President Obama announced Thursday his plan for a high-speed intercity rail system, which includes a line connecting Madison to other metropolitan areas in the Midwest.
The rail system is a part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which set aside $8 billion for national railroad development.
The statement from the U.S. Department of Transportation lists 10 sites for possible rail projects, including the Chicago Hub Network, which would link Chicago, Milwaukee, Madison and the Twin Cities.
""We must start developing clean, energy-efficient transportation that will define our regions for centuries to come,"" Obama said in a statement.
According to the White House statement, the plan would reduce dependence on foreign oil, lower emissions and promote economic growth.
""Anyplace you look where rail stops are established, economic development occurs in that radius,"" said state Sen. Jeffrey Plale, D-Milwaukee, who sits on the state Senate transportation committee.
The DOT compared the proposed project to President Eisenhower's Interstate Highway System created in the 1950s, which ""revolutionized the way we travel in America.""
The proposal calls for three funding tracks, including projects to build the necessary infrastructure and create jobs quickly, regional programs to develop entire regional sections of rail corridors, and planning for logistics and funding.
Plale said he was happy to see the initiative, which started under former Gov. Tommy Thompson, finally advancing. ""It started with a Republican, but it looks like a Democrat is going to bring it to fruition,"" he said.
Although the project has bipartisan support, there is some opposition in the Republican Party.
""Because it is being built with debt, it is further evidence that Barack Obama is the most divisive president of my lifetime,"" said Sen. Glenn Grothman, R-West Bend, who is also on the transportation committee. ""Because it will be operating at a loss, it will forever burden the state of Wisconsin.""
According to the DOT statement, the Obama administration is committed to the project and is ahead of schedule in implementing it, issuing a strategic plan ""just 58 days after passage of the ARRA.""
