Madison-Milwaukee High Speed Rail

[thebruce44]

Wouldn't worry about the "high speed train running through our backyard" issue either....it's not like it will be chugging along at 70mph into the city. They can slow 'er down to 30-35mph or so when they hit the residential area. When I lived in Evanston, my apartment was a block away from the Metra tracks and noise was never a big deal.

Thats funny KegStand. I actually live 2 blocks from the Metra and El tracks in Evanston right now. I rarely notice the Metra or El (the Metra can get up to 79 mph) so I know what you are talking about.

 

I think the idea to move this downtown is probably a good one in the long run. I am curious to find out the final locations as well. I go to a badger game or so a year and have family in the area. The Airport would have worked, but as others have noted from the beginning, this will certainly be more convenient.

[Baldkin]

I wonder if they chose the Monona Terrace or UW stops, if the train would come in South of Lake Monona instead of coming in between the two lakes as it would have for the 1st st stop.

[Bucky370]

1) It's Williamson st. Or Willy St as the Madisonians call it, so people don't get confused.

2) There's been trains running through that area since the beginning of time (for me at least, 31+ years), so I'm not sure how this train would be any different, other than it having a dedicated line and maybe moving a bit faster.

 

I'm curious as to how you know exactly where the train would run? Is there a map of the proposed routes (I'd love to see one and my googling has failed me)

Willy St. and Williamson are one in the same, it's an area only 8 blocks or so wide between Lake Mendota and Menona. Their is an annual bike race run in that area so I know it very well and it's proximety to the tracks.

 

The train tracks are literally in the backyard of the homes in this area. Obviously the people that live in these homes knew they were buying a house next to train tracks so I wouldn't feel bad for them at all. This is probably going to delay the project a bit as it's going to take time to buy some land and get approvals etc. But maybe their is some arm twisting as the Doyle admin wants this started sooner than later so if a repub wins the gov seat that person probably can't just shut it down.

 

 

 

[Baldkin]

1) It's Williamson st. Or Willy St as the Madisonians call it, so people don't get confused.

2) There's been trains running through that area since the beginning of time (for me at least, 31+ years), so I'm not sure how this train would be any different, other than it having a dedicated line and maybe moving a bit faster.

 

I'm curious as to how you know exactly where the train would run? Is there a map of the proposed routes (I'd love to see one and my googling has failed me)

Willy St. and Williamson are one in the same, it's an area only 8 blocks or so wide between Lake Mendota and Menona. Their is an annual bike race run in that area so I know it very well and it's proximety to the tracks.

 

The train tracks are literally in the backyard of the homes in this area. Obviously the people that live in these homes knew they were buying a house next to train tracks so I wouldn't feel bad for them at all. This is probably going to delay the project a bit as it's going to take time to buy some land and get approvals etc. But maybe their is some arm twisting as the Doyle admin wants this started sooner than later so if a repub wins the gov seat that person probably can't just shut it down.

Yes, that's what I said. You called it "Williams St" twice in your previous post so I wanted to make sure others knew what you meant. I grew up in the area with train tracks about 500 yards from my house. I know the area as well as anyone.

 

Once again, I ask you how you know exactly where the train route is going to be?

It could very well go south of Lake Monona and get to either the Kohl Center or the Terrace.

[Bucky370]

Williams / Willy st / Williamson...My apologies, I clearly had a shortened name on the first post.

 

I understood it will now go thru those tracks according to the reports on 2 different radio shows Friday. I can't say anymore than that, except that it's the most direct set of tracks to downtown.

[thebruce44]

http://www.dailycardinal....tion-locations-1.1348386

 

The station, which would facilitate transportation for Wisconsin’s high-speed rail that is expected to connect Madison to Milwaukee, will be located at the Dane County Regional Airport, the Kohl Center, Monona Terrace or East Washington Avenue.

[MJLiverock]

Willy Street or the proposed 1st and E. Washington are horrible location for anyone except near east siders to get to and still isn't really downtown. Getting to that area of town is a pain in the neck from the West side or southwest side, especially in the mornings or evenings. Proponents of these locations cite the need to take a cab from the airport to get to downtown or the UW but neither of these locations solve that question. Business commuters aren't going to walk a mile each way so they still will need a cab. Getting to these locations from Middleton and the far west side takes you right past the airport if you go around the north way to avoid the bottleneck of the beltline, John Nolen, University avenue logjams. Uggh, how I hated having to drive thru downtown or up John Nolen in the mornings for meetings on the east side of the square.

 

Plus, this isn't a commuter train for Madison, it is a high speed rail from Chicago to Minneapolis with basically a whistle stop in Madison. Not everyone will need to go downtown or even get off the train here. I sometimes wonder if peopel realize how many Madisonians rarely actually go downtown to the isthmus, most of the large employers have moved to the perifphery of the city.

[RobertR]

http://www.dailycardinal....tion-locations-1.1348386

 

The station, which would facilitate transportation for Wisconsin’s high-speed rail that is expected to connect Madison to Milwaukee, will be located at the Dane County Regional Airport, the Kohl Center, Monona Terrace or East Washington Avenue.

Those are pretty much the stops evaluated in the Preliminary Engineering Report.

 

As far as it goes, here are what I see at the Pros and Cons of each.

 

Airport: Pros-It's an actual destination. Plenty of parking. Can be an intermodal hub. Cons-There are much better destinations in the Madison area.

 

The Kohl Center: Pros- One of the destinations in Madison that makes the most sense. Near the University and State Street, although a bit away from the Capitol. Could run special trains to sporting events. Cons- Parking? Land availability? How much is it going to slow the train? Are you going to have to backtrack out of Madison? Can you set up intermodal there? Cost?

 

The Monona Terrace: Pros- One of the destinations in Madison that makes the most sense. Near the Capitol and State Street, although a bit away from the UW. Cons- Parking? Is there any land available? How much is it going to slow the train? You are almost certainly going to have to backtrack out of Madison as there's little room through the Isthmus. Can you set up intermodal there? Cost?

 

East Washington Avenue: Pros: You should be able to setup intermodal and have some parking. With that route, you could also have a stop at the airport, either now or in the future. Closer to the Capitol and UW than the airport. Cons: Not a destination.

 

Robert

 

 

 

[homer]

It's going to be at Monona Terrace:

 

http://www.jsonline.com/news/wisconsin/92977724.html

[RobertR]

I'd like to see more information than just the location, but the addition of a parking structure across the street seems to make sense to me. Lots of questions still to be answered, including cost, exact route, time, etc.

 

Still, stopping at an actual destination is an enormous plus for this route.

 

Robert

[carniesandrubes]

guess we don't need to worry about where to put the station...

[molitor fan]

The state of North Carolina thanks you by the way....we( NC-where I live) get the money that the new governor turned down.....my true thought are not suited to this forum, but suffice it to say that many people are laughing at him right now.....hubris, pure hubris.

[jerichoholicninja]

Sure, $800 million free now but how many hundred million of Wisconsin taxpayer money later in maintenance and upgrades. Enjoy your train NC.

[pretendastronaut]

This conversation moved to the political forum some time ago. Probably best to keep it there.

 

http://brewerfanpoliticalscene.yuku.com?topic=754