Things continue to look favorable for the return of passenger rail service to Madison. The Obama administration met with Midwest governors yesterday and now Vice President Joe Biden is praising the Midwest Regional Rail Initiative.
Vice President Joe Biden lauded the Midwest proposal, which envisions passenger trains speeding through the region at 110 m.p.h., as "one of the most comprehensive plans that have been put forward so far."
The administration gathered eight governors, including Gov. Pat Quinn, for a roundtable at the White House on Wednesday. Interviewed at the White House afterward, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, a former Illinois congressman, noted that Obama and his chief of staff, Chicagoan Rahm Emanuel, have taken an intense interest in the rail initiative. He suggested that that would work in favor of substantial financial support for a Midwest network.
The article notes, however, that regardless of how much the Midwest gets from the Feds, the initial round of funding will go towards eliminating slow zones around Chicago, St. Louis, and Detroit. For more on slow zones and bottlenecks around Chicago, check out this video.
And Madison isn't the only Wisconsin city with the potential to have passenger rail service once again after nearly 40 years. Green Bay has its own rail supporters looking to bring service to the Fox Valley.
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