Tag Archives: Milwaukee

Racine hires consultants for KRM resurrection studies

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The Racine Common Council agreed on Feb 6, 2024, to hire two consulting firms to explore governance and financing options to restart proposed Kenosha – Racine – Milwaukee (KRM) commuter service.

Previous attempts to develop KRM service were abandoned in 2011 after the Wisconsin Legislature eliminated the Southeastern Regional Transit Authority, and with it the organization and funding to develop the service. The current resurrection is funded by a $5 Million grant to the City of Racine earmarked by WI Senator Baldwin in October 2021.

  • HDR Engineering will provide conceptual planning, develop a recommended organization and governance structure compatible with Wisconsin law, and provide technical support (Statement of Need, Alternatives Analysis) to prepare the project for future Federal grant applications. Contract is up to $2 million, and ends in December 2024. This approval was rescinded April 2024.
  • Update April 2024: D.B. ECO North America will provide conceptual planning, develop a recommended organization and governance structure compatible with Wisconsin law, and provide technical support (Statement of Need, Alternatives Analysis) to prepare the project for future Federal grant applications. Contract is up to $2 million, and ends in March 2025.
  • AECOM will provide an estimate of the increased value along the corridor caused by transit-oriented development, and suggest a “viable path” to capturing that value. The revenue would offset both capital and operating costs. Contract is up to $0.32 million.

Milwaukee Magazine also reported on the new KRM contracts.

“Financed by a $5 million federal planning grant, the Racine Common Council voted Feb. 5 [2024] to hire consultants to conduct the new study and to examine whether transit-oriented development near stations could help pay for the rail line. Milwaukee and Kenosha have agreed to cooperate with the study, which will be overseen by representatives of the three cities, the Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission and the state Department of Transportation.”

Milwaukee Streetcar opens new L-Line

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The Milwaukee Streetcar’s (The Hop) new L-Line began daily service on April 11.

The newly-opened Lakefront station is close to the Festival Grounds, Milwaukee Art Museum, and Discovery World.

Limited Sunday-only service began October 29, 2023 that passed through the under-construction Coture development (above the new Lakefront station) without stopping.

Media coverage of the opening: Journal-Sentinel, Urban Milwaukee, Channel 6, Channel 12, OnMilwaukee, Spectrum News.

WisDOT Update: April 2024

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Rich Kedzior of WisDOT presented a series of updates during WisARP’s Spring 2024 meeting at Wisconsin Dells.

Hiawatha Service is back up to 75% of pre-pandemic ridership, and is back up to 5 coaches on each trainset (pre-pandemic was six coaches). The Milwaukee Airport Rail Station second platform is under construction, and its completion is one prerequisite for an 8th daily Hiawatha trip.

Two projects in central Milwaukee are in progress. The downtown Milwaukee Intermodal Station tracks will receive signal improvements and Centralized Traffic control (CTC). Freight trains will bypass the passenger station on a new main through Muskego Yard. Due to the yard’s constraints in the Menominee Valley, adding the new main requires re-configuring part of the yard.

Rich described TCMC as “so close we can taste it,” and listed the five remaining agreements to be finalized (3 state operating agreements, Ramsey County agreement for use of St Paul station, and Amtrak-FRA grant agreement). When asked about the “Borealis” service name, WisDOT, he stated that WisDOT “cannot officially confirm or deny the name of the new TCMC service.” The service can start before completion of the $56 million in improvements and capacity expansion, mostly in Minnesota.

Two more new corridor services (Milwaukee-Madison-Eau Claire-Twin Cities and a Hiawatha extension to Green Bay) will be studies and developed through the FRA Corridor ID program, plus additional Hiawatha frequencies and an additional TCMC frequency . WisDOT will begin soliciting consultants for Step 1 of all four services in May 2024. Since the local match for Step 2 has not yet been budgeted by WisDOT, service development could be accelerated by communities, particularly by meeting the local funding match requirements without waiting for the Wisconsin Legislature’s biennial budget cycle.

Finally, in response to an audience question, WisARP has begun recruiting a volunteer cadre of educators to help inform county, city, and other local leaders on their stakeholding roles.

New food vendor at Milwaukee Intermodal Station

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Urban Milwaukee reported a new food selection inside the downtown Milwaukee station.

Milwaukee Intermodal Station has been without a full-time food vendor since last spring [2023], when Aladdin’s All Aboard Cafe exited the station after 14 years of service.

But a new tenant is now operating in the space, ensuring passengers are…

Milwaukee Intermodal station - outside
Milwaukee Intermodal station (photo by Mark Weitenbeck)

Milwaukee, WI (MKE and MKA)

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Milwaukee is served by two stations:

  • Downtown (MKE)
  • Airport (MKA)

MKE (Milwaukee) is the downtown Milwaukee Intermodal Station

MKE information from Amtrak – Wikipedia

Milwaukee, WI – Downtown (MKE)

MKA (Milwaukee Airport Rail Station) is on the grounds of Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport

MKA information from Amtrak – Wikipedia

Milwaukee, WI – General Mitchell Airport Trains (MKA)

MILWAUKEE MITCHELL AIRPORT AMTRAK STATION RECEIVES GRANT MONEY

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milwaukeeairport

February 18, 2019 – Rail Passengers Association (RPA) in their February 15, 2019 News Hotline divulged information that WisDOT will receive up to $5 million to construct a second platform at the Mitchell Airport Amtrak Station.

Although details of the grant were not specific, it is widely understood the second platform would be similar to the tower formation constructed at the Sturtevant Amtrak station, finished in 2006.  The grant comes from the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) under the Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) program.

This station improvement is part of the process of increasing Amtrak Hiawatha frequency from seven to ten trains per day.  Documents from the October 2016 public hearing of the Phase I Environmental Impact Study (EIS) specifically state a second platform on the west side of the tracks was necessary.

Among several Canadian Pacific comments in the Phase I EIS, a second platform was requested at the MARS (Milwaukee Airport Railway Station) stop to keep all trains on their normal track and eliminate crossover movements.  This has been deemed more efficient in keeping all freight and passenger trains fluid through MARS compared to multiple crossovers.

This story prepared by Terry Brown.