The question on a lot of people’s minds here in Madison is will Scott Walker follow through on his promise to stop the train or will he see the light at the end of the tunnel? There are some promising signs that a train may well be in Madison’s future. In a November 9th column by Tom Still Scott Walker states he has not made his final decision yet, and even goes so far as suggesting he might ask the feds to pony up for the operating costs that he has objected to. As fate would have it, there are a number of ways that the state could get out of paying those operating costs. The Milwaukee-Chicago Hiawatha line already receives 90% of its operating costs from the federal government. That would bring the State’s share of the annual subsidy down to the range of $750k – $1m per year. At least two Mayors at stops along the line have suggested they would be willing to come up with a plan to cover part of those costs too. So dealing with the subsidy issue is a real possibility.
One of the more compelling signs that Walker may be willing to shift his position came when he suggested that the High Speed Rail funds might instead be used to upgrade deteriorating sections of track. This set talk radio off on a frenzy. It also appears the US Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood may be turning up the heat on Walker with his recent speech suggesting that Wisconsin and Ohio’s unwanted HSR money might go to North Carolina.
A reversal in Walker’s position is going to take more than money and heat from other units of government. It is also going to require an ongoing demonstration of public support for the High Speed Rail project. If you haven’t already, read up on what you can do to help passenger rail in Wisconsin. One more thing you can do is join other train supporters in Madison on Saturday November 20th from 12:00-12:45pm at 400 S. Hancock Street for a “Save The Train” rally [RSVP required]. I will be there! Will you?
If you think that the federal government will continue to send money to the states at the same rate they have been in the past, your sense of reality is very different from mine. Everyone needs to take heed from the reports coming from the debt reduction commission. Our debt structure is serious, and we all need to prepare ourselves that the time is at hand when, of necessity, the spigot which controls the “free money” from Washington is about to be shut off.
Bill,
I guess that depends on who controls the federal operating subsidies for rail systems. With the House and the Senate on opposite sides of the political fence, I expect to see a lot of stalemates on cutting funding for key federal programs like High Speed Rail. The Federal Share of Transit funding seems to be a more likely target at this point in time.