Walker wants rail funding for WI

[rtabern]

After killing the Metra extension from Kenosha to Milwaukee as County Executive and the rail line from Milwaukee to Madison as Governor, it appears Scott Walker now wants some money back for the Hiawatha line to Chicago. Great idea, Gov. Let's kill intra-state rail projects, but get money so Wisconsin-ites can ride down to Chicago and spend their money out of state!! Awesome!! Can't wait until we can recall you! :angry2:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/03/29/scott-walker-seeking-fede_n_842267.html

 

[Shawn Ryu]

^Who the hell was gonna ride to Madison? Except U of Wis students and staffs. More people are going to use train to Chicago than Madison.

 

[Acela150]

^Who the hell was gonna ride to Madison? Except U of Wis students and staffs. More people are going to use train to Chicago than Madison.

A lot of people that want to commute! :giggle:

 

[WICT106]

LOL @ Acela150. Otherwise, words fail me h34r: :angry:

 

[Shawn Ryu]

^Who the hell was gonna ride to Madison? Except U of Wis students and staffs. More people are going to use train to Chicago than Madison.

A lot of people that want to commute! :giggle:

Then clearly the better option is the route between Milwaukee and Chicago.

 

[AlanB]

^Who the hell was gonna ride to Madison? Except U of Wis students and staffs. More people are going to use train to Chicago than Madison.

A lot of people that want to commute! :giggle:

Then clearly the better option is the route between Milwaukee and Chicago.

The train to Madison would have been an extension of the Hiawatha currently running between Milwaukee & Chicago. It already had a built in customer base. People would have had a one seat ride from Madison to Chicago.

And eventually that line to Madison would have extended to Minneapolis/St Paul.

The Madison to MKE wasn't some stand alone line that no one would have used.

Oh, and the money that Mr. Walker rejected, it would have done some of the work he's now asking to get money for. Go figure! Reject the money, then ask for it back.

 

[the_traveler]

^Who the hell was gonna ride to Madison? Except U of Wis students and staffs. More people are going to use train to Chicago than Madison.

I may be wrong, but isn't Madison the capital of WI?

 

[Shawn Ryu]

Yeah right as if the politicians were going to ride trains.

 

[Steve4031]

Politicians ride acela all the time out east. If there is decent service people will ride it. Look what California did. They created a system of trains and buses that have experienced tremoundous growth. And this was in the land of cars.

 

[jis]

^Who the hell was gonna ride to Madison? Except U of Wis students and staffs. More people are going to use train to Chicago than Madison.

A lot of people that want to commute! :giggle:

Then clearly the better option is the route between Milwaukee and Chicago.

Now I am confused. How is a train from Milwaukee to Chicago going to serve those that want to commute between Milwaukee and Madison? :unsure:

 

[volkris]

For everyone wondering how the man can turn around like this, calling him a hypocrite and such, check out this link for a far less biased explanation than Huffington Post, which clearly cherry picked facts to hide the facts of the matter.

The short version is that WI is already on the hook for $30 million. This request would lower the state's contribution to $10-12 million. Somehow Huffington Post forgot to mention that even though it was in the article they linked to where they portrayed the $12 million as a brand new outlay.

Oops! Well, I'm sure they'll issue a clarification as soon as they can!

*sigh* When people get their news from places like Huffington Post there's no wonder so many are completely misinformed about what's going on in the country.

 

[The Davy Crockett]

For everyone wondering how the man can turn around like this, calling him a hypocrite and such, check out this link for a far less biased explanation than Huffington Post, which clearly cherry picked facts to hide the facts of the matter.

The short version is that WI is already on the hook for $30 million. This request would lower the state's contribution to $10-12 million. Somehow Huffington Post forgot to mention that even though it was in the article they linked to where they portrayed the $12 million as a brand new outlay.

Oops! Well, I'm sure they'll issue a clarification as soon as they can!

*sigh* When people get their news from places like Huffington Post there's no wonder so many are completely misinformed about what's going on in the country.

Yep. If you want "Fair and Balanced" news, get it from Fox. :blink: :unsure: :lol: :lol: :lol:

This is from Railway Track and Structures:

http://www.rtands.com/newsflash/gov.-walker-wants-150m-for-amtrak-hiawatha-upgrades-3829.html

Gov. Walker wants $150M for Amtrak Hiawatha upgrades

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker plans to apply for $150 million in federal funds to improve the Hiawatha Amtrak railroad connecting Chicago to Milwaukee, reports Businessweek. The funds would provide Milwaukee a new maintenance facility, as well as two train sets and eight locomotives.

This application for funds comes only three months after the Governor turned down $810 million to build a Madison-to-Milwaukee high-speed line. When he turned the funds down he stated the line would be a waste of taxpayer money.

When speaking of the new project, he said it would save the state money through lower operating expenses, fewer capital costs and more ticket revenue.

The money would be coming from the $2.4 billion in high-speed rail funds Florida rejected. Walker will be filling jointly with Illinois, Michigan, Missouri and Amtrak.

The project would allow for faster trips, traveling up to 110 mph between Chicago and Milwaukee-cutting travel time by 30 minutes.

Here is a link to the full Businessweek article: http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D9M940301.htm

 

[jis]

For everyone wondering how the man can turn around like this, calling him a hypocrite and such, check out this link for a far less biased explanation than Huffington Post, which clearly cherry picked facts to hide the facts of the matter.

The short version is that WI is already on the hook for $30 million. This request would lower the state's contribution to $10-12 million. Somehow Huffington Post forgot to mention that even though it was in the article they linked to where they portrayed the $12 million as a brand new outlay.

Oops! Well, I'm sure they'll issue a clarification as soon as they can!

*sigh* When people get their news from places like Huffington Post there's no wonder so many are completely misinformed about what's going on in the country.

But the balanced article you quote itself says:

Walker criticized federal stimulus spending during his campaign and rejected federal money that could have been used for the maintenance building on the city's north side. The state will pay more for that facility than if it had accepted the initial $810 million, Bauman said.

And so now suddenly stimulus money has become OK to spend? That is what is being criticized as hypocrisy. But then again many of us knew that this was going to happen sooner or later. Many had surmised back then the likes of Walker will initially reject funds but then turn around and take them even from the same pot that they had rejected earlier, hoping that no one remembers. There was even a delightful satire that was posted on one of these forums along those lines. What is surprising is the immense speed of the flip-flop on the principle regarding stimulus funding.

So I don't think there is plausible logical argument absolving Walker of hypocrisy, since he has been on record criticizing the whole idea of stimulus funds during his campaign.

 

[BigBlueBuddha]

^Who the hell was gonna ride to Madison? Except U of Wis students and staffs. More people are going to use train to Chicago than Madison.

A lot of people that want to commute! :giggle:

Then clearly the better option is the route between Milwaukee and Chicago.

It is not an "either/or" choice; it is a "both/and" situation. hboy:

As far as commuting between Milwaukee and Madison, the drive on I-94 is a nightmare with much congestion and lots of truck traffic. Further, there are major Wisconsin cities (Oconomowoc, Watertown) that have no convenient ways, not even bus service, to travel to Milwaukee, Madison, Chicago, Minneapolis, and points beyond. The only option available for Madison-Chicago travel is the bus; flying is completely out of the question. And driving to Chicago on I-90 is another nightmare, very heavily traveled between Madison, Rockford, and Chicago. Many people in Madison want to travel to Chicago (as well as Milwaukee and other destinations) and it is not just students. As the capital of Wisconsin, Madison is a very active center in the Midwest for government, biotechnology, academics, art, sports, and many others.

It seems that for travel on the 100-500 mile range, trains are superior to flying or driving.

Scott Walker is a knob. He will be recalled in 284 days.

 

[Ryan]

In addition to the topic of spending stimulus money, he's a hypocrite for asking for money to be spent on rail infrastructure.

Copied from the other thread discussing the same topic:

This isn't hypocrisy. Walker has said many times that he is in favor of the Hiawatha corridor. He says that it's a proven commodity that people use. And as a plus, any improvements made to the corridor will decrease Wisconsins subsidy. Lost in all the fuss over the refusal of funds was that Walker tried to divert this same amount of money to the Hiawathas for this. So this isn't hypocrisy.

From Walker's letter to Ray LaHood:

More than 60 years ago, the federal government had the foresight to recognize that the American people no longer wanted to be limited by fixed-track passenger rail. The massive investment in our federal interstate highway system spurred the greatest economic expansion in our nation's history. For us to now to go backwards on transportation makes little sense. I believe that continuing responsible investments in our road infrastructure is a key to growing our economy and creating jobs.
I strongly encourage the federal government to halt all investments in new passenger rail lines and instead devote this funding to state and local road projects. All across the country, in states like Wisconsin, Ohio and Florida, the voters chose new governors who are opposed to diverting transportation funding to passenger rail. I believe it would be unwise for the Obama Administration to ignore the will of the voters.

http://www.wqow.com/Global/story.asp?S=13472336

Nice try, but he's a hypocrite.

 

[jis]

Yeah right as if the politicians were going to ride trains.

Face it Shawn, you are a bit disconnected from reality on this one. Many politicians do ride trains when a good usable service is available. Politicians are just like anyone else. They will use a service that serves a purpose in their lives.

 

[Green Maned Lion]

Based on the request for two trainsets and EIGHT engines, I'd assume two additional sets, two engines per set. Also, Waker will never get it.

 

[GG-1]

Based on the request for two trainsets and EIGHT engines, I'd assume two additional sets, two engines per set. Also, Waker will never get it.

Aloha

Please remember that if "Walker will never get it", neither will the people.

 

[Ryan]

That's fine, perhaps next time they'll choose their Governor a little more carefully.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

Please remember that if "Walker will never get it", neither will the people.

You mean the people who voted overwhelmingly for a politician who routinely blasted passenger rail?

 

[Shawn Ryu]

^Who the hell was gonna ride to Madison? Except U of Wis students and staffs. More people are going to use train to Chicago than Madison.

A lot of people that want to commute! :giggle:

Then clearly the better option is the route between Milwaukee and Chicago.

Now I am confused. How is a train from Milwaukee to Chicago going to serve those that want to commute between Milwaukee and Madison? :unsure:

There are more commuters between Milwaukee and Chicago then Madison and Milwaukee.

 

[BigBlueBuddha]

Please remember that if "Walker will never get it", neither will the people.

You mean the people who voted overwhelmingly for a politician who routinely blasted passenger rail?

"Overwhelmingly" is a bit of a stretch. <_< Walker only won by around 120,000 votes out of over 2.1 million votes cast. OK, 5 percentage points. But because voter turnout was so dismal, only around 25% of the eligible voters actually voted for him.

He will be easy to recall, because only about 508,000 signatures are needed, and over a million people voted for his opponent. Since November, he has lost even more support as a result of his positions, including his position against the Milwaukee-Madison Hiawatha extension.

 

[Ryan]

He will be easy to recall, because only about 508,000 signatures are needed, and over a million people voted for his opponent. Since November, he has lost even more support as a result of his positions, including his position against the Milwaukee-Madison Hiawatha extension.

I REALLY hope so...

 

[jis]

There are more commuters between Milwaukee and Chicago then Madison and Milwaukee.

It is a bit more complicated than that.

Essentially you are claiming that the incremental ridership with no additional O/D pairs and some incremental capacity and perhaps marginally faster running time will be larger than the incremental ridership with a whole host of new O/D pairs and some added capacity overall, but perhaps without the speedup. I don't think it is such an open and shut case as you make it out to be unless of course you have an analysis of ridership projection under the two circumstances to support your contention. It is not like the incremental ridership between MKE and CHI will be lost if the MKE Madison segment gets service.

 

[Anderson]

There are more commuters between Milwaukee and Chicago then Madison and Milwaukee.

It is a bit more complicated than that.

Essentially you are claiming that the incremental ridership with no additional O/D pairs and some incremental capacity and perhaps marginally faster running time will be larger than the incremental ridership with a whole host of new O/D pairs and some added capacity overall, but perhaps without the speedup. I don't think it is such an open and shut case as you make it out to be unless of course you have an analysis of ridership projection under the two circumstances to support your contention. It is not like the incremental ridership between MKE and CHI will be lost if the MKE Madison segment gets service.

Since I haven't asked this before...what, exactly, would be the bare minimum needed to run the MKE-Madison service, assuming two trains each day in each direction (i.e. what exists now RVR-NPN)?