RTA votes to stop rental car fee to pay for planning KRM

From an article by Joe Potente in the Kenosha News:

A fee on rental car transactions in southeastern Wisconsin is going away — at least for a while.

The Southeastern Regional Transit Authority voted Friday not to reinstate a $2 fee that had been charged to help pay for planning of the Kenosha-Racine-Milwaukee commuter rail proposal.

That was after the new board voted narrowly to appoint Kenosha County designee Karl Ostby as its chairman.

Created by the Legislature as part of the 2009-11 state budget, the authority is enabled to levy up to $18 per rental transaction to support the local costs of KRM’s development.

Debate over fee

Maintaining the $2 fee for now was discussed, but a majority of the board favored holding off on any fee until a KRM grant plan is finalized, Antaramian said in a phone interview Friday. Antaramian said nobody on the board has shown an interest in levying the full $18.

“I think certain members of the board felt that there wasn’t a need until we actually saw a proposal,” said Antaramian, who supported continuing the $2 charge.

However, Ostby said the question of the fee is likely to arise again next month, after the authority has a clearer idea of KRM’s costs.

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Regional Transit Authority stuck in transit funding tangle

From an article by Larry Sandler in the Milwaukee Jounral Sentinel:

The Milwaukee area's newest government body started work this week with the realization that it doesn't have the power to accomplish its only mission.

In essence, the members of the Southeastern Regional Transit Authority were told that the state had put them in an impossible position, and only the state can get them out of it.

The 2009-'11 state budget created the new RTA to oversee the planned KRM Commuter Link rail line. It did not give the new body any power to fund or coordinate local bus systems.

Yet Federal Transit Administration officials have said they won't approve the $207.5 million commuter railroad until the financial problems of the Milwaukee County Transit System and its Racine and Kenosha counterparts are solved, Ken Yunker, executive director of the Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission, told RTA members.

Therefore, the RTA and the KRM will be doomed to fail without additional help from Madison, said Milwaukee County Supervisor Michael Mayo, an RTA member.

Lawmakers are working with Gov. Jim Doyle to draft new legislation that would create more transit authorities with the power to levy various taxes to support the bus systems, said Dan Kanninen, Doyle's legislative director. Kanninen said the bill could be introduced by the end of the year, for action when the Legislature reconvenes in January.

This isn't what Doyle wanted, Kanninen stressed. In his recommended budget, the governor proposed a single body that would oversee both the KRM and public buses in Milwaukee, Kenosha and eastern Racine counties, funded by a 0.5% sales tax.

But legislators shot down that idea in the face of heavy sales tax opposition from Racine County.

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Rallying support for rail service

From an article by Joe Potente in the Kenosha News:

MILWAUKEE — A summit on regional transit sounded something like a pep rally for public transportation by the time it wrapped up Friday.

A panel of transit backers from Kenosha, Racine and Milwaukee didn’t agree entirely on the viability of commuter rail in the region, but they were united on one major point: Now is the time to pass legislation to create a true regional transit authority with a dedicated sales tax.

And a national expert on transit and urban sustainability said that authority must be taken seriously in order for anything to get done.

Panelist Eric Isbister was blunt. Isbister said a lack of public transit near his Mequon-based business shuts his company off from many car-less members of an enormous workforce a few miles south in Milwaukee.

“We’ve got to stop romancing this issue,” said Isbister, chief executive officer of General MetalWorks Corp., a Mequon-based metal fabrication firm. “We’ve got to get results.”

Said Deborah Blanks, chief executive officer of the Milwaukee Social Development Commission: “It’s about access and opportunity. It’s a connector to prosperity.”

The summit, at the Italian Conference Center, was presented by the Urban Economic Development Association of Wisconsin, the Greater Milwaukee Committee and the city of Milwaukee.

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Lawmakers urge train company to set up shop in Milwaukee

From blog post by Stacy Forster on JSOnline:

Madison – Lawmakers who represent the City of Milwaukee are appealing to a Spanish train company planning to make two trains for Wisconsin to locate their manufacturing facility in the state’s urban center.

The train maker, Talgo, is expected to make two 14-car train sets to be used on Amtrak's Milwaukee-to-Chicago Hiawatha Service, which will cost the state $47 million. The train sets include the cab car that powers the train. The order will create about 80 manufacturing and maintenance jobs, with the possibility the company could add more if other states buy its trains, Gov. Jim Doyle has said.

Talgo hasn’t chosen a location for its assembly and maintenance facility, but Doyle said it was likely to be located in south-central or southeastern Wisconsin. Antonio Perez, chief executive officer and president of Talgo Inc., the company's U.S. subsidiary, said it has scouted locations in Milwaukee and Janesville.

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High-speed train purchase first step in Madison-to-Milwaukee line

From an article by Mark Pitsch in The Capital Times:

In a first step toward building a Midwestern high-speed rail line connecting Madison with Chicago and the Twin Cities, Wisconsin is buying two passenger trains from a Spanish company that will hire state workers to assemble and maintain them.

The $47.5 million purchase is expected to create 80 jobs initially, and company officials said Friday they are considering assembling the trains at Janesville’s General Motors production plant, which closed in April idling 1,200 workers. Sites in Milwaukee are also under consideration.

Gov. Jim Doyle, local officials and transportation experts said the rail line would spur leisure travel to and from Madison and link the city, home to UW-Madison and its technology-related research, to the economies of Minneapolis-St. Paul and Chicago.

“It’s very exciting for our state, for the economic growth of our region,” said Teresa Adams, a UW-Madison engineering professor who runs the Midwest Regional University Transportation Center. “It’s certainly good for our economy. There are a lot of intellectual hubs to be connected.”

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Regional transit authority for Milwaukee gets state budget panel OK

From a story by Scott Bauer in The Capital Times:

The Legislature's budget committee on Friday approved a plan to use a mixture of higher sales taxes and car rental fees to pay for high-speed rail and other transit projects in the two most populated parts of the state.

The measures, part of the two-year state budget, must pass the full Legislature and be approved by Doyle before it becomes law.

In Dane County, a half-cent sales tax could be imposed to pay for commuter rail and other transit projects.

In Milwaukee, Racine and Kenosha counties up to $16 could be charged on car rentals to pay for a commuter rail line connecting the three southeastern Wisconsin cities. A new board created to oversee the rail line's construction also could levy $50 million in bonds to help pay for it. The project has been discussed for years but always stalled over ways to pay for it.

Also, Milwaukee County would be allowed to impose a 1 percent sales tax to pay for a countywide regional transit authority. The $132 million raised each year would pay for transit, parks, cultural and emergency medical services. Fifteen percent would go to the city of Milwaukee.

On a 9-7 vote, the committee voted against Gov. Jim Doyle's proposal to create a regional transit authority in the Fox Cities to help pay for the existing regional bus system using up to half a cent sales tax. . . .

Commuter rail supporters include environmentalists, business groups, organized labor and local governments, and organizations representing the disabled and elderly. They supported commuter rail to ease congestion, create jobs and spur economic development.

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Expanding Transit Options, April 29, Racine

From an announcement by the Wisconsin Sierra Club:

Wisconsin is on the threshold of modernizing our transit system. With these new opportunities come key decisions that will affect our economy and our future. Come to a FREE discussion and learn more about this critical issue.

Wed, April 29, 2009, 6:30 p.m.
DeKoven Center, 600 21st Street, Racine

Featuring presentations and a panel discussion with:
Kevin Brubaker, Environmental Law & Policy Center
Lori Richards, SE WI Regional Transit Authority
Kerry Thomas, Transit NOW

Following the panel, attendees will hear local perspectives from minority, labor, faith & business leaders. Panelists and community leaders will also be available to answer YOUR questions on transit.

Please RSVP for this FREE event by April 27, 2009

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Milwaukee Street car proposed routes on Google Maps

From a post by Jeramey Jannene on Urban Milwaukee:

We’ve unveiled a Google Maps implmentation of Mayor’s Tom Barrett’s proposed streetcar system for downtown Milwaukee. Take a look yourself, we think it’s a little more exciting than a PDF.

The route is likely to change as the planning process continues, and we’ll track those changes on our map.

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KRM, local train service needs to move forward

From a guest editorial by Timothy Sheehy, Roger Caron and Todd Battle in the Racine Journal Times:

In southeastern Wisconsin, regional cooperation has been a long time coming.

The need for economic development and job creation in our cities has never been more critical. After many years of talking about the benefits of regional cooperation the cities in our region are united in a cause that will address those needs. That cause is regional transportation.

Our organizations are responsible for increasing the economic vitality of the surrounding community, and while each city faces unique challenges, we share a common goal of fostering business development, job creation and capital investment.

None of our cities is unique in its work to support the efficient and continued operation of transit systems at a time when state and federal funds for transit are stagnant. We all agree that frequent, reliable transit is critical to ensuring that all residents can access jobs. Conversely, reliable transit is critical in assuring businesses that they are accessible by employees. Businesses need people to operate, and people need to get to work. With more impending cuts to the bus system, we are at risk of jeopardizing that workflow.

In addition to solving the current financial crisis caused by funding bus transit with local property taxes, we are in agreement that our region will benefit significantly by strengthening its connection to the metropolitan Chicago area. Our neighbors to the south have developed a booming global marketplace, and we have yet to take full advantage of the opportunity to easily access and leverage the workforce, jobs, business expansion and commerce taking place there. For these reasons, we are also united in our belief that the Kenosha-Racine-Milwaukee (KRM) commuter rail system and our local train service need to move forward. We are asking the Governor and Legislature to give local leaders the ability to enact a dedicated sales tax of up to one-half percent to fund transit.

As advocates for a diverse business community, we believe that shifting the costs off of the property tax and onto a sales tax is not only a secure option for our businesses, but it’s a progressive step in ensuring the development of a strong, competitive region. We are not alone in this vision. We share support with labor groups, top regional business executives, and minority, civic and environmental organizations. . . .

Timothy Sheehy represents the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce, Roger Caron represents Racine Area Manufacturers and Commerce and Todd Battle is with the Kenosha Area Business Alliance.

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Doyle seeks full cost of Milwaukee-Madison high-speed rail

From an article by Larry Sandler and Patrick Marley in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

State officials are seeking federal stimulus money to pay the full $519 million cost of a proposed 110-mph Milwaukee-to-Madison passenger train line, not just part of it, Gov. Jim Doyle says.

If the grant is approved, trains could be running as soon as late 2012 or early 2013, cutting the travel time between Wisconsin's two largest cities to 1 hour, 7 minutes, officials say. That's about 20 minutes faster than the same trip by automobile, depending on traffic.

Service would start with six daily round trips, connecting Milwaukee's downtown Amtrak-Greyhound station with a new station at Madison's Dane County Regional Airport, with additional stops in Brookfield, Oconomowoc and Watertown.

At the same time, service on Amtrak's Milwaukee-to-Chicago Hiawatha line would increase from the current seven daily round trips to 10, with all of the Madison-to-Milwaukee trains continuing to Chicago. If Chicago wins its bid for the 2016 Olympics, the trains would provide a link between the main Olympic sites and the cycling venues in Madison.

But even without the Olympics, authorities expect the Milwaukee-to-Madison trains to carry 1.08 million riders a year within a couple years after service starts, said Randy Wade, the state's passenger rail chief. Hiawatha ridership jumped 24% last year, to 766,167.

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Kenosha proves to be model for Milwaukee streetcar plan

From an article by Matthew Olson in the Kenosha News:

As Milwaukee gets assistance for its own downtown streetcar, a Kenosha transit official sees that proposal as a boost to regional transit plans and not a threat to interest in Kenosha’s railways.

Part of the $410 billion federal spending bill signed last week by President Obama included a provision to divide $91.5 million in transit aid between the city and county of Milwaukee.

The $91.5 million in funding was initially approved in 1991, but was held up when Milwaukee city and county officials were unable to decide how to divide the money. The city’s 60 percent share is planned for a downtown streetcar line, while Milwaukee County’s funds destined for the county bus system.

The concept of a downtown streetcar is nothing new to Kenosha. The city restarted its downtown streetcar rail line in 2000, and an estimated 65,000 people rode on Kenosha’s rails last year.

Kenosha Area Transit Director Len Brandrup said Milwaukee officials have taken a look at Kenosha’s streetcar setup in recent years.

“We have an excellent working relationship with the city of Milwaukee and have had them visit the streetcar system and showed them what it meant to the community,” Brandrup said.

But a Milwaukee streetcar system could have a significant connection for Kenosha beyond initial research.

Pete Beitzel, chairman of the Milwaukee Connector Transit Study and vice president of the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce, said Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett’s current plan for the streetcar line would create a three-mile loop through downtown Milwaukee. That line is expected to connect with the Amtrak train/Greyhound bus station.

That transit station is also the likely Milwaukee stop for a potential Kenosha-Racine-Milwaukee (KRM) commuter rail link.

“Having the KRM in the same place would connect the station to downtown Milwaukee,” Beitzel said. “Now, you either have to get a cab or have someone pick you up (from the station).”

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Sales tax for KRM rail faces fresh opposition

From an article by Sean Ryan in The Daily Reporter:

A new sales tax in southeastern Wisconsin will pay for the Kenosha-Racine-Milwaukee Commuter Link if the idea can overcome opposition in the state Legislature and Racine County.

State Sen. John Lehman, D-Racine, said he supports the proposed rail project that would connect the three cities, but voters in his district won’t support a sales tax. Lehman last year convinced the state Senate to include a car-rental fee in the Budget Repair Bill to pay for transit in southeastern Wisconsin. The state Assembly later rejected the fee.

Milwaukee County opposed the car-rental fee because passengers from General Mitchell International Airport would pay the bulk of the money, Lehman said. Now Racine County, which has never levied its own sales tax, stands as the likely roadblock to the KRM under this plan, he said.

“So the sales tax recommendation, in my opinion, doesn’t make sense for Racine County,” Lehman said, “and it is unnecessary to finance a bus system in Racine County.

“I recognize that the Milwaukee County bus system is very challenged, and I think the sales tax makes more sense for Milwaukee County than Racine County.”

Sen. Jeff Plale, D-South Milwaukee, said residents in his district support a sales tax to pay for the KRM and the bus system. But he would not predict the reception it will receive in Madison once biennial budget discussions begin next month.

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State keeps working on Milwaukee-Madison railroad

From an article by in The Daily Reporter:

Wisconsin does not have enough money to pay for the estimated $500 million Milwaukee-Madison high-speed rail line, but the state might kick off the project anyway.

“I keep going back to the fact that this is a multiyear project,” said Randall Wade, the Wisconsin Department of Transportation’s passenger rail manager. “There are things we can do immediately, and I think we should start as soon as possible.”

But before focusing on the Milwaukee-Madison line, WisDOT must consider capacity upgrades to its Milwaukee-Chicago service, which Wade said sets ridership records every month.

Gov. Jim Doyle put $80 million in the state budget to spark Wisconsin involvement in the Midwest Regional Rail Initiative, a multistate effort to coordinate and expand high-speed rail use. WisDOT, Wade said, will use that money for upgrades to the Chicago-Milwaukee line and the Milwaukee-Watertown portion of the line to Madison.

The state agency also asked for $137 million in federal stimulus money for high-speed rail projects. Although Wade said that money could pay for track and signal improvements along the Chicago-Milwaukee-Madison route, the combined $217 million would only be enough to establish a passenger-ready line as far as Watertown.

“(Finishing it) is still going to be dependent upon federal funding,” he said.

If finishing the high-speed rail line between Watertown and Madison takes several years, it could test the patience of people in the capital region.

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Supervisor supports KRM passenger rail

From a story by Brian Moon on WRN.com:

The Kenosha-Racine-Milwaukee Passenger train should be built, according to a Milwaukee County official. County Board Member Chris Larson is reacting to a recent study by Tom Rubin of the Reason Foundation which, citing high costs, favors an expanded commuter bus service instead of the regional passenger rail. Larson agrees with Rubin's assertion that the rapid buses could operate along the I-94 corridor without having to add new lanes. However, he claims by Rubin's own admission, lakeside transit would be most efficient with a rail system.

The County Supervisor supports developing the KRM rail while restoring the decaying Milwaukee County bus line. He says the funding could come from a 1% sales tax already been approved by voters in a referendum last November. Larson hopes the tax hike will clear state lawmakers and believes a portion of the tax hike could go toward regional transit.

But Milwaukee County can't pay for it alone. Larson hopes Racine and Kenosha Counties will follow his county's example of a sales tax hike referendum.

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Gov. Doyle vows to spend federal rail funds fast

From an article by Ellyn Ferguson in the Appleton Post-Crescent:

WASHINGTON — Wisconsin could quickly and effectively spend any rail money Congress provides in an economic recovery package, Gov. Jim Doyle said Thursday.

Doyle and others were called by the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee to rebut a federal report that said states could not use economic recovery money for roads, bridges and transit quickly enough to generate jobs and counter the recession.

States would have to commit money to projects within a 90-day deadline.

Opponents of the infrastructure portion of the $825 billion economic recovery package have used the report by the Congressional Budget Office, the fiscal watchdog for Congress, to fight the bill.

"The purpose of this hearing today is to nail down the ability of the states to meet these deadlines," committee chairman Rep. Jim Oberstar, D-Minn., said.

Oberstar said transportation and infrastructure projects could produce 1 million jobs by early June if Congress approves the economic recovery package by mid-February.

"We share your view that this recovery act should be designed to get people to work," said Doyle, who testified on behalf of States for Passenger Rail Coalition.

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Oconomowoc backs high-speed rail proposal

An article by By Scott Williams of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

Elected leaders here have thrown their support behind a proposed network of high-speed commuter trains linking Milwaukee and Madison.

The Oconomowoc Common Council voted Tuesday to support the Midwest Regional Rail System, which would pass through Oconomowoc.

Gov. Jim Doyle and other proponents of the system envision it as part of a 3,000-mile network linking Milwaukee and Chicago to many other Midwestern cities.

The mayor of Winona, Minn., has been soliciting support from communities along the route between the Twin Cities and Chicago.

In addition to Oconomowoc, those communities include Milwaukee, Watertown and Wisconsin Dells.

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Regional transit authority and a commuter rail line still deserve widespread support

From an editorial in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

Transit supporters have taken a couple of hits recently, casting doubt on both the creation of a regional transit authority and system, and the development of a critical element of such a system, a commuter rail line linking Milwaukee, Racine and Kenosha. Nevertheless, the transit authority and the KRM line are still proposals that deserve widespread support if the region wants to build effective regional mass transit that would provide a number of benefits, including fostering economic development.

A regional transit system could improve bus service in Milwaukee County and other areas, as well as help create better intercounty connections to help workers get to jobs. The KRM can help provide a reliable speedy mass transit link along the eastern edge of the region from downtown Milwaukee to Kenosha.

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New study questions commuter rail line; author's integrity quetioned

From a story by Larry Sandler in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

A new study by a libertarian think tank claims the projected economic benefits of a proposed Milwaukee-to-Kenosha commuter rail line have been inflated and questions its ridership estimates.

But a business leader noted that the author of the study, Los Angeles-based transit consultant Tom Rubin, took a far more positive view of the $200 million project in June, when pro-transit business leaders were pushing the Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Transit Authority to hire him as the authority's consultant. And a regional planner said the commuter rail projections were sound.

The Reason Foundation study, being released today, says the transit authority should consider express buses as an alternative to the KRM Commuter Link, which would connect downtown Milwaukee and the southern suburbs to Racine and Kenosha with 14 round trips each weekday.

Rubin said his latest study wasn't meant to bash the KRM, but to highlight the advantages of bus options.

"We're not saying that KRM is a dumb idea and it should be dropped," Rubin said Monday. "I am not saying that KRM is going to fail. I am saying there are other options that should be studied before you make that commitment."

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Doyle adds Milwaukee-Madison rail to wish list

From a story by Mark Pitsch in the Wisconsin State Journal:

The start of a commuter rail line between Madison and Milwaukee, a new UW-Madison medical research tower and expansion of Interstate 94 are among the local projects Gov. Jim Doyle says could be started within months if federal lawmakers pass a massive economic stimulus bill for states.

Doyle met with members of President-elect Barack Obama's economic team and incoming chief of staff Rahm Emanuel on Wednesday and presented them a list of those and other projects he says the state has ready to go, his office said.

Over all, the state has nearly 1,800 projects worth $3.7 billion that could be ready to start within 120 days if it receives funding under the bill being worked on in Congress — though it's too early to say how much Wisconsin might get.

"These are things we could do immediately to have people work all across the state," Doyle said earlier this week in an interview.

Doyle's office has an additional $10 billion in longer-term projects cued up, including $519 million for the rail project, $300 million to replace UW-Madison's Charter Street plant and $50 million for a campus bioenergy research facility.

The office released the list of projects Wednesday. Doyle is slated to testify before the House Appropriations Committee today and he was scheduled to meet with its chairman, Rep. David Obey, D-Wausau, privately Wednesday.

Click here for the full wish list, including more items for Milwaukee and southeastern Wisconsin.

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Milwaukee-Madison train service cost soars

From an article on Milwaukee Rising:

The capital cost of developing Milwaukee-Madison train service has soard 25% to 50% in just two years, according to the Wisconsin Department of Transportation.

The cost was estimated at $400 million when the 2007-09 budget was developed, according to the agency’s budget request.

“As with all other infrastructure projects, the estimated cost has increased significantly in the last two years due to high fuel and materials costs,” the department said. ”While the final cost will not be known until the final design and engineering are completed, the project cost is currently estimated at $500 – $600 million, including all design, engineering, capital infrastructure costs, and equipment costs.”

WisDOT is seeking $40 million in new bonding authority for the project, on top of the $82 million in authority it already has.

The good news, WisDOT said, is that there now is a federal funding program for intercity passenger rail service that could pay as much as 80% of project costs.

“Federal appropriation of funding and rule-making for the rail programs still need to occur,” the agency said in its 2009-11 budget request. ”The work done on the Madison – Milwaukee corridor so far and the bonding already authorized will place Wisconsin in a good position to receive a grant as soon as the process is established.”

There are good reasons to proceed with the project, WisDOT said.

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