The Political Environment: Amtrak line killed by Walker could have fed Foxconn

The Political Environment: Amtrak line killed by Walker could have fed Foxconn

The Builder is threatened by budget cuts:

See link:  Wisconsin intercity train service threatened by proposed budget cuts.

"Prospects for Service in Wisconsin …" at Hi Zeph 400 blog

http://hizeph400.blogspot.com/2016/11/prospects-for-passenger-rail-in.html

"Wisconsin is fairly well-positioned to take advantage of its rail network for passenger service, if only politics could get out of the way. Hopefully things will change sometime soon, but it's hard to predict when that might happen." 

June 22 Passenger rail forum, with All Aboard Wisconsin, in MIlwaukee.

Mark Your Calendars for the Next All Aboard Wisconsin
 Passenger Rail Forum!
      WHAT:   All Aboard Wisconsin’s 6th Passenger Rail Forum.
      WHEN:   Wednesday, June 22, 2016 (Early evening – TimeTBA)
      WHERE: Milwaukee City Hall – 200 East Wells Street, 53202

Join All Aboard Wisconsin and special guest Milwaukee Alderman Bob Baumann for a lively discussion of the current state of passenger rail service in Wisconsin and what the future may hold as we work to expand that service.
What service is available now, and where can you travel on the train from Wisconsin?
Where and how can you use coordinated “Thruway” intercity bus service to connect with train service?
Where would you like to be able to travel by train within and from Wisconsin?
What’s “in the works” for improvements to passenger train service in our state and the Midwest?
What is All Aboard Wisconsin doing to increase the availability of passenger train service coordinated with other forms of regional and local public transportation services in Wisconsin and how you can help!

Train service to Madison returns to the local news ! :

Another editorial regarding the expansion of train service in Wisconsin, and re-introduction of train service to Madison.  From the Wisconsin State Journal:  "Train talk worth pursuing."

This is the third item in a week from All Aboard Wisconsin.  See also : Passenger service proposed between Madison and Chicago

And also: Time to badger Congress for Amtrak expansion

Hiawatha sets new ridership record, for ninth year. Too bad that it won't set even higher ridership numbers because it doesn't go through Madison.

For the ninth time in the last decade, Amtrak's Hiawatha Service between 
Milwaukee and Chicago set a calendar year ridership record.

Last year's ridership of the passenger rail line totaled 832,500 
compared to 823,163 the year before, which was the first time the 
Hiawatha Service surpassed 800,000.

Amtrak schedules seven round trips between Milwaukee's Intermodal 
Station and Chicago's Union Station Monday through Saturday and six on 
Sunday with stops at Mitchell International Airport, Sturtevant, near 
Racine and Glenview, Ill.

According to Amtrak's 2012 fiscal year data, the Hiawatha Service is the 
busiest Amtrak corridor in the Midwest and the sixth busiest in the 
nation. Monthly ridership records were set last year in January, 
February, March, April, June, August, September and October.

The Hiawatha Service is operated by Amtrak and jointly funded by 
Wisconsin and Illinois.

A new budget for 2013

One of the reasons that the Hiawatha extension through Madison failed was that many legislators heard only from the constituency that didn't use trains, or otherwise saw no need for improved train service.  Now is the time for readers of this blog to reach out and let their particular State Legislator know that they support trains.  The State of WI budget will be decided upon within the next several weeks.  Now is the time to let the legislators know that we support expanded train service within the Badger State.