next state budget.

Our public railroad system, which serves numerous communities, has been a great benefit by helping employers compete in the global market and keep family supporting jobs in Wisconsin.

The system also helps many villages and cities with their community development goals by generating increased tax revenues as employers invest in plant expansions and equipment.

In the past two years, in just the region I represent as a state senator, our public rail system has led to new jobs and tax base through major projects in Boscobel, Reedsburg and Rock Springs. For numerous state communities, rail service has been an essential asset to save jobs and create new jobs.

As rail shipping replaces thousands of truck trips, our roads last longer, our carbon footprint shrinks and we all breathe cleaner air.

The state helps communities and rail shippers save freight rail service through its Freight Rail Preservation Program. FRPP grants fund up to 80 percent of projects to rehabilitate tracks and bridges on public rail lines, buy essential rail lines so they aren’t abandoned, and save rail corridors for future rail service and sometimes as recreational trails in the interim.

While freight rail traffic is growing in Wisconsin, FRPP funding is falling far short of the needs. In the current state budget, FRPP funds met less than ten percent of the needs, forcing delays of badly needed projects on public owned rail lines. Since 1992, most FRPP funding went to add rail lines to our public system as a last resort to avoid loss of rail service for communities.