by jboullion | Aug 9, 2010 | Uncategorized
From an article by Jessica Larsen in The Tomah Journal:
Seven activists from the Wisconsin Public Interest Research Group hit the streets of Tomah on Tuesday in search of supporters of public transit and a high-speed rail.
The group collected about 140 signatures from residents and 23 from small-business owners.
The research group is based in Madison. Its mission: “To deliver persistent, result-oriented public interest activism that protects consumers, encourages a fair, sustainable economy, and fosters responsive, democratic government.”
The signatures collected in Tomah will be added to about 1,000 other signatures from La Crosse, Sparta and Eau Claire. Then the signatures will be combined with others statewide that the group has collected, and shipped off to Sen. Herb Kohl.
“It’s been a great success,” said group spokesman Jordan Less. “Everyone seems to think we spend too much money on gas and time in traffic. It’s a really easy campaign because it’s a good cause.”
by jboullion | Aug 4, 2010 | Uncategorized
From an article in Brookfield Now by Aaron Martin:
But supporters laud vision for balanced travel system
Is it high-speed rail or a runaway freight train?
That depends who you ask, but Wisconsin Department of Transportation officials had their hands full Tuesday night fielding fevered questions from about 170 people who attended a forum on the proposed $8 billion initiative to connect Chicago, Milwaukee, Madison and the Twin Cities.
Brookfield is one of three communities on the Madison-Milwaukee line targeted to host a passenger station. A $17.9 million station is proposed to be along Brookfield Road, near River Road, in Brookfield’s Village Area.
Donna Brown, DOT passenger rail planning manager, said environmental studies for the stations will soon be completed. The next step is final station site selection, followed by engineering and design. Construction could begin as soon as January, and the rail could be up and running in 2013.
The DOT anticipates 128,611 people would pass through Brookfield’s station in its first year, and more than 145,000 by 2020. A ticket from Brookfield to Madison would cost $70 roundtrip, and a ticket to Chicago would cost $97.
Charlie Webb of the DOT said early estimates indicate it would cost about $30,000 a year to maintain a station in Brookfield.
“That’s snow removal, cleanup around the station, mowing the grass,” he said. “Certainly there are opportunities for the city to offset that.”
Strong opposition
Patti Mealins of West Allis said federal and state finances are out of control, and the high-speed rail initiative would be a good place to rein in spending.
“I just don’t understand. It’s a waste of taxpayer money, and it’s upsetting. I think most people are against it, but the government doesn’t care. We’re going to get it anyway,” Mealins said.
Many other people who milled about the Brookfield Elementary School gym, reading information off large poster boards and talking with DOT officials, seemed to share Mealins’ frustration.
Someone left a note on a photograph of the proposed rail route that read: “Not with my tax money – use private money. We don’t need the train.”
by jboullion | Jul 30, 2010 | Uncategorized
From an article in BizTimes Daily:
The state Department of Transportation will host community workshops next week to discuss the location for the proposed Oconomowoc and Brookfield high speed rail train stations.
The Oconomowoc workshop is scheduled from 4:30-7:30 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 2, at Nature Hill Intermediate School, 850 Lake Dr., Oconomowoc.
The Brookfield workshop is scheduled from 4:30-7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 3, at the Brookfield Elementary School, 2530 N. Brookfield Road, Brookfield.
At the workshops, DOT and consultant staff will be available to discuss the proposed train station sites. The DOT says its staff are also interested in hearing from the community on issues of concern to them as planning and environmental studies for the station get underway. The team developing the final design for the rail corridor will also be on hand to receive initial input on corridor issues.
The public is encouraged to attend the meetings, provide input and ask questions concerning the project, the DOT said.
by jboullion | Jul 29, 2010 | Uncategorized
From an article by Larry Sandler in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:
Watertown – U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and Gov. Jim Doyle on Thursday portrayed a planned Milwaukee-to-Madison high-speed rail line as an unstoppable train that Republican gubernatorial candidates can’t derail.
“High-speed rail is coming to Wisconsin,” LaHood said. “There’s no stopping it.
LaHood was in Watertown to sign an agreement to release $46.7 million of the $810 million in federal stimulus money that Wisconsin is receiving to build the 110-mph line.
That’s the second installment, after a previous $5.7 million payment.
Republican gubernatorial candidates Scott Walker and Mark Neumann have threatened to shut down construction on the line if they’re elected, saying they don’t want taxpayers burdened by operating costs. Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, the leading Democrat in the governor’s race, backs high-speed rail.
But LaHood, a former Republican congressman now serving in a Democratic administration, brushed those concerns aside, saying high-speed rail is a national program that will survive changes in political leadership.
In a statement, Walker vowed to stop construction of the train if is elected governor.
by jboullion | Jul 21, 2010 | Uncategorized
From an article by on BizTimes.com:
The public is invited to a “brown bag lunch” to learn about the economic benefits of high-speed rail at informal hearing by the Midwest High Speed Rail Association at the Milwaukee Public Market on Thursday, July 22, at noon.
In January, the federal government awarded $823 million to Wisconsin to develop the Milwaukee-to-Madison high speed rail system, with $810 million earmarked for upgrading existing rail lines and constructing stations.
The state Department of Transportation is already moving forward with contracts for upgrading the existing rail lines between Milwaukee and Madison to accommodate high speed passenger trains.
“The high-speed rail infrastructure is becoming a reality, and with that will come economic development that could create thousands of good-paying jobs in Milwaukee and communities stretching from Waukesha to Madison,” said Milwaukee Alderman Robert Bauman.
The Wisconsin Department of Transportation is expected to let contracts for all or most of the $823 million prior to January 2011.
Republican gubernatorial candidates Scott Walker and Mark Neumann have threatened to derail the Wisconsin project, but Bauman said that would set up “the rather ridiculous situation of having a new and upgraded rail line with no trains running on it. It would be like spending $823 million on a new highway and then refusing to fund the cost of policing, snow plowing, routine maintenance, or even street lights, thereby effectively preventing motor vehicles from using that new road.”
