by jboullion | Jan 29, 2009 | Uncategorized
From an article by Sean Ryan in The Daily Reporter:
A new sales tax in southeastern Wisconsin will pay for the Kenosha-Racine-Milwaukee Commuter Link if the idea can overcome opposition in the state Legislature and Racine County.
State Sen. John Lehman, D-Racine, said he supports the proposed rail project that would connect the three cities, but voters in his district won’t support a sales tax. Lehman last year convinced the state Senate to include a car-rental fee in the Budget Repair Bill to pay for transit in southeastern Wisconsin. The state Assembly later rejected the fee.
Milwaukee County opposed the car-rental fee because passengers from General Mitchell International Airport would pay the bulk of the money, Lehman said. Now Racine County, which has never levied its own sales tax, stands as the likely roadblock to the KRM under this plan, he said.
“So the sales tax recommendation, in my opinion, doesn’t make sense for Racine County,” Lehman said, “and it is unnecessary to finance a bus system in Racine County.
“I recognize that the Milwaukee County bus system is very challenged, and I think the sales tax makes more sense for Milwaukee County than Racine County.”
Sen. Jeff Plale, D-South Milwaukee, said residents in his district support a sales tax to pay for the KRM and the bus system. But he would not predict the reception it will receive in Madison once biennial budget discussions begin next month.
by jboullion | Jan 28, 2009 | Uncategorized
From an article by in The Daily Reporter:
Wisconsin does not have enough money to pay for the estimated $500 million Milwaukee-Madison high-speed rail line, but the state might kick off the project anyway.
“I keep going back to the fact that this is a multiyear project,” said Randall Wade, the Wisconsin Department of Transportation’s passenger rail manager. “There are things we can do immediately, and I think we should start as soon as possible.”
But before focusing on the Milwaukee-Madison line, WisDOT must consider capacity upgrades to its Milwaukee-Chicago service, which Wade said sets ridership records every month.
Gov. Jim Doyle put $80 million in the state budget to spark Wisconsin involvement in the Midwest Regional Rail Initiative, a multistate effort to coordinate and expand high-speed rail use. WisDOT, Wade said, will use that money for upgrades to the Chicago-Milwaukee line and the Milwaukee-Watertown portion of the line to Madison.
The state agency also asked for $137 million in federal stimulus money for high-speed rail projects. Although Wade said that money could pay for track and signal improvements along the Chicago-Milwaukee-Madison route, the combined $217 million would only be enough to establish a passenger-ready line as far as Watertown.
“(Finishing it) is still going to be dependent upon federal funding,” he said.
If finishing the high-speed rail line between Watertown and Madison takes several years, it could test the patience of people in the capital region.
by jboullion | Jan 26, 2009 | Uncategorized
From a story by Brian Moon on WRN.com:
The Kenosha-Racine-Milwaukee Passenger train should be built, according to a Milwaukee County official. County Board Member Chris Larson is reacting to a recent study by Tom Rubin of the Reason Foundation which, citing high costs, favors an expanded commuter bus service instead of the regional passenger rail. Larson agrees with Rubin’s assertion that the rapid buses could operate along the I-94 corridor without having to add new lanes. However, he claims by Rubin’s own admission, lakeside transit would be most efficient with a rail system.
The County Supervisor supports developing the KRM rail while restoring the decaying Milwaukee County bus line. He says the funding could come from a 1% sales tax already been approved by voters in a referendum last November. Larson hopes the tax hike will clear state lawmakers and believes a portion of the tax hike could go toward regional transit.
But Milwaukee County can’t pay for it alone. Larson hopes Racine and Kenosha Counties will follow his county’s example of a sales tax hike referendum.
by jboullion | Jan 23, 2009 | Uncategorized
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.
by jboullion | Jan 21, 2009 | Uncategorized
An article by By Scott Williams of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:
Elected leaders here have thrown their support behind a proposed network of high-speed commuter trains linking Milwaukee and Madison.
The Oconomowoc Common Council voted Tuesday to support the Midwest Regional Rail System, which would pass through Oconomowoc.
Gov. Jim Doyle and other proponents of the system envision it as part of a 3,000-mile network linking Milwaukee and Chicago to many other Midwestern cities.
The mayor of Winona, Minn., has been soliciting support from communities along the route between the Twin Cities and Chicago.
In addition to Oconomowoc, those communities include Milwaukee, Watertown and Wisconsin Dells.
