As part of President Barack Obama's plan to spur high-speed rail systems across the country, state officials last week learned Wisconsin would receive $823 million to help develop a passenger rail line between Madison and Milwaukee that would include a stop in Brookfield.
But city officials say they're not yet sure how that money will be spent.
Mayor Jeff Speaker and Community Development Director Dan Ertl said they are waiting on details from the state about funding, a proposed timetable for construction of the rail system and stations, and other issues. Speaker said the city plans to meet with state Department of Transportation officials later this month to get specifics.
Preliminary plans call for the rail line to have three stops between Milwaukee and Madison - one in Brookfield, one in Oconomowoc and one in Watertown.
City officials last year submitted a proposal to the state that said a new station would cost $17.9 million to build. That includes land acquisition, impact studies and actual construction. Construction costs would include a new station, train platforms and a 300-plus-stall parking lot.
The proposed station would be located in the Village Area along Brookfield Road near River Road, where tracks already run through the city. Ertl said the Brookfield Road location is the only potential site for a station in the city.
But Ertl said the city has received no details in terms of who would pay for construction or who would be responsible for maintenance and upkeep of the station and the tracks.
Speaker has said numerous times during the mayoral campaign season that the city would take a close look at any proposal - especially in terms of funding sources - for high-speed rail in Brookfield.
"We'll make the decision when we get more meat on the bones," he said.
If the project includes a significant state or federal grant for construction, the Common Council still would vote on whether to accept the money to pay for a station, Ertl said.
BY THE NUMBERS
$44
round-trip cost for a Milwaukee-Chicago ticket on the Amtrak Hiawatha line; the cost for a Milwaukee-Madison trip is expected to be similar
110 mph
estimated top speed of the high-speed rail line
$8 billion
total stimulus package funding dedicated to rail line improvements; the amount is spread across 13 national projects
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