$218 Million Secured to Bring Passenger Rail Back to Madison

posted 

For Immediate Release
October 16, 2026

Amtrak train moving at sunset

Today, the City of Madison learned that $218 million in federal funds have been secured to expand Amtrak's Hiawatha West project. This is a huge step toward returning passenger rail service to Madison for the first time in more than 50 years.  

On behalf of a grateful city, I want to thank U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin and Governor Tony Evers for their work and advocacy to secure these funds. Madison residents are tremendously supportive of passenger rail and excited for all the ways it will connect us to our neighboring communities.

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Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway

The federal funds will help connect Madison to Milwaukee with stops in Pewaukee and Watertown. Combined with existing service to Illinois, there will be passenger rail from Madison to Chicago and beyond, possibly as soon as 2030. The announcement today will pay for the majority of the final design and construction costs, which will upgrade tracks, improve crossings, expand rail capacity and construct stations in Madison and other cities.   

The City of Madison has supported the process by conducting a passenger rail station study, supporting planning efforts, and coordinating with Amtrak and WisDOT. The city's proposed capital budget includes funding to support the construction of a Madison station. 

We think Madison is one of the best intercity passenger rail opportunities in the country, and the city has been doing everything it can to support the state and Amtrak in making it happen. And when Amtrak riders step off the train we'll have a great multimodal transportation network to get them to their destination.

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 Christof Spieler, Director of Transportation

The next step to bringing passenger rail to Madison is a commitment from the state to fund its share of the design and construction costs (20 percent of the total cost), as well as annual operating funds. We encourage residents to contact their state lawmaker and share their thoughts on this important project.    

Contact Your Lawmaker 

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