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Amtrak's Hiawatha Service Sees Record Increase in Passenger Ridership
AMTRAK’S HIAWATHA SERVICE SEES RECORD INCREASE IN PASSENGER RIDERSHIP
Posted by Staff | Mar 21, 2019
The Milwaukee-Chicago Amtrak Hiawatha Service served an all-time record of more than 858,000 passengers in calendar year 2018, a 3.6 percent increase over calendar year 2017.
Ridership has more than doubled since 2003 when the service began providing seven round-trips daily. ... “More people are using the Amtrak Hiawatha every year to avoid traffic congestion, tolls, and parking, and have time to work or relax while traveling,” says WisDOT Secretary-designee Craig Thompson.
Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) recently was awarded a $5,050,000 grant to improve reliability, safety, and accessibility of the Milwaukee Airport Railroad Station(MARS). The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) issued the Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) program grant to construct a second platform at the station, as well as elevator towers and an overhead pedestrian bridge to connect the new platform to the station.
The new platform will enable trains to operate on both existing tracks, instead of just the eastern track which allows freight and passenger trains to operate more efficiently and reliably. The project is expected to be completed in 2022.
The Hiawatha Service travels between Milwaukee and Chicago in under 90 minutes, with stops at the Milwaukee Intermodal Station, Milwaukee’s Mitchell International Airport, Sturtevant, Glenview, IL, and Chicago Union Station. It also has one of the nation’s best on time records with more than 96 percent of trains arriving on-time.
....
Posted by Staff | Mar 21, 2019
The Milwaukee-Chicago Amtrak Hiawatha Service served an all-time record of more than 858,000 passengers in calendar year 2018, a 3.6 percent increase over calendar year 2017.
Ridership has more than doubled since 2003 when the service began providing seven round-trips daily. ... “More people are using the Amtrak Hiawatha every year to avoid traffic congestion, tolls, and parking, and have time to work or relax while traveling,” says WisDOT Secretary-designee Craig Thompson.
Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) recently was awarded a $5,050,000 grant to improve reliability, safety, and accessibility of the Milwaukee Airport Railroad Station(MARS). The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) issued the Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) program grant to construct a second platform at the station, as well as elevator towers and an overhead pedestrian bridge to connect the new platform to the station.
The new platform will enable trains to operate on both existing tracks, instead of just the eastern track which allows freight and passenger trains to operate more efficiently and reliably. The project is expected to be completed in 2022.
The Hiawatha Service travels between Milwaukee and Chicago in under 90 minutes, with stops at the Milwaukee Intermodal Station, Milwaukee’s Mitchell International Airport, Sturtevant, Glenview, IL, and Chicago Union Station. It also has one of the nation’s best on time records with more than 96 percent of trains arriving on-time.
....