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.