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Wisconsin Talgotrains may be mothballed
OK, repaint them and send them west to Seattle, we have the base, the trains, and the need.
Maybe the guys from x train based out of Las Vegas can use them.
Maybe the guys from x train based out of Las Vegas can use them.
Again, why is Walker short-sighted? He and the WiDOT applied for a new TIGER grant for the Milwaukee-Chicago, the portion of the original CHI- Madison that made much, much, much more sense. The FRA and the Obama administration rejected that application.
One can’t deny that Scott Walker actually made good on his campaign promise to kill the train. The sad thing is that every person who voted for him is partially responsible for increasing the state’s dependence on foreign oil and practically handing their hard earned cash to big oil and the road construction industry. Even Wisconsinites who would never have ridden the train would have seen the benefits of the train in slightly lower fuel prices due to less gasoline consumption along the train’s route. The democrats lost the propaganda war.
Probably just as well this is happening, because now maybe the trains can be sold to a state that understands the valueof public transportation, unlike the current shortsighted administration in Wisconsin.
If gas was at $1.00 a gallon maybe…but the incompetance here is just plain amazing.
Amtrak Cascades is planning to add service. They know the value of Talgos and the service could always use new equipment. I use it.
Another reason Scott Walker needs to be recalled. What an idiot!
Press coverage of the legislative action suggests either that Wisconsin officials planned badly or didn’t make the best case. In a column in the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, the two legislators who chair the Joint Finance Committee remarked that the trains were purchased for Milwaukee-Madison, with insufficient capacity for Milwaukee-Chicago service. The value of extending the Hiawatha Service to Madison is among other things in allowing people in the northern suburbs of Chicago to get to Madison, or residents of the Lake District to get to Chicago without driving to the airport station first. These legislators give the impression that Madison passengers would have to change trains in Milwaukee … either a bad plan or a plan poorly explained. In either event, a fixed-formation train engineered for curvy track isn’t a good choice.
Well, Jeffrey from Illinois says riding the rails is socialism. I presume he -personally- paid for every mile of highway he drives on, paid for the airport & airplane he rides on and paid for the school that taught him to write. His brand of “Socialism” is already everywhere but not to be noticed except in selected instances, much like the religious pick and choose only those sins they will avoid.
Socialism is for the people, not the socialist. Once again we see an instance of where big government had an idea so good, it had to be made mandatory. Walker made an intelligent call. Trouble is, the new insanity is the old sanity according to the Marxists and Communists. How would this train’s operating red ink be paid for? No problem. Tax the hell out of the people using the highways. This is transportation welfare at its finest. That’s right. If you ride a passenger train, you are on welfare because somebody else is paying for it. Meanwhile, act like you are holier than thou while whining about how unfair it is that you had to pay for a ticket, which doesn’t even come close to cover the operating costs, let alone track maintenance and reimbursement to the freight railroads getting screwed because they have to park their freight trains in order to let you get free use of their property.
It would be more of a waste to mothball the fleet. I,m sure a compromise can be reached to allow the temporary maintenance base be used to at least get the trains into service. Only a few seats fewer will not make all that much difference in passenger load, but would add newer equipment to attract more passengers.
Another embarrasing and pathetic chapter in Wisconsin rial transportation history. And yet sadly I am sure we not seen the bottom yet. Walker turned down 810 million and cost the taxpayes another 71.8 million for nothing more than bad PR and a sucker punch to anyone who hopes to see anyting more than way SE Wi Metra and the Empire Builder. Other states go forward even though that is our State Motto. Forward, not backward WI. Step 1, out with Walker. Step 2, out with anyone who has theirs already and supports a reduced standard of living for other state residents.
We can manage to fight off the mining and new power palnts, so why are we fighting off opportunties to grow?
The fed money would have been a huge gift and if those opposed had taken the time to read into it, the operating costs were nearly all paid for by design. Wi trnasportation feels like era of dying passenger service during the 50’s and 60’s. The only difference is that we know better now and still make the same blundering errors.
Send the Talgos to Washington and Oregon. They know Talgos and they work the commuter business that keeps increasing passenger traffic every year. Oregon is bringing more Talgos on line for the Eugene to Portland commuter link to get off congested I-5.
Way to waster more taxpayer money Walker.
Wisconsin voters must be so proud.
This Republican thinks it is a shame. Obviously, the whole ‘magilla’ wasn’t thought out properly. Sell the trainsets to WA-OR (at a loss, if necessary) and be done with the boondoggle.
This is a perfect example of a govenor out of control and I don’t mean Walker.This was a no bid contract from our previous gov Doyle who new he would not run again.Walker is doing what the taxpayers of Wi want.