Milwaukee Airport Rail Station
Encyclopedia
The Milwaukee Airport Railroad Station is an Amtrak
railway station which opened for service on January 18, 2005. It is located at 5601 South 6th Street, just south of Wisconsin Highway 119, near the western edge of General Mitchell International Airport
in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
, United States. The facility accommodates travelers who use the Hiawatha Service between Chicago Union Station
and the Milwaukee Intermodal Station
, and sees fourteen daily arrivals, seven each from Milwaukee and Chicago. There is a shuttle from the station to the terminal of Mitchell Airport.
for General Mitchell International Airport and to serve as an alternate to the downtown Milwaukee station for residents of the southern portions of the Milwaukee metropolitan area. The station is served only by the Amtrak Hiawatha Service, and sees fourteen daily arrivals, seven each from Milwaukee and Chicago Union Station. The station is the first stop en route to Chicago, with a travel time along the 8-mile (13-kilometer) section taking 10 minutes. It is also the third stop en route to Milwaukee, with a travel time along the 78-mile (126-kilometer) section taking one hour and 14 minutes. For 2008, the station handled 149,824 passengers.
The 1600 square feet (148.6 m²) station includes a Quik-Trak ticket vending machine, restrooms, a seating area and covered walkways to both the drive-up area and the boarding platform. As the station is unstaffed, all tickets from the station need to be pre-paid, purchased from Quik-Trak or on the train from a conductor. The station parking lot contains 300 spaces and costs $5 per day per vehicle. All revenue generated from parking fees is used to finance the station's operating costs. Transport to and from the airport terminal is provided by the free parking shuttle buses operated by the airport.
authorized $100,000 to start the preliminary design for the station, with an original opening slated for late-2003. Although funding was authorized for preliminary work, funding for actual construction had not been secured.
How to fund construction of the station became an issue following objections from both airport and Milwaukee County officials. Although supported by both airport and local officials, they stated that financing a facility to transport persons primarily away from Milwaukee should not be done with local, but rather state and federal sources. As a result of this sentiment, Senator Herb Kohl
requested $5 million for its construction as part of a federal transportation appropriations bill in July, only to see it reduced to $2.5 million in the final bill in December. With an additional $4 million in funding secured by Kohl in February 2003, combined with the $2.5 million previously appropriated, construction of the $6.5 million station could commence.
Groundbreaking for the facility occurred on June 28, 2004. Present at the ceremony was Governor Jim Doyle
, Herb Kohl and state Transportation Secretary Frank Busalacchi. Included in its $6.8 million budget was funds for both the construction of the station in addition to track improvements to reduce delays between Milwaukee and Chicago. State and local economic development officials saw its construction as an opportunity for travelers from Greater Chicago to use the station as a rail link to reach General Mitchell International Airport as an alternative for both Chicago's Midway and O'Hare
airports. The station opened for service on January 18, 2005, as a regular stop along Amtrak's Hiawatha Service. At the time of its opening, this became only the fourth Amtrak station to have direct service to an airport after Baltimore
, Newark
and Burbank
. In January 2006, the station was awarded an Urban Design Award from Milwaukee mayor Tom Barrett
for its design as a "Prairie-style transportation symbol."
In 2009, the Wisconsin Department of Transportation proposed adding an additional 400 feet (121.9 m) to the southern end of the existing 400 feet (121.9 m) platform. The station was designed for trains carrying only four coach cars; however, service has since been expanded to five cars with a sixth being proposed for the future. A six-car train is nearly 700 feet (213.4 m) long, thus the additional platform space is necessary to accommodate the increased train length for boarding and deboarding passengers.
Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971, to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States. "Amtrak" is a portmanteau of the words "America" and "track". It is headquartered at Union...
railway station which opened for service on January 18, 2005. It is located at 5601 South 6th Street, just south of Wisconsin Highway 119, near the western edge of General Mitchell International Airport
General Mitchell International Airport
General Mitchell International Airport is a county-owned public airport located five miles south of the central business district of Milwaukee, a city in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, United States....
in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
, United States. The facility accommodates travelers who use the Hiawatha Service between Chicago Union Station
Union Station (Chicago)
Union Station is a major train station that opened in 1925 in Chicago, replacing an earlier 1881 station. It is now the only intercity rail terminal in Chicago, as well as being the city's primary terminal for commuter trains. The station stands on the west side of the Chicago River between Adams...
and the Milwaukee Intermodal Station
Milwaukee Intermodal Station
Milwaukee Intermodal Station is a train and bus station in downtown Milwaukee, Wisconsin served by Amtrak and several intercity motorcoach operators, including Coach USA, Greyhound Lines, Jefferson Lines, Indian Trails, and Lamers. Megabus stops on Fifth Street near the station...
, and sees fourteen daily arrivals, seven each from Milwaukee and Chicago. There is a shuttle from the station to the terminal of Mitchell Airport.
Service and facilities
The Milwaukee Airport Rail Station's primary functions are to serve as an airport rail linkAirport rail link
An airport rail link is a service providing passenger rail transport from an airport to a nearby city; by mainline- or commuter trains, rapid transit, people mover or light rail...
for General Mitchell International Airport and to serve as an alternate to the downtown Milwaukee station for residents of the southern portions of the Milwaukee metropolitan area. The station is served only by the Amtrak Hiawatha Service, and sees fourteen daily arrivals, seven each from Milwaukee and Chicago Union Station. The station is the first stop en route to Chicago, with a travel time along the 8-mile (13-kilometer) section taking 10 minutes. It is also the third stop en route to Milwaukee, with a travel time along the 78-mile (126-kilometer) section taking one hour and 14 minutes. For 2008, the station handled 149,824 passengers.
The 1600 square feet (148.6 m²) station includes a Quik-Trak ticket vending machine, restrooms, a seating area and covered walkways to both the drive-up area and the boarding platform. As the station is unstaffed, all tickets from the station need to be pre-paid, purchased from Quik-Trak or on the train from a conductor. The station parking lot contains 300 spaces and costs $5 per day per vehicle. All revenue generated from parking fees is used to finance the station's operating costs. Transport to and from the airport terminal is provided by the free parking shuttle buses operated by the airport.
History
The idea of opening an Amtrak station in the vicinity of Mitchell Airport is one that had been discussed since the mid-1970s. The justification for not building the station at the time was based on infrequent Amtrak service and relatively congestion-free access to the airport from the south by road. By the late 1990s, a station at the airport was proposed as part of the Midwest Regional Rail Initiative. In June 2001, the Wisconsin Department of TransportationWisconsin Department of Transportation
The Wisconsin Department of Transportation, abbreviated as WisDOT, is a governmental agency of the U.S. state of Wisconsin responsible for planning, building and maintaining the state's highways...
authorized $100,000 to start the preliminary design for the station, with an original opening slated for late-2003. Although funding was authorized for preliminary work, funding for actual construction had not been secured.
How to fund construction of the station became an issue following objections from both airport and Milwaukee County officials. Although supported by both airport and local officials, they stated that financing a facility to transport persons primarily away from Milwaukee should not be done with local, but rather state and federal sources. As a result of this sentiment, Senator Herb Kohl
Herb Kohl
Herbert H. "Herb" Kohl is the senior U.S. Senator from Wisconsin and a member of the Democratic Party. He is also a philanthropist and the owner of the Milwaukee Bucks National Basketball Association team...
requested $5 million for its construction as part of a federal transportation appropriations bill in July, only to see it reduced to $2.5 million in the final bill in December. With an additional $4 million in funding secured by Kohl in February 2003, combined with the $2.5 million previously appropriated, construction of the $6.5 million station could commence.
Groundbreaking for the facility occurred on June 28, 2004. Present at the ceremony was Governor Jim Doyle
Jim Doyle
James Edward "Jim" Doyle is a Wisconsin politician and member of the Democratic Party. He was the 44th Governor of Wisconsin, serving from January 6, 2003 to January 3, 2011. He defeated incumbent Governor Scott McCallum by a margin of 45 percent to 41 percent; the Libertarian Party candidate Ed...
, Herb Kohl and state Transportation Secretary Frank Busalacchi. Included in its $6.8 million budget was funds for both the construction of the station in addition to track improvements to reduce delays between Milwaukee and Chicago. State and local economic development officials saw its construction as an opportunity for travelers from Greater Chicago to use the station as a rail link to reach General Mitchell International Airport as an alternative for both Chicago's Midway and O'Hare
O'Hare International Airport
Chicago O'Hare International Airport , also known as O'Hare Airport, O'Hare Field, Chicago Airport, Chicago International Airport, or simply O'Hare, is a major airport located in the northwestern-most corner of Chicago, Illinois, United States, northwest of the Chicago Loop...
airports. The station opened for service on January 18, 2005, as a regular stop along Amtrak's Hiawatha Service. At the time of its opening, this became only the fourth Amtrak station to have direct service to an airport after Baltimore
BWI Rail Station
The Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport Rail Station is an Amtrak and MARC commuter rail train station in Linthicum, an unincorporated area in Anne Arundel County, Maryland, United States....
, Newark
Newark Liberty International Airport (NJT station)
Newark Liberty International Airport Station is a Northeast Corridor line station in the New Jersey Transit rail system in the Dayton area of Newark, New Jersey. Also called the RAILink station, it provides travelers access to Newark Airport via public transport. There is no bus service, parking...
and Burbank
Bob Hope Airport Train Station
Bob Hope Airport Train Station is an unstaffed Amtrak and Metrolink rail station at Bob Hope Airport in the city of Burbank, California. It is served by both Amtrak's Pacific Surfliner from San Luis Obispo to San Diego and Metrolink's Ventura County Line from Los Angeles Union Station to Montalvo...
. In January 2006, the station was awarded an Urban Design Award from Milwaukee mayor Tom Barrett
Tom Barrett (politician)
Thomas Mark "Tom" Barrett is the Democratic Mayor of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, serving since 2004. He ran for Governor of Wisconsin in November 2010, losing by a margin of 52 percent to 47 percent to Republican Scott Walker. Previously, Barrett served in the United States House of Representatives...
for its design as a "Prairie-style transportation symbol."
In 2009, the Wisconsin Department of Transportation proposed adding an additional 400 feet (121.9 m) to the southern end of the existing 400 feet (121.9 m) platform. The station was designed for trains carrying only four coach cars; however, service has since been expanded to five cars with a sixth being proposed for the future. A six-car train is nearly 700 feet (213.4 m) long, thus the additional platform space is necessary to accommodate the increased train length for boarding and deboarding passengers.