National Railroad Museum breaks ground on $17 million expansion

GREEN BAY, WI – (WISS and WGBW) – The National Railroad Museum (NRRM) broke ground recently on a $17 million expansion that will add space for more train cars. They will also add classrooms, storage space, and a mezzanine where patrons can overlook the exhibits below, and where the National Railroad Museum can host events and ceremonies.

“It’s going to give us a lot of opportunities for people to gather and for education,” said NRRM CEO Jacqueline Frank. “The neat part is we’re connecting it with the outside. So we’re also going to have a nice covered patio area where we can do additional outdoor educational programs.” 

The project originally had a price tag of $15 million. Frank says that number has now jumped to $17 million.

“The way that costs have inflated since COVID; it’s up to $17 million,” said Frank. “But we’re solid and just working on filling that gap right now in terms of financing and finding donors for it.”

Funding for the expansion comes from individuals, businesses, foundations and donations. Frank said about 40% of the money, or about $7 million, came from the state sharing Federal COVID relief money.

“We’re a $20 million economic impact to our region already,” said Frank. “Our project’s going to add another 20 million. So in the long run it’s a decent investment.” 

2025 NFL Draft

Unfortunately, Frank says the expansion won’t be ready in time for the 2025 NFL Draft coming to Green Bay in April 2025. 

“Steel manufacturers have been the sticking point for us. That’s where the inflation came in. There is also a huge lead time. We didn’t realize we were looking at a 6-month lead time,” said Frank. “We’ve put in an order for the steel pillars that are going in there. They are not going to arrive on site until December this year.”

While the new building won’t be available for the NFL Draft and the thousands of visitors that will be in the area, the National Railroad Museum will be open and ready for visitors. 

“Everything is going to be fully accessible except for that building site. All of our exhibit areas will be open. Most of the outdoor areas are open. The train ride is going to happen,” said Frank. “Everything’s still available. We just won’t have that new section to add on to it.”

The effect of the National Railroad Museum expansion

Frank said that the reason for the expansion, and the reason that the NRRM exists, is to educate and connect families. She says the expansion is going to allow them to do that. 

“Sometimes we’ll have a wedding here, and then we’ll have a group that wants to do an overnight education program. And we just don’t have space for both of them,” said Frank. “So this new addition is going to really give us that opportunity where we can bring more kids in. But it’s also going to give us more opportunities for the public to come in and use the space, which is equally as important to us too.”   

Currently, the NRRM sees about 100 thousand visitors each year. Along with new educational opportunities and millions more in local revenue, the expansion is said to increase attendance by 50% over the next five years.

Frank expects the expansion to open in July 2025.