Illinois Getting Some of Wisconsin's High Speed Rail Funding
By Chuck Sudo in News on Dec 10, 2010 2:30PM
Illinois is among 12 states that will divvy $1.2 billion in high speed rail funding previously allotted to Wisconsin and Ohio. Illinois will receive $42 million in funding.
Wisconsin Governor-elect Scott Walker made rejecting the funds allotted to his state a campaign issue, preferring instead to spend it on highway infrastructure improvements. Walker declared the decision by Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood yesterday, and the death of a proposed Milwaukee-to-Madison high speed rail line, to be a "victory."
That rail line could have supported 76 percent of Wisconsin's total population, which lives within 30 miles of the proposed rail stations. There still will be funding for a proposed Chicago-Milwaukee line, to the tune of $2 million. But without the Milwaukee-to-Madison connection, plans for high speed rail from Chicago to the Twin Cities are going to be near-impossible to complete.
Ohio Governor-elect John Kasich also wanted to use the $400 million in funds earmarked for his state on other infrastructure improvements, such as improving highways and freight lines.