The City of Madison proposed two locations Dec. 2 for a potential Amtrak station which would help extend the current Hiawatha line that connects Chicago and Milwaukee, according to WKOW.
The proposed locations are situated on East Johnson Street, adjacent to the Madison Public Market, or on Wilson Street, according to WKOW. The Wilson Street location is more optimal because it has existing freight train tracks, according to WKOW.
The two locations were narrowed down from a list of eight viable sites throughout the city, according to City of Madison principal transportation planner Liz Callin.
“This is giving us an opportunity to have more options for travel to and from Madison in a way that is very efficient and is sustainable,” Callin said.
Madison is one of the Midwest’s larger cities without passenger rail service, according to The Cap Times. There have been many efforts dedicated to bringing passenger rail service to Madison, including work from the Wisconsin Association of Railroad Passengers and the formation of Wisconsin’s new legislative Passenger Rail Caucus.
Callin and WisARP President Christopher Ott both said they believe there is already a lot of support in Madison for passenger rail service.
“We need to make clear to elected officials — especially state lawmakers — that people want the benefits that trains can bring,” Ott said.
Students can play a large role in this advocacy and can tell their lawmakers that they want the opportunity to travel to different parts of the state, Ott said.
UW students can benefit from an Amtrak station by receiving more accessible travel to internships, friends and family over break, according to Callin.
“Amtrak has identified Madison as one of its top markets for new service because of that ridership potential that they see, which includes the students as well as the broader community,” Callin said.
The next steps in the process come from the state of Wisconsin and Amtrak as they take the lead on the corridor development, but Madison is doing everything they can to be ready, Callin said. Trains could begin servicing the city in the early 2030s, according to WKOW.
“The focus needs to shift back to ‘let’s make this happen,'” Ott said. “This can’t be done by the City of Madison alone. We need to be advocating for and building public support for a passenger train network that serves most people in Wisconsin.”
