Chicago Olympics could mean more Amtrak lines

Amtrak, state look to adding train runs

By LARRY SANDLER
lsandler@journalsentinel.com

Chicago - If Chicago lands the 2016 Olympic Games, Amtrak could justify expanding service to run hourly passenger trains between Milwaukee and Chicago, Wisconsin Transportation Secretary Frank Busalacchi said Thursday.

Separately, Amtrak and Wisconsin officials are already talking about whether to add an eighth daily round trip to the railroad's increasingly popular Milwaukee-to-Chicago Hiawatha line, Busalacchi and Amtrak President Alex Kummant said.

New and expanded rail service - such as a 110-mph line between Milwaukee and Madison - could spur development and boost economic links between those cities and Chicago, Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett and Madison Mayor Dave Cieslewicz told a federal commission.

They cited a study that estimated high-speed rail would attract $152 million to $227 million in development around Milwaukee's downtown Amtrak station, and $65 million to $97 million in development for Madison.

Busalacchi, a member of the federal panel, commented after Barrett said improved rail service would help Chicago's bid for the Olympics.

Barrett recalled a 2005 trip to Beijing, where he saw authorities improving transportation systems in preparation for the 2008 Olympics in the Chinese capital.

Kummant said he would seek to expand service if Chicago is picked to host the games. He declined to predict the scope of the expansion.

Wisconsin is backing the Midwest Regional Rail Initiative, a $7.7 billion plan for a nine-state network of fast, frequent trains, including the Milwaukee-to-Madison line; new 110-mph service between Milwaukee and Green Bay; and upgrading service from Chicago to Milwaukee and the Twin Cities to 110 mph.

But building that system would require a federal commitment to pay 80% of construction costs, Barrett and Cieslewicz told the National Surface Transportation Policy and Revenue Study Commission. The panel is reviewing U.S. transportation needs and how to pay for them.

In his own testimony, Kummant mentioned Wisconsin as a place where Amtrak is seeking more frequent service "in the near future."

The Hiawatha carried record ridership of 588,036 last year, up 8%. Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle's 2007-'09 state budget recommends adding a fifth 70-passenger coach to each train but does not call for running more trains.

Adding an eighth train would require working out issues of funding, equipment and track capacity, Kummant and Busalacchi said. They declined to predict how long that could take.

Link: JS Online: Amtrak, state look to adding train runs.