Jeramey Jannene

Talgo Location Choice a No-Brainer – Milwaukee

By - Jul 30th, 2009 10:22 am

Talgo, the train manufacturer that is poised to open a plant in Wisconsin, has a really simple choice to make when it comes to where to locate.  Currently the company is debating between Janesville and Milwaukee.  Janesville appearing as an additional logical choice because of the empty General Motors facility that the state and city would open their pocket books to have occupied. Milwaukee’s in the running because it has an airport, the Port of Milwaukee, an extensive number of facilities with rail access, skilled work force, numerous entertainment and cultural activities, an existing passenger rail line, and plans for another one.

It’s easy to see why Governor Jim Doyle is pushing for Talgo to locate in Janesville. While Talgo would bring only 80 jobs after a loss of thousands, the hard hit city would gain momentum from a likely to growth in industry.  Janesville is more desperate for the breath of economic life, and the addition of Talgo would have a greater immediate impact than it would in Milwaukee.  If you’re Governor of Wisconsin, it’s obvious why you would push for Janesville.

If you’re Antonio Perez, CEO of Talgo, it’s easy to see where you want to locate your company’s new assembly and maintenance facility.  Milwaukee provides both land and water access for shipping in parts and personnel.  Milwaukee also is actually on a passenger rail line, the Amtrak Hiawatha, where Talgo’s first Wisconsin order will go.  Should Wisconsin get it’s stimulus request for the development of a Madison to Milwaukee line, Talgo’s second Wisconsin order would also be utilized in the same city it’s assembled.  Janesville is not part of any passenger rail plans, neither short nor long-term.

Perhaps the biggest kicker is the potential cost-savings in possible partnership with Milwaukee-based Super Steel who manufacturers train cars for Metra and light-rail vehicles.  A Super Steel partnership in some form is exactly what the Milwaukee legislative contingent is pushing for.

Talgo it’s easy, come to Milwaukee.

More about the History of Talgo in Milwaukee

Read more about History of Talgo in Milwaukee here

Categories:

5 thoughts on “Talgo Location Choice a No-Brainer – Milwaukee”

  1. Dan says:

    It would be great to see this company locate in the 30th street industrial corridor. The corridor does boast great rail access, adjacancy to Super Steel, and sites large enough to accomodate Talgo.

    SEWRPC recently funded/completed a study of the corridor which identified everything from potential redevelopment sites, to public safety stratagies, to implementation stratagies and funding mechanisms.
    http://www.sewrpc.org/publications/capr/capr-304_30th_street_industrial_corridor.pdf

  2. Tegan says:

    Milwaukee is also home to suppliers of parts for trains, such as Motive Equipment (http://www.motiveequipment.com/), which makes products installed on locomotives.

  3. Nathanael Nerode says:

    While you’re probably right that Milwaukee would be better, Janesville *is* fairly well rail-connected. Moving parts in and trains out by rail would be pretty straightforward over WSOR tracks to Madison, Milwaukee, and Chicago.

Leave a Reply

You must be an Urban Milwaukee member to leave a comment. Membership, which includes a host of perks, including an ad-free website, tickets to marquee events like Summerfest, the Wisconsin State Fair and the Florentine Opera, a better photo browser and access to members-only, behind-the-scenes tours, starts at $9/month. Learn more.

Join now and cancel anytime.

If you are an existing member, sign-in to leave a comment.

Have questions? Need to report an error? Contact Us