Comment on the Madison Passenger Rail Station Study

A site on Blair Street, in the same area as the former Chicago and North Western passenger depot (partly visible at left), is one of the sites being examined as a possible future Amtrak Station.

Note: The following comment was submitted to the Madison Passenger Rail Station Study process as part of the January-February 2024 public comment process on the draft Passenger Rail Station Identification Study Report.

The Dane Alliance for Rational Transportation (DART) strongly supports efforts to extend the current Amtrak “Hiawatha” train service to Madison. Intercity passenger rail service connecting Madison with Milwaukee, Chicago, and communities in between will mark an important step toward making greater Madison a place where people can get around easily and live well without a car.

While the Madison train station should be as centrally located as possible, mere proximity to downtown may be less important than good multi-modal connectivity with downtown and the rest of the city. We recognize that many train riders will drive or be driven to and from the station, but urge that limiting driving distance to it, encouraging mainly pick-up and drop-off access by cars, and maximizing connections on foot, by bicycle, and by transit be priority considerations. Parking should be kept to a minimum and must not be allowed to dictate the location or design of the station.

It is critical that the station be a convenient place to board the train, a welcoming place for arriving passengers, and a vital urban place in its own right. It should also serve as a catalyst for station-area redevelopment that produces new housing, business opportunities, and community spaces in the vicinity. Any Madison station should complement, reinforce, and integrate with other efforts to foster walkable and transit-oriented urban neighborhoods on and near Madison’s isthmus.

Although we do not have a clear preference for a specific site, the Blair Street and Johnson Street locations appear to balance well, in different ways, central location, urban connectivity, and redevelopment potential. The Livingston Street and Commercial Avenue sites do so to lesser degrees. The remaining four sites pose various train operations or urban connectivity issues that, in our estimation, make them less appealing options.

Respectfully,

Dane Alliance for Rational Transportation (DART) Board of Directors:

Fred Bartol, Mary Ebeling, and Kathleen O’Connell

February 29, 2024