High-speed rail foes, backers set up rival websites

From a blog post by Larry Sandler on JSOnline.com:

The debate over a planned high-speed rail line between Milwaukee and Madison has spawned dueling websites and online petition drives.

Republican gubernatorial candidate Scott Walker, who is stressing his opposition to the train route as a key campaign issue, recently set up a "Stop the Train!" site, www.notrain.com. Visitors to that site are encouraged to sign on to Walker's open letter to President Barack Obama opposing the project, which would be built with $810 million in federal stimulus money but then would require $10 million a year in state tax dollars to operate.

Walker, the Milwaukee County executive, faces former U.S. Rep. Mark Neumann, also a high-speed rail critic, in the Sept. 14 GOP primary. Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, the leading Democratic candidate, supports the train line.

In response to Walker's site, the Midwest High Speed Rail Association set up its own Web page to back the rail project. Visitors to that page can send a message to gubernatorial candidates and elected officials voicing support for the train line.

Posted in: Trains