Will provide big benefit to other Midwestern states, why not Wisconsin?
Will provide big benefit to other Midwestern states, why not Wisconsin? Back to the full article.
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This is an example of how disgusting Walker places politics and his political future above Wisconsin’s interests. Wisconsin taxpayers got nothing for $50M and now live with outdated trainsets. Pathetic Walker!
We can’t have modern transportation in Wisconsin because we have this non-profit called the Bradley Foundation. They pay their gasbag think tanks and league of media personalities to promote “boondoggle” style attacks on the peoples business. You can’t sell tires and fuel to electric trains or downtown trolleys so we can’t have that. All we get out of Wisconsin now is the bill for all the corporate welfare we provide, at the expense of jobs, roads, education, the environment, ethics and good government. Mean while, the ALEC experiment in Wisconsin continues with great enthusiasm by outside groups that support politicians in exchange for their votes.
Tom, it is not just $50M that Wisconsin taxpayers lost out on. We also lost the $810M grant from the Federal government as well as a $60M punitive settlement to Talgo for breach of contract. In total, Wisconsin lost $920M plus the jobs and residual development that comes with this type of infrastructure investment. All of that during the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression. Walker’s statement at the time was he saw nothing to justify going forward with the contract. Pathetic is right!
Will there be a reduction in the trip time between MKE Saint Paul and Union Station from these faster trains? or is it still dependent on the track improvements?
@Qells – The new locomotives will not be used on the train that runs through St. Paul (the Chicago – Portland/Seattle Empire Builder). The locomotives will be used on “corridor trains” in the Midwest (such as the CHI-MKE Hiawathas), the Northwest, and California.
Quells, the Empire Builder will need no locomotives at all if Trump has his way. He want to totally eliminate the Empire Builder as soon as October 1 (when the new federal budget year begins).
The article I link is a pretty good indication of what we should be moving towards. Honestly, we’re so far behind other countries in technology now that it’s embarassing. =(