Public meetings scheduled for the Twin Cities-Milwaukee-Chicago intercity rail project Nov. 1 and 2
WINONA, Minn. – The Minnesota Department of Transportation and the Wisconsin Department of Transportation are hosting public involvement meetings to gather input on design plans for rail improvements, which are needed to provide a second, daily, round-trip passenger rail service between Chicago and Saint Paul. The added Twin Cities-Milwaukee-Chicago passenger rail service will use Amtrak’s existing Empire Builder and Hiawatha routes.
The meetings are scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 1, 2022, at Moxie’s Hotel, 1835 Rose St., La Crosse, Wis. and Wednesday, Nov. 2, 2022, at Sobieski Park Lodge, 965 E. 7th St, Winona, Minn. The time for each is 4:30-6:30 p.m. with a presentation at 5 p.m.
Each meeting allows an opportunity to ask questions of MnDOT and WisDOT staff and design engineers. Design plan improvements will be presented for the cities of La Crosse, Wis., La Crescent, Minn., and Winona, Minn.
The TCMC project will improve railroad track, at-grade crossings, and signal and communication infrastructure in La Crosse, Winona, and La Crescent, allowing passenger trains to bypass freight trains. These improvements will make passenger train schedules more reliable and enhance freight train operations. Additionally, local communities will benefit from shorter delays at railroad crossings.
Final design plans will be completed in the summer of 2023 with construction scheduled from 2024 into 2025, and service is anticipated to begin at the end of 2024.
For questions about the meetings, please contact WisDOT Project Manager Tom Kratt at (608) 789-7874, or by email thomas.kratt@dot.wi.gov, or MnDOT Project Manager Greg Mathis at (651) 366-4292, or by email greg.mathis@state.mn.us.
Comments about the project may be submitted with this comment form. Written comments can be mailed to Thomas Kratt at Wisconsin Department of Transportation, 3550 Mormon Coulee Road La Crosse, WI 54601.
For additional information about the TCMC project please visit the WisDOT and MnDOT project webpages. Presentation materials will be posted to these websites following the meeting for people who are unable to attend an in-person meeting.
If you require an interpreter or translator, you may request one by calling the Telecommunications Relay System (Dial 711) at least three working days prior to the meetings.
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