New Report: High-Speed Rail “Part of the Solution”

Will boost economy in short and long term, modernize and improve transportation for Wisconsin and the Midwest

WISPIRG

Milwaukee, WI – A new report puts clear numbers and a clear vision on how high-speed rail will boost the Midwest economy, reduce highway and airport congestion, reduce dependence on oil, and protect the environment.  The report was released by WISPIRG today with business leaders, labor, and community and local elected leaders.

“As the saying goes, ‘you are either part of the problem, or part of the solution,” said Bruce Speight, WISPIRG Director.  “High-speed rail is a part of the solution – boosting our economy and creating jobs, modernizing our transportation system and helping to solve our nation’s oil dependency, worsening congestion and pollution.  High-speed rail gets us moving, in the right direction.”

The new report, “Connecting the Midwest,” analyzes the potential of high-speed rail to the Midwest, and looks at benefits specific to eight Midwestern states, including Wisconsin.

Key findings of the report include:

·         A completed Midwest high-speed rail network will create 57,000 permanent jobs and support 15,200 jobs during the ten years that it would take to construct the project.  The Madison to Milwaukee line would boost Wisconsin’s economy enough to create nearly 13,000 jobs in the state by 2013.

·         Traffic congestions costs major Midwest metropolitan areas more than $10 billion annually in lost economic output.  Midwest high-speed rail will reduce air travel by 1.3 million trips and car travel by 5.1 million trips per year by 2020, curbing congestion.

·         An Amtrak passenger uses 30% less energy per passenger mile than a passenger car, reducing dependence on oil.  The Milwaukee to Madison line alone would eliminate approximately 780,000 car trips per year over a 10-year period, saving 2.76 million gallons of gas per year.

·         High-speed rail will give consumer more transportation options.  Region-wide in the Midwest, 58% of Midwesterners, or 35 million people, would live within 15 miles of a high-speed rail station; 17 million would live within five miles of a station.  More than one out of every four jobs in the region would be within five miles of a station.  52% of Wisconsinites would live within 15 miles of a station, and 58% of the state’s workforce would have a station within 15 miles of their workplace.  

·         The system would prevent 188,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions each year by replacing less efficient car and plane travel. The amount is equal to the annual emissions of 34,000 cars.

“High-speed rail will connect Madison to prosperity, better connecting our city and the state to markets and economic centers, and thereby growing our economy,” said Susan Schmitz, President of Downtown Madison, Inc.

In January, the Obama administration announced that 31 states will receive a portion of $8 billion in funding to build and plan for high-speed rail under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.  The Midwest received funds totaling $2.7 billion for rail projects in six states.  Wisconsin will receive $810 million for rail from Milwaukee to Madison, $12 million to improve service between Milwaukee and Chicago and $1 million to study service from Madison to the Twin Cities.

“I travel throughout the world, and one of the things that I really enjoy about train travel is that you can work and be very efficient,” said Stewart Wandard, President of Wangard Partners Inc.  “With rail, I can be sure that I am going to get to my business appointments on time, without the delay of road construction, snow or rain. And for my firm, which has a regional presence, rail allows our executives to work while we travel.”

The report urges Congress to invest adequate resources in intercity rail and set performance standards to fully realize rail’s potential. It calls on the President and Congress to articulate a national vision for high-speed rail similar to the vision outlined by President Eisenhower for the Federal Highway system.

“With a long history of bi-partisan support, high-speed rail should be embraced for what it is – a critical step towards modernizing our transportation system, creating jobs and growing our economy, and reducing our dependence on oil,” concluded Speight.