Gov. Tony Evers and the Wisconsin Department of Transportation, in partnership with Amtrak, submitted a grant application to the U.S. Department of Transportation on Thursday to expand passenger rail in Wisconsin.
The Evers administration is proposing to expand the Amtrak Hiawatha train service into Dane, Jefferson and Waukesha counties. To do so, Amtrak would need to build on existing railroad infrastructure to “extend two daily Hiawatha Chicago-to-Milwaukee trains to Madison, Watertown and Pewaukee,” a statement said.
President Donald Trump’s administration is expected to make award determinations in the coming months on rail service lines.
“The opportunity to expand passenger rail has haunted Wisconsin for a generation because of a short-sighted political stunt — that decision cost our state dearly, and we want to right that wrong,” Evers said in a statement.
Former Republican Governor Scott Walker rejecting $810 million in federal stimulus funds that had been secured for a high-speed rail project, according to Wisconsin Public Radio.
“Ensuring Wisconsin has the 21st-century transportation and infrastructure we need to compete for workers and thrive in a 21st-century economy must be a top priority for our state, especially if we want to keep working toward the future we’ve been building together over the last seven years,” Evers’ statement continued. “This is an important effort that should have happened a long time ago, and I’m hopeful the Trump Administration will approve our request so we can get this done.”
