In hopes of funding the high speed rail station in Madison as well as other developments, city officials said today Madison will receive a $950,000 Tiger II planning grant from the United States Departments of Transportation and Housing and Urban Development.

Mayor Dave Cieslewicz said in a statement the grant will link the intercity rail service to other transportation systems and bolster economic development surrounding the rail station.

“The high speed rail station presents tremendous economic development potential for Madison,” Cieslewicz said in the statement. “This grant will accelerate our planning efforts and make sure we realize that potential to grow our tax base, create jobs and build effective, intermodal transportation downtown.”

The Tiger II planning grant will not speed up the installment of the high speed rail station, Cieslewicz spokesperson Rachel Strauch-Nelson said. Instead, it will help the city organize a planning process for some of the development that will occur around the station.

These additional elements of the planning process include a new hotel to help bolster the Monona Terrace convention center, new underground parking, intermodal connections, a bike station and a public market, Cieslewicz added.

Strauch-Nelson said the grant would assist in the intensive planning process bringing all these elements together would require.

“The grant will help us make these elements connect. This is great news because it will make sure we can capitalize the potential that the station presents for economic development,” Strauch-Nelson said. Because the station will be downtown, it presents tremendous potential for economic development, Strauch-Nelson said.

Rep. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., said in a statement she looks forward to the future of the high speed rail development in Madison.

“The rail terminal that these funds will go toward will create jobs and stimulate economic growth and educational opportunities in the Madison metropolitan area,” Baldwin said. “I’m proud to support this worthy federal/local partnership to benefit our community.”

However, even with this support, not everyone has been happy with the high speed rail plans.

Jill Bader, spokesperson for Republican gubernatorial candidate Scott Walker, said Walker will not allow the train regardless of the federal funds.

“Scott Walker will end this train if elected governor,” Bader said.

Under current plans, the rail station should be finished by 2013.