A History of the Midwest Regional Rail Initiative
by Rob Miller, Office of Public Affairs
Wisconsin Department of Transportation

• The Midwest Regional Rail Initiative (MWRRI) began in 1996 under the auspices of the Mississippi Valley Conference - a regional division of the American Association of State Highway and Transpiration Officials (AASHTO).

• Sponsors of the MWRRI include the states of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, and Wisconsin, Amtrak, and the Federal Railroad Administration.

• Midwest Rail envisions a nine-state regional high-speed rail system spanning 3,000 miles, radiating from Chicago.

• A Steering Committee comprised of representatives from Amtrak and the nine states was developed to provide an organizational structure. The Steering Committee supplied oversight and direction to a consultant team which then started research into the viability of an enhanced Midwest rail system.

• In 1998, the MWRRI consortium, in cooperation with the consultant team, released a draft report outlining estimated costs and detailing potential benefits of the rail network.

• In October, 1999, the Wisconsin Department of Transportation and AASHTO hosted a high speed rail summit in Milwaukee where 21 states first discussed the concept of a broad, national coalition for high-speed passenger rail.

• Since the, the formal States for Passenger Rail has formed to serve as a broad-based advocacy group that can address Congress with a unified voice in seeking a long-term funding source for regional passenger rail.

• In February,2000, the finalized MWRRI Executive Report was released. The consultation team preparing the report was led by Transportation Economics and Management Systems, Inc. of Maryland in association with PaineWebber Incorporated and Quandel and Associates.

• During the summer of 2000, Amtrak, Wisconsin and Illinois initiated an equipment procurement process for the train sets necessary to implement the first phase of enhanced passenger rail service in the two states.

• The MWRRI Steering Committee continues to meet on a regular basis. Members include: Merrill Travis, Illinois DOT, (217) 782-2835; Tom Beck, Indiana DOT, (317) 232-1478; John Hey, Iowa DOT, (515) 239-1653; Tim Hoeffner, Michigan DOT, (517) 335-1931; Samantha Khan, Minnesota DOT, (651) 296-4888; Missouri DOT, (573) 751-2551; Daniel Rosenthal, Nebraska, (402) 479-4438; Don Damron, Ohio, (614) 466-2509; and Randy Wade, Wisconsin DOT, (608) 266-9498.