(The following article by Larry Sandler was posted on the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel website on January 10.)
ABOARD THE HIAWATHA — Amtrak Board Chairman David Laney said Monday that faster and more frequent service on the railroad’s Milwaukee-to-Chicago Hiawatha line is “almost inevitable,” and the route will likely get a big boost if Chicago succeeds in landing the 2016 Olympics.
Chicago Mayor Richard Daley said last week that a Windy City Olympic bid could involve Milwaukee and other nearby cities, and that would require better transportation.
Laney said that bringing the Olympics to U.S. soil would “raise the ante dramatically” for improving passenger rail service, increasing the odds for Congress to send federal cash.
But even without the Olympics, Laney said, Wisconsin is a model for other states seeking to upgrade their routes. The Hiawatha cracked the half-million mark in ridership last year, and continued ridership growth will create a demand for more frequent service, he said.
Wisconsin Transportation Secretary Frank Busalacchi said he is discussing increased service with Amtrak and with Canadian Pacific Railway, which owns the tracks. But he said he could not predict when service might increase or how much it would cost.
The Hiawatha runs seven round trips Monday through Saturday, with six on Sundays and holidays. Laney called high-speed rail “a real possibility” for the line but said he considered more frequent service a higher priority.
The Hiawatha makes the trip between Milwaukee and Chicago in 89 minutes, and continued improvement in trains and tracks could gradually shorten the trip even without boosting the top speed from 79 mph to 110 mph, said Randy Wade, Wisconsin’s passenger rail implementation manager.
Laney also said extending the Hiawatha to Madison was “a terrific idea.”
Plans for a 110-mph Milwaukee-to-Madison line have been on the drawing board for several years, but the line would cost $318 million to build, Busalacchi said. If the federal government would put up 80% of that cost, service could start within two years, he added.
Pushing for 80% federal funding of passenger rail projects – the same as highway and public transit projects – is backed by the States for Passenger Rail Coalition, a 26-state group led by Busalacchi. Laney said he supported that concept.
Laney came to Milwaukee on the Hiawatha to tour the new Amtrak depot at Mitchell International Airport and learn about plans for renovating Milwaukee’s downtown station and rebuilding the Sturtevant station. After praising all three, he rode back to Chicago with Busalacchi to meet with leaders of the rail coalition.
Rail supporters have attacked Laney and the rest of the Amtrak board for firing Amtrak President David Gunn late last year. Gunn has claimed he was fired for opposing plans to break up the national passenger railroad by divesting its tracks and stations on the Boston-New York-Washington, D.C., line.
Laney said, however, that Gunn was fired because he resisted efforts to overhaul the railroad and cut costs. The chairman denied the board plans to sell off the Northeast Corridor infrastructure or eliminate long-distance trains such as the Empire Builder, which stops in Milwaukee on its way between Chicago and the Pacific Northwest.
In fact, Laney said, the board is interested in adding routes. He declined to say what routes are under consideration.