(The following appeared on the Pierce County Herald website on February 7, 2010.)
ELLSWORTH, Wisc. — An Amtrak spokesman says more poeple are deciding to skip the crowded highways and take the train to Chicago. Ridership on the Hiawatha service from Milwaukee was up eight percent in December when compared to the year before.
MILWAUKEE – An Amtrak spokesman says more poeple are deciding to skip the crowded highways and take the train to Chicago. Ridership on the Hiawatha service from Milwaukee was up eight percent in December when compared to the year before.
Those numbers offer optimism for the future of high-speed rail service between Madison and Milwaukee. Construction on the route is expected to start later this year, with service offered in 2013.
About $810 million dollars in federal stimulus money will pay for the project.