Afaik, the extension was to be via Watertown to Madison, and then back up to Portage. The first phase (that was to be funded in 2009) was to extend Hiawatha service to Madison. The Madison-Portage shift for the Empire Builder (and other, additional, trains) would come later.
Yeah Governor Doyle went off the reservation so to speak with what was planned originially. I believe it was just an upgrade of the Empire Builder route to high speed.
If you look at the current MWHSR rail route via Wisconsin it is kind of jacked up now and someone really needs to move it back to reality. I can see the logic of HSR from Madison to Chicago but thats where the logic ends. They have HSR direct from Milwaukee in a straight line to Madison, I think using a former C&NW right of way that parallels I-94 through Waukesha and Wales and bypassing Watertown completely. Then they have local rail service between Milwaukee, Watertown and Madison, then they have the bypass but only with local rail service, then they also have Madison to Portage HSR. Horse designed by committee now and in my view they need to fix it back to the simplified version.
No way is the public going to pay for the current plan.
Please get this political crap out of here!
Rail has been political since the day the B&O founded itself and wanted to build a railroad. It is no less political today.
Here’s a link to the newly renamed Great River Rail Commission in Minnesota, which had been the High Speed Rail Commission:
http://www.greatriverrail.org/index.php
BTW, the road on the left side of picture at the top of their website is the road I take to and from work every day.
Friends and I rode the Hiawatha from Chi to Milw and return in Nov. on the way to Trainfest. Noted they had 16 trains a day, 8 each way and the conductor said they could use more trains at rush hour as it can be standing room only. Glad to hear this as Amtrak is doing something right on this line.