Copyright 1999 Journal Sentinel Inc.
Milwaukee
Journal Sentinel
September 27, 1999, Monday State
SECTION: News Pg. 1
LENGTH:
524 words
HEADLINE: Madison moving cautiously on
commuter rail
Railroad, some residents ready to get
started
BYLINE: LARRY SANDLER
SOURCE: Journal Sentinel staff
BODY:
While some Madison residents, and Dane
County's major freight railroad, seem eager to steam ahead with
commuter rail, city officials are rolling down a more cautious
track.
"We really are supportive of a new approach for our future, but
we really need to be more deliberative," said David Trowbridge, a city
transportation planner.
Trowbridge was reacting to news that the
Wisconsin & Southern Railroad is seriously considering a limited
commuter rail line from the southeastern suburb of McFarland to
the University of Wisconsin Hospital. If the Milwaukee-based railroad can obtain
$1.8 million to $2 million in tax money for track upgrades, service could start
in about a year, railroad spokesman Jeff Wiswell said last week.
That
would bring rail transit to Madison before local, state and UW officials
complete a detailed study of a more extensive commuter rail system -- starting
with a $90 million to $104 million line from Middleton to East Towne Shopping
Center -- and other transportation options.
Trowbridge thinks it's
important to complete the study first. He's a staff assistant to the study
committee, which will hold its first meeting Wednesday.
A detailed study
is required to obtain federal and state aid, Trowbridge noted. Also, authorities
should understand the market and decide how to provide the best possible service
before proceeding with something that may or may not work, he said.
City
planners' concerns were highlighted in a March report that questioned some
findings of an earlier commuter rail feasibility study but nonetheless
recommended proceeding with the more detailed study.
Local authorities
have examined commuter rail and light rail to varying degrees in 10 studies over
the past 20 years but have never proceeded further, the city report says. That
could reflect slower-than-projected growth in urban development and bus
ridership, as well as a lack of funding, the report suggests.
While the
last feasibility study provided some useful data, it may have underestimated
operating costs and overestimated ridership, the city report says. The
feasibility study also did not fully consider the impacts of commuter rail on
the bus system, automobile traffic and development patterns, the report says.
Those issues deserve more thorough study, the report says.
City
officials know that widening streets and highways isn't an acceptable option,
but improving Madison Metro Transit service could be an appropriate interim step
if the area isn't ready for rail transit yet, the report says.
The city
report cites several national critiques of rail transit, including one by
Harvard University economics professor John Kain. In a 1996 interview with the
Journal Sentinel, Kain said he knew little about Madison and Milwaukee, but was
sure rail transit wouldn't work in either city. He believes only the most
densely populated areas can support rail lines.
Still, Trowbridge
stresses that city officials are not opposed to rail transit. If it can be done
correctly, commuter rail could be important in helping the Madison area contend
with rapid growth, he said.
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