May 25, 2010

Wisconsin High Speed Intercity Passenger Rail From vision to reality

MADISON COMMUNITY MEETING

John Oimoen, High Speed Passenger Rail Program DirectorPaul Trombino, Division Operations DirectorChris Klein, Executive Assistant-Office of the SecretaryWisconsin Department of Transportation

Presentation Outline

• History/Midwest Regional Rail Vision

• High Speed Intercity Passenger Rail (HSIPR) Projects• Madison to Minneapolis/St. Paul Study• Milwaukee to Madison Project• Chicago-Milwaukee-Madison Corridor 2013

Midwest Region Rail Corridors(Note: Chicago – Milwaukee – Minneapolis/St. Paul Corridor)

Midwest Regional Rail InitiativeNine states and Amtrak working togethersince 1996 to plan and implement MWRRI

Planning Goals• To provide network efficiencies to each corridor• To increase revenues through increased speeds and

frequencies to reduce operating subsidies • To keep associated capital investment to reasonable levels

• Regional service in 100 to 500 mile corridors hubbed in Chicago• Up to 110 mph top speeds• Shared corridors with freight • Travel times competitive with auto – in some cases with air

Recent Wisconsin Actions toward HSIPR

• Purchase Watertown-Madison line (2003)• Construct new Stations: downtown Milwaukee(MIS), Milwaukee

airport, Sturtevant, WI (2005-2007)• Capacity study of Chicago-Milwaukee-Madison (2008-2010)• Track improvements between Chicago and Milwaukee (2009)• Increase capacity of Chicago-Milwaukee Hiawatha Service (added

more cars) (2007 and 2009)• Join other Midwest Governors in joint activities (2009)

Chicago – Milwaukee – Minneapolis/St. Paul Corridor:Madison – Minneapolis/St. Paul Service Level NEPA Study

• Service level Environmental EA/EIS on corridor alternatives (Joint MnDOT/WisDOT effort, $1.2M)

• Study tasks will be data collection of corridor route alternatives for analysis/review to pare down alternative route options

• Public involvement• Completion of Service Level NEPA Study will lead to Project

Level NEPA analysis with a minimum of 3 alternative route options including No Build Alternative

Milwaukee-Madison Project American Recovery & Reinvestment Act (ARRA) Federal Funding

Milwaukee – Madison Project Past• Environmental Document and Process (2000-2004) highlights:

• April 18, 2001 – Assessment of Madison Passenger Rail Access Alignments and Station Location Alternatives

• June 2001 – Environmental Assessment• Identified Access Corridor and Station locations (Brookfield, Oconomowoc, Watertown)• Public Involvement – Hearings, Meetings• Madison Station Alternatives

– Alternative 1: Hoepker Rd, USH51/Acker Rd – Eliminated from further analysis– Alternative 2: Airport via Commercial Ave – Eliminated from further analysis– Alternative 3: Airport via First St – Retained for further analysis– Alternative 4: Pennsylvania Ave via First St – Retained for further analysis– Alternative 5: Kohl Center/Milwaukee Rd Depot – Eliminated from further analysis– Alternative 6: Downtown Alignment Monona Terrace Station – Retained for further analysis

• June 2004 – EA: Finding of No Significant Impact• Federal Rail Administration signs FONSI, finalizes selected corridor and mitigation

commitments• Madison Station Alternatives finalized:

– Alternative 4: Pennsylvania Ave via First Street – not a preferred alternative– Alternative 3: Airport via First St – should proposed extension to Twin Cities be implemented, Airport

Station would serve as the primary station for through trips– Alternative 6: Downtown Alignment Monona Terrace Station – downtown station would serve trips

terminating in Madison

Milwaukee – Madison Project Present

• October 2009 – WisDOT Applies for ARRA Federal Funding for Milwaukee to Madison project

• January 2010 – Milwaukee to Madison project selected for $810M federal funding

• Spring 2010 – WisDOT conducts Feasibility Assessment of Madison Stations sites• Review of previous work (EA process) and updated to reflect current

issues• WisDOT adds additional station site for consideration – Yahara/1st Street• May 2010: WisDOT concludes that Monona Terrace/Downtown Station

is best option• Monona Terrace Station best meets evaluation criteria• Consistent with 2004 EA FONSI

Milwaukee – Madison Project Present• Project Elements:

• Rail corridor design and construction (track, structures, signals, maintenance facility, Positive Train Control (PTC), etc.)

• Stations Environmental Document and Preliminary Engineering and, Construction of 4 stations (Brookfield, Oconomowoc, Watertown, Madison)

• Train equipment acquisition for extension of service to Madison• Two additional train sets• Eight new locomotives

• WisDOT closely working with FRA to develop grant agreements to proceed with all design activities.• May 18, 2010: WisDOT/FRA accepted Grant Agreement for Stations Environmental Document and

Preliminary Engineering• WisDOT/FRA in process of drafting

documents for Corridor Design GrantAgreement

Milwaukee to Madison Project Future

• Public Involvement Process• Seamless communication gathering input on all issues surrounding overall

project – stations, corridor design/construction• Involve local communities/stakeholders in the project process to as great an

extent as possible• Stations Environment Document and Preliminary Engineering Process

• Public/Community workshops (Beginning June 2010), Public Informational Meetings, Public Hearing (2011), Environmental Document Approval (2011)• Finalize specific site location at Monona Terrace – Early Summer 2010• Proceed into Environment Document

• Corridor Design Process• Public/Community workshops, Public Informational Meetings

• Noise and Vibration Outreach• Corridor Management Plan Outreach• Labor/Business Advisory Committees

Milwaukee to Madison Project Future

• Noise and Vibration• Conduct Studies of issue along corridor• Gather information from neighborhood meetings and individual property owner

meetings• Develop mitigation options, plans for addressing issues, and implement into final

design

• Madison Corridor Management Plan• Focus on design and appearance of corridor – landscape, signage, signals, grade

crossing devices and fencing• Create Madison CMP Stakeholder Committee

• Conduct series of CMP workshops and committee meetings• Define parameters of elements and community aesthetic character• Conduct Public Meetings on plan elements• Refine plan based on public input, develop design manual, and incorporate elements into

final design

Milwaukee to Madison Project Future

• Labor and Business Advisory Committees• Develop strategies to provide opportunities for local small businesses

and labor to participate in the construction of the projects• Implement labor and business committees to identify opportunities in

project work• Develop public information materials to disseminate opportunities on

rail projects within labor and business communities along the corridor

Chicago-Milwaukee-Madison Corridor 2013

• Planned service beginning 2013: 6 daily round-trips Chicago – Milwaukee – Madison. All 6 are through trains between Chicago and Madison.

• Speeds up to 110 mph once PTC installed (initially 79 mph)• Milwaukee-Madison travel time with implementation of

PTC(one-way): ~1hr-13min; Express: ~1hr-4min• Completion of service extended to Twin Cities will increase

to 10 daily round-trips: – 4 trips between Minneapolis/St. Paul and Chicago– 6 trips between Madison and Chicago (~2hr-45min or less with

express route)

May 25, 2010

Thank you.Wisconsin Department of Transportation

MADISON COMMUNITY MEETING