Hiawatha West could be just the beginning

The success of an extended Amtrak line between Madison and Milwaukee, which could begin service as early as 2030, could lead to additional corridors of Amtrak service throughout Wisconsin, according to an Amtrak official and a high-speed rail advocate.

With the prospects for passenger rail between Madison and Milwaukee — the so-called Hiawatha West service — looking better than they have in years, additional routes eventually could be added between Milwaukee and Green Bay and Madison and the Twin Cities.

The long-term possibilities, which largely depend on support from an often-skeptical Wisconsin Legislature and the availability of federal transportation grants, were discussed during an April 30 webinar of the Madison and Milwaukee Downtown exchange program, which focused on the proposed Hiawatha West Amtrak line...

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RSK: This would be a huge boost to the downtown Madison Train Station and surrounding businesses. But like it states, musch is up to the Republican lead legislature on funding and they have not been kind to Amtrak in the past.