Wisconsin cities advance passenger rail plan to Chicago

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Efforts to establish a new passenger rail line between three southeast Wisconsin cities and Chicago will take another step in December.

The Milwaukee-Area-Racine-Kenosha Passenger Rail Commission will hold its inaugural meeting at 10 a.m. on Friday, Dec. 5, in Room 27 at Racine City Hall, city of Racine officials said in a news release.

The meeting will focus on establishing the commission’s organizational structure, officials said. It will also mark the start of coordination between Kenosha, Racine and Milwaukee to explore the feasibility of a passenger rail service between the three cities and Chicago and northern Illinois, officials added.

MARK is a resurgence of the effort to establish a rail line between the cities since the late 1990s. Originally named the Kenosha-Racine-Milwaukee commuter rail project, the plans were scrapped in 2011 when control of the Wisconsin Legislature flipped. The effort is now rebranded MARK to distance itself from the previous proposal.

In 2022, the city of Racine Common Council secured $5 million in federal funding for a feasibility study. The body also hired a consulting team, including DB E.C.O. North America Inc., Kimley-Horn, De Vor Communications and The Lakota Group to guide the process, a study presentation showed. AECOM will analyze existing real estate and future development along the line.

Creating the passenger rail commission will allow the group to apply for funding from the Federal Railroad Administration, the spokesperson said. The study will help the group reach its goal of entering a federal funding program.

The first possible funding avenue is the Corridor Identification and Development Program administered by the Federal Railroad Administration, the study presentation showed. The program, created by the 2025 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, included $365 million for planning and development in 2022 with 5% of federal and state partnership program funding.

A total of 69 passenger rail corridors were accepted into the program, including four Wisconsin projects. The next funding opportunity is expected in late 2025.

The second potential option is the Capital Investment Grant administered by the Federal Transit Administration, the presentation showed. CIG supports fixed-guideway investments, including new and expanded commuter rail projects. The maximum annual appropriation for CIG is $4.6 billion.

The FTA requested $3.97 billion for fiscal year 2025 and $3.21 billion for New Starts. New Starts is a type of CIG project that creates a new fixed guide-way system or an extension that costs $300 million or more and receives $100 million or more in CIG funding, according to a program summary.

The primary study corridor is a Union Pacific Railroad between Milwaukee and Kenosha, with a secondary corridor extending to Chicago, the presentation showed. Currently, there is no passenger service north of Kenosha, but Metra connects Kenosha and Chicago. The proposed rail line is closer in proximity to Lake Michigan than Amtrak’s Hiawatha Train.

In 2022, the city of Racine received a $5 million grant from Congress as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act. In 2021, the city passed a measure for federal investment.

The Wisconsin Department of Transportation and the Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission determined a new passenger line would provide access to more than 400,000 jobs within 30 minutes by transit. Around half of homes in the corridor have incomes less than $50,000, according to planners.

The proportion of homes without access to a car in the cities of Kenosha, Milwaukee and Racine is twice the national average, the presentation showed.

“Regional connectivity is critical for promoting economic growth, attracting and retaining a skilled workforce, promoting tourism and creating a vibrant business community,” planners said in the presentation.

Racine officials said the commission’s early activities won’t use local funding, and the FRA Corridor ID program doesn’t require a local financial match to enter.

The corridor was identified as part of a larger commuter rail network in SWRPC’s VISION 2050 plan, which was updated in June 2024.

Friday’s meeting involves presenting the MARK Commission’s mission, approving bylaws and electing officers such as chair, vice chair and secretary.

Members include Racine Mayor Cory Mason; Dave Misky, assistant executive director of the Redevelopment Authority of the City of Milwaukee; Eric Haugaard, who represents Kenosha’s 1st District; Kevin Muhs, city engineer of Milwaukee; Maurice Horton, who represents the Racine’s 7th District; Alderman Robert Bauman, who represents the Milwaukee’s 4th District; Peter Barca; Scott Leonard; and Joan Wilk.