Wisconsin receives $38.6 million grant to support new passenger rail line

The Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) recently received a $38.6 million federal grant to fund operating costs of the state’s newest passenger rail line.

The grant will fund the first six years of operations for the Borealis trains, which launched in May 2024. These trains run daily between Minneapolis-St. Paul and Chicago, making eight stops in Wisconsin: La Crosse, Tomah, Wisconsin Dells, Portage, Columbus, Milwaukee, Milwaukee Airport and Sturtevant.

“Since its launch back in May, the Borealis train has already proved to be an asset to our state, providing a safe, efficient travel option for Wisconsin residents and visitors alike and increasing opportunity for economic development in our communities,” Gov. Tony Evers said.

The state-sponsored Borealis train service is the first passenger rail service expansion in Wisconsin in more than two decades. In October, less than six months after its launch, the Borealis trains surpassed 100,000 riders, exceeding initial ridership projections.

The investment received in partnership with Amtrak and the states of Minnesota and Illinois will cover costs for staffing, equipment, fuel and more for the Borealis trains.

Wisconsin was also awarded a $72.8 million federal grant in 2024 to improve freight and passenger rail services in Wisconsin and reconfigure rail facilities in Milwaukee, the largest non-highway discretionary grant and the largest rail grant WisDOT has received to date through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

The funding allows Wisconsin to support potential new and expanded passenger rail services between Milwaukee and Chicago via the popular Amtrak Hiawatha rail service route. The upgrades are also critical to the success of four proposed passenger rail corridors being studied now through the Federal Railroad Administration’s Corridor Identification and Development Program.

WisDOT is assessing the feasibility of bringing new or enhanced passenger rail service to Wisconsin communities such as Green Bay, Eau Claire and Madison, connecting with the Milwaukee Intermodal Station.

Photo courtesy Jerry Huddleston from Hampton, Minnesota, US, CC BY 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons