New panel to study passenger rail along Wisconsin-Illinois lakeshore

The Milwaukee-Area–Racine–Kenosha Passenger Rail Commission (MARK) will hold its inaugural meeting Dec. 5 at Racine City Hall in Wisconsin.

The meeting will focus on establishing the commission’s organizational structure and beginning the early coordination necessary to explore the feasibility of future passenger-rail service in southeastern Wisconsin, connecting the downtowns of Kenosha, Racine and Milwaukee to Chicago and communities along the northern shore of Lake Michigan, according to a press release issued by Racine city officials.

The commission was created through an intergovernmental agreement under Wisconsin statute and approved by the cities of Milwaukee, Racine and Kenosha, Wisconsin. The agreement authorizes the three cities to work collaboratively on preliminary planning, public engagement and eligibility for federal rail-planning programs, Racine city officials said.

The approach follows similar collaborative transportation commissions established elsewhere in Wisconsin and reflects ongoing regional interest in examining improved intercity mobility options, according to the press release.

Commission organizers believe a MARK passenger-rail service would differ from Amtrak's Hiawatha route, which operates between downtown Milwaukee and downtown Chicago on track owned by CPKC and Metra. The Hiawatha runs a few miles west of the Lake Michigan shoreline and does not stop in the Wisconsin cities of Racine and Kenosha or lakeshore suburbs north of Chicago. The MARK service would make more stops in cities along the lakeshore before reaching Chicago, according to the commission's website.

Passenger rail along the Lake Michigan shore between Milwaukee and Chicago has long been studied. While previous studies will be considered as part of the commission's work, the MARK study will address new issues that have come up since 2011. 

The MARK study will be funded by $5 million in federal funding obtained by the city of Racine. While the commission is in an early phase, its efforts align with regional objectives identified in Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission's VISION 2050 and the Wisconsin Rail Plan 2050.