Madison, WI Header
File #: 17884    Version: Name: Regarding the location of a high speed rail station in the city of Madison.
Type: Resolution Status: Passed
File created: 3/24/2010 In control: COMMON COUNCIL
On agenda: 4/20/2010 Final action: 4/20/2010
Enactment date: 4/21/2010 Enactment #: RES-10-00364
Title: SUBSTITUTE - Regarding the location of a high speed rail station in the city of Madison.
Sponsors: Satya V. Rhodes-Conway, Shiva Bidar, Michael E. Verveer, Bryon A. Eagon, Mark Clear, Chris Schmidt, Marsha A. Rummel, Steve King, Bridget R. Maniaci, Joseph R. Clausius
Attachments: 1. 17884-version1.pdf, 2. 17884 - Registrant Letter 4-20-10.pdf, 3. 17884 - Registration Forms 4-20-10.pdf
Fiscal Note
The siting of a rail station will have significant future fiscal implications, but no expenditure or City financial commitment is required in conjunction with this Resolution.
Title
SUBSTITUTE - Regarding the location of a high speed rail station in the city of Madison.
Body
WHEREAS, the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) has been granted federal funding to establish intercity passenger rail service between Milwaukee and Madison as part of the Midwest Regional Rail Initiative; and
 
WHEREAS, being successful in its application for federal funding, WisDOT will soon undertake final design of the Milwaukee-to-Madison rail corridor, including environmental assessment and selection of one or more passenger train station locations for Madison; and
 
WHEREAS, WisDOT, in its application for federal funding, did notNOT specify a station location to servefor Madison; and
 
WHEREAS, the City of Madison is a primary stakeholder in the decision of where to place the station and has a strong interest in ensuring that any passenger rail station be located as close as possible to major destinations, particularly those in its urban core, and that the station provide arriving passengers with convenient access to the city while providing departing passengers with convenient access to trains; and
 
WHEREAS, the City of Madison is already on record as supporting an inter-city rail station that would "provide the best proximity to key employment, University, recreational and residential destinations in the central area of the City"; and
 
WHEREAS, WisDOT has limited its selection of possible sites to four: Kohl Center, Monona Terrace, First Street (commonly known as Yahara Station) and the Dane County Regional Airport; and
 
WHEREAS, central, multi-modal surface transportation hubs have been shown time and again to be of exceptional benefit to the cities in which they are located;
 
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Mayor and Common Council of the City of Madison strongly support a station that meets the following criteria:
 
1. Is centrally located so it may efficiently and effectively serve passengers traveling to downtown, the State Capitol and the University of Wisconsin;Facilitates swift and efficient train service between Madison and Milwaukee, and supports future service to other cities;
2. Has the capacity to be truly multi-modal, specifically including high-quality access by Metro bus service, inter-city bus service, auto, bicycle, and foot, and offers the future opportunity of access by commuter rail or bus rapid transit;
3. Has a strong potential to encourage and facilitate transit-oriented development and to serve as an anchor for our economic development efforts;
4. Facilitates swift and efficient train service between Madison and Milwaukee and supports future service to other cities;Is located so it may efficiently and effectively serve passengers traveling to downtown, the State Capitol, and the University of Wisconsin;  and
5. Can, once developed, provide sufficient amenities, such as parking, taxis, rental car service, food service, lodging and more to serve travelers; and
6. Meets, to the fullest extent possible, the goals laid out in the City of Madison's Comprehensive Plan regarding transportation.
 
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that these criteria will be the official position of the City of Madison and will serve as the basis for our discussions with the Wisconsin Department of Transportation and the Federal Railroad Administration, and that the City shall, when working with these entities, do everything in its power to ensure that the final station location meets these criteria.
 
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that City of Madison Transportation Planning and Economic Development Division staff will assemble existing analyses of WisDOT's identified inter-city rail station locations and augment them as necessary with particular focus on the financing options of site improvements, economic development, interconnectedness with multiple forms of transit, and neighborhood impacts for those locations; a presentation shall be made to the City of Madison Common Council within thirty days of this resolution's passage to inform City policymakers on the findings of this inter-city rail station location analysis.
 
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Mayor and Common Council strongly urge Wis DOT to coordinate the station site selection with the elected officials and Transportation Planning staff of the City of Madison, to leverage local knowledge and expertise to create the most successful station possible.  
 
BE IT FURTHER FINALLY RESOLVED that, given these criteria, the inter-city rail station should be located at either Monona Terrace, Yahara Station or the Kohl Center to provide maximum benefit to the city and to leverage existing transportation interconnections and infrastructure that are not present at the airport, as well as to provide the central, multi-modal surface transportation hub that Madison needs, and;
 
BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED that, the Common Council President shall transport a copy of this resolution to Governor James Doyle, Secretary Frank Busalacchi and two representatives of the Wisconsin Department of Transportation and Federal Railroad Administration.