October | 2016 | Wisconsin Association of Railroad Passengers

Subject: Public Hearing on Proposed Hiawatha Service Expansion.

754 Williamson Street

Madison, WI 53703

NEWS FROM ALL ABOARD WISCONSIN

SPECIAL EDITION

WisDOT Announces Public Hearing on Hiawatha Expansion Environmental Assessment

As many if not all of you may be aware, the Wisconsin Department of Transportation, along with the Illinois Department of Transportation and Amtrak, has been conducting a study over the last several years to examine a proposed increase in the frequency of Hiawatha Service trains from 7 to 10 round-trips each day. Such an increase is a complicated process, involving far more than simply the operational issues of running an additional three daily departures in each direction over the route. No only does the plan need to take into account the impact of the additional trains of the railroads that own the tracks (Canadian Pacific and METRA), but issues in the lineside communities along the way. In addition, since the proposal also includes increased speeds over portions of the route to shorten running times (90 MPH vs 79 MPH), safety issues connected with the speed increase must also be considered. Throw-in the availability of station tracks at Chicago Union Station and the Milwaukee Intermodal Center, plus the personnel needed to operate and service the additional trains and their passengers, and oh yes, equipment availability; and the complexity of adding he three additional daily trains becomes apparent.

WisDOT, IDOT and Amtrak are now ready to “Go Public” with the results of the environmental assessment study which is a major portion of the background work that needs to be done before the service expansion can move forward.

Below, you will find links that you can “cut and paste” into your browser to bring-up the study documents and summaries for your review. That’s important, because in 10 days, WisDOT will hold a public hearing in Milwaukee to review the findings and receive public comment. YOU ARE INVITED to the hearing to listen to the proceedings and offer your comments:

WHAT: Public Hearing on Hiawatha Environmental Assessment

WHEN: Thursday, October 27, 2016 4:00 – 7:00 PM

WHERE: Washington Park Senior Center, 4420 West Vliet Street, Milwaukee, WI

AAW Secretary and Legislative Director Gary Goyke will attend the hearing; and he has sent invitations to local legislators as well WHY NOT JOIN US!

Study information is at Chi-milwrailstudy.wi.gov. You can cut and paste that into you browser, or use the following link:http://wisconsindot.gov/Pages/projects/multimodal/rail-chi-mil/default.aspx and follow the navigation in the box on the left.

Wisconsin Department of Transportation Chicago – Milwaukee Intercity Passenger Rail Corridor

chi-milwrailstudy.wi.gov

Wisconsin Department of Transportation website