WISARP SPRING MEETING DATE AND AGENDA SET

The Spring 2023 General Membership Meeting for the Wisconsin Association of Railroad Passengers has been set for Saturday, March 25, 2023 beginning at 10am CDT. This Spring the meeting will be conducted by Zoom Meeting software only. The virtual meeting will be sponsored by and hosted by the High Speed Rail Alliance.

This meeting will be FREE to everyone that registers in advance. https://tinyurl.com/t97zkfwk

WisARP Spring Meeting Agenda-Sat. March 25th, 2023

10:00 am John Parkyn (President of WisARP) – Opening Remarks

10:05 am High Speed Rail Alliance presentation-Rick Harnish (Executive Director)

10:35 am Lisa Stern (WisDOT-Chief of Harbors & Railroads) presentation

11:00 am Break

11:10 am Scott Rogers (VP of Governmental Affairs-Eau Claire Area Chamber of Commerce and Chair of the West Central WI Rail Coalition) update on passenger rail developments for West Central WI and the region.

11:35 am Mayor Don Merkes-Menasha, WI & Mayor Tony Penterman-Kaukauna, WI will give a joint presentation on the efforts to extend passenger rail service from Milwaukee to Green Bay via the Fox Cities.

12Noon John Parkyn (President of WisARP) Closing Remarks & Adjournment

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GREEN BAY EXTENSION NEWSLETTER MARCH 2022

March 25, 2022 – The first Green Bay Extension Newsletter is being released in conjunction with the WisARP General Meeting in Appleton on March 26, 2022.

The above picture is the backside of the former C&NW train station in Oshkosh as a Canadian National freight train passes by. All downloadable newsletter elements are below.

TCMC V4 N2NR Green Bay introDownload

GB IIJA RAIL fundingDownload

GBE Green Bay HistoryDownload

WisARP GENERAL MEETING in PORTAGE

TCMC TRAIN UPDATES and ADDITIONAL PASSENGER RAIL NEWS

March 26, 2019 – This Saturday, March 30, will mark the first WisARP General Meeting held in Portage, WI., an Empire Builder stop.  The location is Dino’s Restaurant in Portage with the first speaker scheduled to start at 10:00am.

The primary topic of this meeting will be updates and more information regarding the Twin Cities- Milwaukee- Chicago (TCMC) train, a second daily train along the Empire Builder route.  Portage would also be a stop for the TCMC train, potentially offering two daily Amtrak trains each direction daily.

This meeting is also a first, inviting members of the general public to attend for free during the morning session.  Pre-registration is required to insure adequate seating.  The morning session will feature Derrick James of Amtrak and Arun Rao of WisDOT.  Mr. James will be speaking about updates to Amtrak Midwest and it’s role in supporting the TCMC train.  Mr. Rao will be giving updates on the planning process of the TCMC train and current budget process in Madison.

Meeting Notice (2019 – March 30) FREE morning

A link to download the registration form is above.  Free attendees can forward the information to Wisarpwisc@gmail.com.  Those paying to enjoy lunch and the afternoon session can register online.  Location details are on the registration form.

For those staying for the afternoon, City of Portage Director of Business Planning & Development Steven Sobiek will be offering a presentation about Portage and it’s transportation history.  Jerry Ratliff from All Aboard Minnesota will update his state’s news on the TCMC train and an additional Amtrak train to Duluth/ Superior.

Check out WisARP on YouTube!  Search for WisARP Wisconsin.

Andrew Selden speech from Fall 2018 General Meeting

November 30, 2018 – The third video post from the October 27, 2018 General Meeting at The Ingleside Hotel in Pewaukee is ready.

In the six years I’ve been involved with WisARP, I’ve heard some extremely informative speeches, and I’ve heard some motivating ones as well.  But I don’t recall hearing one as dynamic as this speech from Andrew Selden.  In the Passenger Railroad circles Selden is known as President of The United Rail Passenger Alliance and a columnist for Railway Age Magazine.

Whatever your favorite Amtrak ride is, Selden might make you think differently about it’s performance.  The financial and accounting reports supplied by Amtrak are discussed at length in this informative speech.

Other videos posted from this General Meeting include WisARP President John Parkyn’s Keynote address and the presentation by Arun Rao, Passenger Rail Implementation Manager from WisDOT.  Check these out on the < WisARP Wisconsin > YouTube Channel.

 

Wisarp Spring Meeting, Truax-Longmire VFW, presentation with Arun Rao from WisDOT.