(The following column by Dave Zweifel appeared on the Capital Times website on July 7.)
MADISON, Wisc. — The concrete lobby is undoubtedly buttonholing members of Congress right now to turn down Amtrak’s recent proposal to expand some of its train service, including developing a high-speed service link from Chicago to Milwaukee to Madison.
But, hopefully, for once our representatives in Washington will look beyond the end of their noses and decide to invest some money to expand America’s transportation system beyond clogged highways and oppressive airports.
The high-speed link between here and Chicago would cost about $351 million, according to Amtrak. That’s peanuts compared to what it costs to add more slabs of concrete to our interstate highways. The Marquette interchange in Milwaukee alone is expected to cost $810 million. And that is merely replacing an existing interchange, perhaps making it more efficient, but in reality not adding any capacity.
For once, the Amtrak plan has it right. It would do more than run a couple of inconveniently timed trains that wind up attracting few riders. Instead, it would begin with six round trips per day at 110 miles an hour and eventually increase them to 10 daily round trips. That would give people choices, allowing them to leave at different times in the morning and arrive at different times in the evening.
The lack of choice, brought about by Congress’ refusal to provide sufficient resources, is what has hamstrung Amtrak ever since its inception. It has been a classic Catch-22 for the national railroad. It’s expected to “make” money, but is constantly forced to cut back on schedules and passenger services that do nothing more than turn potential riders away.
Too many politicians, many of whom consider train travel beneath their dignity, insist that the railroad not be subsidized, that it pay for itself. Yet the same standard isn’t applied to the airlines, which are hugely subsidized with taxpayers’ dollars, or the nation’s huge highway system, which is constantly in need of expensive repair, often beyond the money collected in gasoline taxes and fees. Amtrak’s proposal could help relieve the heavy traffic on I-94 and I-90 and help extend the lives of both those highways as a result. Coupled with the soon-to-be-built spur at Mitchell Field in Milwaukee, it could funnel people from crowded O’Hare in Chicago to the less congested Wisconsin airport.
During the summer, it could even schedule a quick stop at Miller Park, where the tracks are less than a quarter of a mile away.
Amtrak’s plan is scheduled to be completed by 2008. Congress needs to give its OK now.