All Aboard Wisconsin Supports Additional Chicago – Milwaukee Passenger Rail Service
“All Aboard Wisconsin believes it is critical to voice its support for more frequent rail service between the two cities of Milwaukee and Chicago,” stated Nona Hill, President of AAW.
Amtrak Hiawatha at the Milwaukee Intermodal Station. Photo by Jeramey Jannene.
All Aboard Wisconsin (AAW) today voiced strong support for three additional daily round trips between the cities of Chicago, Illinois and Milwaukee, Wisconsin at a public hearing held at the Washington Park Senior Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
The Wisconsin and the Illinois Departments of Transportation have released “Draft Environmental Impact Statements” on the expansion of Chicago-Milwaukee service from seven to ten daily trips. The Wisconsin public hearing will overlap the Metra 2017 Preliminary Budget Hearings so that greater public input can be gathered.
“It is critical that rail supporters attend the meetings and voice their support for more frequent rail service,” Hill said. “We are asking our supporters to testify in support of 10 trains per day as a good economic boost and a reasonable 1-2 year goal for the agencies to achieve.”
The public meeting dates, times and locations are scheduled as follows:
Milwaukee, WI – Public Hearing: Thursday, October 27, 4 to 7 p.m., Washington Park Senior Center, 4420 W. Vliet Street, Milwaukee, WI.
Chicago, IL – Public Involvement Meeting: Tuesday, November 1, 4 to 7 p.m., Union Station, 500 W. Jackson Blvd, Chicago, IL
Glenview, IL – Public Involvement Meeting: Wednesday, November 2, 5 to 8 p.m. Park Center, 2400 Chestnut Ave, Glenview, IL.
Persons unable to make it in person may also submit comments by November 15, 2016. Comments may be emailed to DOTChicagoMilwaukeePassengerRailEA@dot.wi.gov or mailed to Arun Rao, Passenger Rail Manager, Wisconsin Department of Transportation, 4802 Sheboygan Ave. Room 701, Madison, WI 53707 Phone: (608) 261-6123
All Aboard Wisconsin is a 501(c)3 established four years ago to promote and advocate for significantly improved passenger rail service and connecting public transit systems. AAW believes very strongly that these options will enhance economic activity and increase jobs in the state of Wisconsin.
NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.
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Key for Wisconsin to understand re the 18 October vote against this service expansion by the trustees of Glenview, IL is how the reactionary tribunal by the Glenview Board of Trustees is pathetically incorrect due to:
1) The residential developments evolved after Glenview NAS was closed, and long after this active rail line was providing freight and passenger services. Point in fact, there were many more intercity passenger trains along this route operated by The Milwaukee Road into the mid-1960s. This is just as bad as the residences built after O’Hare was developed complaining about noise and environmental concerns.
2) No different than when Kansas illegally attempted to interfere and regulate liquor sales on interstate Amtrak trains in 1973, Glenview cannot intercede to interrupt interstate commerce protected by federal regulations.
3) As the geography between Chicago-Milwaukee fills in as a megalopolis, more frequent and faster passenger train schedules will be the only answer to the increasing gridlock and truck conga lines found on I-94 between the Chicago suburbs and Milwaukee. Unless the Board of Trustees is swooning to construction interests, does any resident even know how much one mile of urban interstate costs in terms of dollars (construction and maintenance), land usage, and pollution vs. the higher volume of people moved per hour on rail?
4) This Board of Trustees has no pedigree to interpret any data to decree that the proposed increase in passenger services is not required; nor to deny the population the increased mobility to be provided by the additional schedules. Only in Pravda would such a position even be heard.
5) Just as residential development after 1991 was attracted to the convenience of commuter rail serving Glenview, it is time to acknowledge how many people now are commuting between Glenview-Milwaukee in respect to the growth of this megalopolis.