The city of Madison has identified eight potential sites for a rail station, according to the Wisconsin State Journal. A proposed Milwaukee–Madison–Minneapolis Amtrak route (that also includes Eau Claire) is one of five across Wisconsin getting $500,000 federal planning grants and selected as a priority for passenger rail expansion.
The potential rail station sites are located along three corridors downtown recommended by city and national consultant HNTB. They are near the coming Madison Public Market and close to the former Oscar Mayer plant. They include Monona Terrace, Blair Street, Livingston Street, Baldwin Street, First Street, Johnson Street, Commercial Avenue, and Aberg Avenue.
HNTB looked at ridership potential, rail operations, access and multimodal connections, land use and development, and equitable access. Its preliminary study will be presented to the city Transportation Commission at an online meeting on Wednesday at 5 p.m. Additional public meetings will follow late this month and in early February.
