Posted on 04/27/2003 11:13:25 AM PDT by republicandiva
Public Hearings have begun on a proposed extension of Metra (commuter rail) services to facilitate the entire Chicago to Milwaukee corridor. Metra currently stops in Kenosha, WI, approximately 40 miles south of Milwaukee.
Estimated costs are $152 million start-up (80% federal, 20% state and local funding) and approx. $15 million/annual additional subsidy to cover expenses over and above revenue from fares. Best estimates are a couple hundred commuters from each added location will use the Metra on a daily basis, with a possible 1,000,000 annual ridership by the year 2020!
Two primary driving forces behind the groundswell in this area are local and statewide environmentalists (who are also trying to prevent expansion of the I-94 freeway system) and S.C.Johnson & Son, Inc. (located in Racine) who claims they need commuter rail to be more marketable to executives from the Chicago and/or Milwaukee areas.
The eventual destination in Milwaukee is at least 1/2 miles from the fringe of the business district in downtown Milwaukee, necessitating either additional subsidies for increased bus service, or taxi service.
There is already an existing Amtrak service from Milwaukee to Chicago!
Need your help in FREEPING THIS POLL...the poll will shut down at about noon on 4-28...MANY THANKS
Should Commuter Rail be Extended?
Hell no!
Hell no!
I would love to know how many commuters actually use AMTRAK a year. There is no justification to extend commuter rail in Milwaukee.
Everytime this is brought up it reminds of a Simpson's episode when they build the Monorail.
How about we just give the commuters from Milwaukee to Chicago skateboards. Now there's an idea I support.
Well if S.C. Johnson CLAIMS THEY NEED COMMUTER RAIL, then by all means open up your checkbook and feel free to pay for it!
The Wisconsin DOT (PDF document) does list how many people ride the Hiawatha last year, and that was 397,518 passengers. That's for 6 daily round-trip runs and 1 additional Monday-Saturday round trip run.
To do the math, first divide that 397,518 in half to 198,754 actual riders (roughly, there are probably a few that don't make the round trip). Then divide by 52 weeks to get 3,822 riders per week. Divide again by 48 round trips per week to get just under 80 riders per round trip.
How does the trip time via train compare with the probable time via bus? The level of ridership cited would certainly seem like enough to justify some sort of mass transit connection; I suspect busses, run somewhat more frequently, might be better than trains but that depends a lot on the relative transit speeds.
Amtrak does have a few routes that do very well, and a moderate number of routes that do reasonably. There are many routes for which new infrastructure construction would make little sense, but for which use of existing infrastructure is quite reasonable. This would seem like it might be one of those.
The Metra commuter line that is being talked about uses a line that is much closer to the lake. It currently stops at Kenosha, and makes a lot more stops than the Amtrak train (same max speed limitations). There is no current station infrastructure north of Kenosha on the line that Metra would use. Morever, scaling the Metra price for Racine/Milwaukee would make it no cheaper than Amtrak for a much slower run.
Nope, they phased out the AB stops as a cost saving measure. I forget when, but here is a link to system maps. The last time they are shown is from the 1985 maps. A shame IMHO. The whole idea of transit is to make it more convenient than cars. All the extra stops add substantially to the total travel time during rush hours.
Almost everyone I know that works in Milwaukee has no intention of ever using it. Why take Metra when it's LESS CONVENIENT AND MORE COSTLY than the alternative?
Something else that needs to be considered - many of those pushing this extension are doing so claiming it will eliminate the need to expand I-94. You may also be interested to know that the Thoreau Institue has done ongoing studies on cost of mass transit vs. hwy construction, although the latest numbers I saw were a few years old, cost per mile used of highways was running at $0.001/mile, while transit was at $0.47/mile..IOW 470 times the cost to the taxpayer. We are realistically looking at providing service to a very small percentage of the commuter population, yet at a very expensive pricetag to the taxpayer. AND, they have yet to figure out how they're going to pay for this with millions of dollars in revenue sharing cuts anticipated.
You've hit on something many of us in this area wonder about whenever we hear another "development" the Johnsons want, but expect the taxpayers to fund. Truth of the matter is Sam Johnson (either 26th or 36th richest man in the world) could pay for this out of petty cash...it remains to be seen if he'll fund any part of it. This area simply can't afford to absorb a multi-million dollar annual subsidy...we've got the highest unemployment in the state.
I grant you that there are less in Waukegan than there are in Indian Hill, but there are still enough to make it worth Metra's time. Remember, however, that each train I see is only one of thirty that day. If the number of trains were reduced, there would not be enough room to transport all the people to Waukegan that want to go.
I don't know of the study numbers, and would be interested to see them. If they support your position, then I would agree with you. I do think 94 needs to be expanded, but I still believe there would be enough clientele to make the Milwaukee run viable. They would only need to make one or two runs a day to make it worth while, just like they do now with Kenosha.
There are a lot of people out there who don't have access to cars that need to make the trip - students who attend schools in Chicago(like myself, although I do have a car), lower class individuals who work night shifts or other jobs around Chicago, and travelers who want to get to OHare and Midway.
But, I'm just going on what I have seen on the train and what I think. I haven't seen the numbers you talk about, so perhaps that has already been taken into account. But I still like the idea of expanding mass transit - maybe just because the traffic around Chicago sucks.
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