The White House released a statement Wednesday announcing its plan to build rail lines connecting Chicago, Milwaukee, Madison and Minneapolis/St. Paul using federal stimulus money. Of the funds, $810 million will be used to connect Madison and Milwaukee.
""Through high-speed rail, President Obama is making a major investment in the future of Wisconsin's economy,"" Gov. Jim Doyle said in a statement.
The train system should greatly benefit Wisconsin's economy by creating engineering and construction jobs, Mayor Dave Cieslewicz said on his blog. The mayor also said it will ultimately provide a more convenient option for personal travel while linking industries and institutions in Milwaukee and Madison more closely.
""The tighter collaborations that will occur with this rail connection are going to result in new products, services and efficiencies that we can't even fully predict today,"" Cieslewicz said.
Wisconsin Public Interest Research Group Director Bruce Speight said he supports the investment because it will renovate 80 miles of existing track, allowing the construction to move more quickly.
Although the Madison-Milwaukee line has a tentative completion date of 2013, the routes connecting Wisconsin to Chicago and the Twin Cities have no specific time frame.
Richard Harnish, executive director of the Midwest High Speed Rail Association, said although the Obama administration's plans to connect four major cities in the Midwest are exciting, it is not enough.
""We want to make sure that this is seen as just the first step and that we continue to get more aggressive about expanding high-speed rail throughout the Midwest,"" Harnish said.
According to Speight, WISPIRG will be making this expansion a main objective. He called the federal funds a ""down payment,"" but said there was a need for further funding to allow the connection to the Twin Cities.
""This is a major project that will … invest in our long-term growth, connecting the major centers of commerce in Wisconsin and the Midwest,"" Doyle said.
