Passenger Rail in Wisconsin

Central Wisconsin (WFHR, WIRI) – Lawmakers and city officials gathered at one of the great pizza places in Tomah last week to discuss passenger rail in Wisconsin. Tomah was the destination of choice due to a planned expansion of the station and rail service being cancelled more than a decade ago.

History

The rail expansion was cancelled by outgoing Democratic Gov. Jim Doyle after losing to Republican candidate Scott Walker in 2010. Walker campaigned accepting federal funding for rail service. “My preference is to fight for that money to have it spent on roads and bridges and not on rail,” WPR quotes Walker saying while on the campaign trail in 2010. During his time in office, Walker says his budgets invested more in transportation than his predecessor while PolitiFacts rates that statement “Mostly false”. 

But the history of rail in central Wisconsin goes back even further to former Republican Governor Tommy Thompson. He was the longest-serving governor in Wisconsin history. Thompson served four terms from 1987-2001. During that time, he was a vocal advocate for expansion of passenger rail service in the Midwest region. In 1999, Gov. Thompson created the Governor’s Blue Ribbon Task Force on Passenger Rail Service. Since then, there are conflicting reports of exactly where Thompson stands on passenger rail in Wisconsin.

Why Tomah?

The Tomah Amtrak station is a stop on the Borealis Line that connects St. Paul/Minneapolis to Chicago. Amtrak launched the new, state-funded, intercity passenger rail service in May, 2024. Ridership for this new corridor is up 227 percent from May 2024 to April 2025, according to Amtrak. The Wisconsin Passenger Rail Roundtable met at Pizones last Friday. A group of legislators boarded the train in Columbus, WI. Rep. Vinnie Miresse (D-Stevens Point) said the bi-partisan rail caucus used the 90 minute ride for discussion.

“We got to talk with stake-holders, staff, (and) members of the DOT about passenger rail and its future in Wisconsin,” said Miresse. “We stopped at all the stops along the way at Portage and then the Dells… then we had a conversation at Pizones.”  

Tomah Mayor Paul Dwyer said the Borealis Line has increased ridership significantly. Amtrak saw more than 815,000 riders in fiscal year 2024. Dwyer says when the numbers are reported later this fall, ridership may break the 1-million mark. He said expansion of the rail services in Wisconsin would greatly benefit the economy in a town like Tomah.

“This is a very exciting time for Tomah,” said Mayer Dwyer. “It could be an economic boom for us.”

Economic Growth

Tomah is situated between two major military bases. Fort McCoy is the largest military base in the state and the Air National Guard Base just a few miles to the east in Camp Douglas. Representatives from Fort McCoy attended the roundtable. Mayor Dwyer said they were very supportive of rail service because that’s how they’re looking at moving a lot of their troops in the future. 

Tina Thompson is the President and CEO of the Tomah Chamber of Commerce and Visitor Center. She remembers the disappointment in town when the last rail expansion fell through.

“If this rail project goes through this time, I think it can be a great catalyst for being able to promote our downtown, bring more people into our downtown,” she said. “We’ve seen other communities that have benefited from more rail activity in their community.”

Central Wisconsin

Wisconsin Rapids and Stevens Point have a lot of trains that come through the area, but none of them are passenger rail. Miresse said the first steps are expanding and increasing awareness and services of the existing Borealis and Empire Builder Lines. He shared a little family history. 

“We do have a spur. And the reason I know this is because when I was growing up my old man was on the Soo Line,” said Miresse. “He used to run from Chicago, up through Fond du Lac, and then Oshkosh, and then over up and diagonal through Waupaca and Stevens Point and then go back.

Miresse said his dream is to see passenger rail come from the Oshkosh spur all the way up through central Wisconsin. 

“…through Waupaca, Stevens Point, Marshfield, and then up over to the Chippewa Valley and ultimately to the Twin Cities. It adds a very creative line.” 

And, the existing track is already there. Miresse said the city actually planned for this over 20 years ago. When the bus line was built on the east side of Stevens Point, it was planned very close to the existing rail line.

Economic Benefit

Stevens Point has approximately 50,000 people who pass through daily. Miresse said he was astonished to learn that from the Public Works Director. That triples the population of the city every single day. “If we had passenger trains, there would be a huge economic impact,” Miresse said. “The east side is a very commercial area and ripe for more boutique hotels or restaurants, convention center type of development. The sky’s the limit.”

Stevens Point is near the geographical middle of the state. Miresse said they are well positioned to connect the northern and southern parts of Wisconsin. It’s a great meeting spot for everyone in the state.