Milwaukee Airport Railroad Station - History

History

The idea of opening an Amtrak station in the vicinity of Mitchell Airport is one that had been discussed since the mid-1970s. The justification for not building the station at the time was based on infrequent Amtrak service and relatively congestion-free access to the airport from the south by road. By the late 1990s, a station at the airport was proposed as part of the Midwest Regional Rail Initiative. In June 2001, the Wisconsin Department of Transportation authorized $100,000 to start the preliminary design for the station, with an original opening slated for late-2003. Although funding was authorized for preliminary work, funding for actual construction had not been secured.

How to fund construction of the station became an issue following objections from both airport and Milwaukee County officials. Although supported by both airport and local officials, they stated that financing a facility to transport persons primarily away from Milwaukee should not be done with local, but rather state and federal sources. As a result of this sentiment, Senator Herb Kohl requested $5 million for its construction as part of a federal transportation appropriations bill in July, only to see it reduced to $2.5 million in the final bill in December. With an additional $4 million in funding secured by Kohl in February 2003, combined with the $2.5 million previously appropriated, construction of the $6.5 million station could commence.

Groundbreaking for the facility occurred on June 28, 2004. Present at the ceremony was Governor Jim Doyle, Herb Kohl and state Transportation Secretary Frank Busalacchi. Included in its $6.8 million budget was funds for both the construction of the station in addition to track improvements to reduce delays between Milwaukee and Chicago. State and local economic development officials saw its construction as an opportunity for travelers from Greater Chicago to use the station as a rail link to reach General Mitchell International Airport as an alternative for both Chicago's Midway and O'Hare airports. The station opened for service on January 18, 2005, as a regular stop along Amtrak's Hiawatha Service. At the time of its opening, this became only the fourth Amtrak station to have direct service to an airport after Baltimore, Newark and Burbank. In January 2006, the station was awarded an Urban Design Award from Milwaukee mayor Tom Barrett for its design as a "Prairie-style transportation symbol."

In 2009, the Wisconsin Department of Transportation proposed adding an additional 400 feet (120 m) to the southern end of the existing 400-foot (120 m) platform. The station was designed for trains carrying only four coach cars; however, service has since been expanded to five cars with a sixth being proposed for the future. A six-car train is nearly 700 feet (210 m) long, thus the additional platform space is necessary to accommodate the increased train length for boarding and deboarding passengers.