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2/20/2010
Rep. Petersen: All aboard high-speed subsidies
On January 28, 2010, President Obama announced Wisconsin would receive $822 million of stimulus funds to construct and upgrade passenger rail. Of that amount, $810 million will be used to build a new rail line between Madison and Milwaukee. The remaining $12 million is slated to upgrade existing routes between Milwaukee and Chicago.
Voting as a 12 - 4 straight party line bloc, Democrats on the Joint Finance Committee approved the acceptance and distribution of federal money. Republicans brought forward amendments to protect Wisconsin taxpayers from having to subsidize the rail line as well as guard the Transportation Fund from additional raids. Those safeguards were voted down on the same 12 – 4 party line vote.
Construction of the Madison to Milwaukee line is scheduled to begin this year with completion estimated for 2013. Although touted as a 110 mph high speed rail, in actuality the train will run at 79 mph until at least 2016. High speed locomotives have not yet been purchased.
Three stops are scheduled between downtown Milwaukee and the Dane County Regional Airport. Even when traveling at 110 mph, estimated travel time between the 2 cities will be 1 hour and 14 minutes. Ironically, according to MapQuest, that is roughly the same travel time for a passenger car driving on I/94 taking a direct route.
Train cars operating on the new line were procured by Governor Doyle with financing approved by the Democrat controlled Joint Finance Committee last year (Petersen’s E-Press August 21, 2009). Purchased with borrowed money, taxpayers will be paying $3.8 million in debt service annually up to 13 years for trains that didn’t include locomotives.
The debt payment doesn’t include interest debt nor taxpayer subsidies needed to run the Madison to Milwaukee line. Currently, the subsidy covering the Hiawatha Line between Milwaukee and Chicago is $5.5 million annually. The Madison to Milwaukee rail will cost tax payers an additional $7.5 million per year.
Total count on the Hiawatha line is over 750,000 commuters annually. Estimates assume the new Milwaukee to Madison line’s ridership at 361,400. Targeted cost of a single round-trip passenger ticket will be approximately $66.
To put the cost in perspective, a worker commuting from Milwaukee to Madison 5 days per week will spend $330. A family of four traveling to Milwaukee from Madison will spend $264 for one round-trip.
Comparatively, a direct round trip by car would cost approximately $25 in gas. Furthermore, considering the train travels from downtown Milwaukee to the Madison airport, chances are passengers will be nowhere near their final destination upon arrival.
To date, funding for the rail subsidies hasn’t been determined. Most likely, it will be taken from the Transportation Fund. However, the Transportation Fund is already running a $33 million deficit. The other option would be raising an existing tax or creating a new one.
Proponents claim the rail system will create jobs. As reported in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 55 permanent jobs will be created after the initial construction phase. Remember, these jobs don’t pay for themselves; they will be solely subsidized by Wisconsin taxpayers.
Regardless of your opinion of high speed rail or whether you intend to ride it, one thing is for certain. Every Wisconsin taxpayer will be “all aboard” subsidizing the new Milwaukee to Madison train.
Kevin Petersen is a Republican and represents the citizens of the 40th Assembly District.
COMMENTS
$66 round trip Milwaukee to Madison?
I remember in the 1960's paying Badger Buslines a whopping $3.25 for the same trip. Today the round trip price is $35.
This is a white elephant sure to further destroy our economy.
So I ask again, are proponents stupid, or is the destruction of our economy their intent?
Ken Van Doren (Mon Feb 22 09:47:43 2010)
It is indeed their intent; watch "The Fall of the Republic" online.
emily matthews (Mon Feb 22 10:38:55 2010)
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