The Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) and the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT), in coordination with the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), and in partnership with Amtrak, are conducting an Environmental Assessment and Service Development Plan for service improvements on the Amtrak Hiawatha Service between Chicago and Milwaukee. The proposed service improvements include:
The Chicago-Milwaukee Intercity Passenger Rail Service Environmental Assessment (EA) is now available for review.
The purpose of the Chicago-Milwaukee Intercity Passenger Rail Service EA is to provide the FRA, WisDOT, IDOT, local governments and the public with a full understanding of the service-wide environmental impacts associated with the alternatives developed to meet the project’s purpose and need.
The EA is developed to comply with federal environmental laws and regulations (National Environmental Policy Act) and Wisconsin and Illinois state environmental laws and regulations.
The Service Development Plan (SDP) is prepared during the planning phase for intercity passenger rail programs. The SDP lays out the overall scope and approach of the proposed service. The Service Development Plan will be made available to the public for review in late 2016 on this webpage.
Among the primary objectives of the SDP are:
Three public meetings will be held for the project, including one public hearing in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, a public involvement meeting in Chicago, Illinois, and a public involvement meeting in Glenview, Illinois. Specific meeting dates, times, and locations are scheduled as follows:
The meetings will provide an opportunity to learn more about the project, provide comments, and ask questions of members of the project team. The Environmental Assessment indicates that no significant environmental impacts are anticipated to occur as a result of this proposal.
The official comment period is from October 6, 2016 to November 15, 2016. In addition to the meetings listed above, comments or questions about the study can be submitted at any time during the Environmental Assessment process by:
The Environmental Assessment is available for inspection and copying at the following locations:
Wisconsin Department of Transportation Library
Office of Policy, Finance and Improvement
4802 Sheboygan Ave. Room 100A
Madison, WI 53707
Wisconsin Historical Society
816 State Street
Madison, WI 53706
Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau
1 East Main Street, Suite 200
Madison, WI 53703
Southeast Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission
W239 N1812 Rockwood Drive
P.O. Box 1607
Waukesha, WI 53187-1607
Milwaukee Public Library
814 W. Wisconsin Avenue
Milwaukee, WI 53233
Racine Public Library
Reference Desk
75 Seventh Street
Racine, WI 53403
Kenosha Public Library
Reference Services Desk
812 56th Street
Kenosha, WI 53140
Harold Washington Library Center
400 State St.
Chicago, IL 60605
Glenview Public Library
1930 Glenview Rd
Glenview, IL 60025
Illinois Department of Transportation
69 W. Washington St
Chicago, IL 60605