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Rail On

Posted by Fred Jandt
Editor, Mass Transit magazine

A funny thing happened over the holidays, my brother-in-law discovered public transportation. It’s not like he wasn’t already using it, though. He lives in the Chicago area and takes a combination of buses and trains to work every morning. But when his car died two days before Christmas, I was able to introduce him to the wonders of intercity travel by means of public transit and now he wonders how he never used it before.

So I get this phone call December 23. My brother-in-law’s car is dead and he’s panicking because he isn’t sure if he will be able to make it up for Christmas from where he lives near Chicago now that he can’t drive. I calmly asked if he had checked the train schedule only to be blasted with a “What good would that do me?” response. This is where I love my job. I was able to explain to him at least three or four ways he could make it within 10 miles of where his parents live by means of public transit. All of them would get him home before Christmas morning and would cost drastically less than a plane ticket (which he did consider).

He was astounded, but decided to take rail for part of the trip and a commuter bus service for the rest. He made it in time for Christmas and couldn’t stop talking about how nice the ride on the train was, and how convenient it was to not have to worry about his car. So it came as no surprise to me when I got a call today asking whether or not I could pick him up this weekend at the local bus stop — like I said, about 10 miles away — so he wouldn’t have to take his car.

This is one of the reasons I was so pleased to see what WisDOT has planned as part of its Connections 2030 long-range statewide multimodal plan. As it states in the plan overview, it looks to provide, “An integrated multimodal transportation system that maximizes the safe and efficient movement of people and products throughout the state, enhancing economic productivity and the quality of Wisconsin’s communities while minimizing impacts to the natural environment.”

The plan encompasses a multitude of areas, but I was particularly interested in the intercity transit aspects. The plan calls for the creation of a Midwest Regional Rail System (MWRRS) and once complete, 71 percent of the state would live within 30 miles of a MWRRS station. The rail system would be complemented by a “robust” intercity bus network.

The thought of being able to travel here in the United States, especially in the Midwest, much like they do in Europe is no longer a pipe dream. Of course, it is still a shadowy image on the horizon, but I think 20 years is a much better timeframe than “it will never happen.”

Thanks for reading the MT Position updated every Friday,

Fred
fred.jandt@cygnusb2b.com
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This entry was posted on Friday, January 9th, 2009 at 7:43 am and is filed under MT Position. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

One Response to “Rail On”

  1. Vince Dawson Says:
    January 10th, 2009 at 7:44 pm

    Kudos, Fred. I’m amazed at the number of people in any given city or town that aren’t streetwise to the public transportation network near them.

    Recently, I was in Barstow, Claifornia. Barstow has a transit system, albeit as feeble as it is. I queried many locals as to where does the bus go and how often. I got shrugs. The buses that did roll by had one or two riders on them at best. Even the designated bus stops had little or no transit info posted. Not even a phone number. Granted, there’s not much to do or see in Barstow, but someone took the effort to create a transit link…

    Then, there’s the little stick in the desert where I live. Albuquerque has a potentailly good transit bus system that could use improvement. A new rail link connects it with Santa Fe which, again, is accessible by a transit bus network there. Not a lot of people here in Albuquerque know the transit network here, and even less in Santa Fe. Sad. For a relatively small fare, one could make a day trip and have an adventure for only an $8 investment. Transit is free on either end with the purchase of a RailRunner ticket.

    The State of Michign has long had their act together for linking (and pimping) intermodal transit, rail, and regional buses. I do hope Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, and other states follow their lead.

    You may say that I’m a deamer.
    Well, I’m not the only one.

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