Milwaukee Airport Railroad Station

Milwaukee Airport Railroad Station is an Amtrak railway station located near the western edge of Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States. It is served by the seven daily round trips of the Hiawatha Service, with a free shuttle between the station and the airport terminal. The station opened on January 18, 2005.

Milwaukee Airport
The station in August 2008
General information
Location5601 South 6th Street
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
United States
Coordinates42°56′26″N 87°55′29″W
Owned byWisconsin Department of Transportation
Line(s)CPKC C&M Subdivision
Platforms1 side platform
Tracks2
ConnectionsBus transport Shuttle bus to air terminal
Construction
ParkingYes, paid
AccessibleYes
Other information
Station codeAmtrak: MKA
History
OpenedJanuary 18, 2005 (2005-01-18)
Rebuilt2012; 2025
Passengers
FY 202284,621[1] (Amtrak)
Services
Preceding station Amtrak Following station
Milwaukee
Terminus
 Hiawatha Service Sturtevant
toward Chicago
     Empire Builder does not stop here
Future services
Preceding station Amtrak Following station
Milwaukee
toward St. Paul
 Great River Sturtevant
toward Chicago

Service and facilities
Station interior

The Milwaukee Airport Rail Station's primary functions are to serve as an airport rail link for Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport and to serve as an alternate to the downtown Milwaukee Intermodal Station for residents of the southern portions of the Milwaukee metropolitan area.[2] The station is served only by the Amtrak Hiawatha Service, and sees fourteen daily arrivals, seven each from Milwaukee and Chicago Union Station.[3] The station is the first stop enroute to Chicago, 8 miles (13 km) from Milwaukee with a with a travel time of about 10 minutes.[3] It is also the third stop en route to downtown Milwaukee, with a travel time along the 78-mile (126 km) section taking one hour and 14 minutes.[3] In Amtrak's Fiscal Year 2022, the station handled 84,621 passengers.[1]

The 1,600-square-foot (150 m2) station includes a Quik-Trak ticket machine, restrooms, a seating area, and covered walkways to both the drive-up area and the boarding platform.[4][5] As the station is unstaffed, all tickets from the station need to be purchased online, from the Quik-Trak machine or on the train from a conductor. Passengers needing checked baggage service are advised to use the downtown station.[6] The station parking lot contains 300 spaces and a fee is charged to park.[7] All revenue generated from parking fees is used to finance the station's operating costs.[6] Transport to and from the airport terminal is provided by the free shuttle buses operated by the airport.[6]

History

The idea of opening an Amtrak station in the vicinity of Mitchell Airport had been discussed since the mid-1970s.[8] 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 via I-94 and WI 119.[8] By the late 1990s, a station at the airport was proposed as part of the Midwest Regional Rail Initiative.[9] 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.[10]

How to fund construction of the station became an issue following objections from both airport and Milwaukee County officials.[11] 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.[11] 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,[12] only to see it reduced to $2.5 million in the final bill in December.[13] With an additional $4 million in funding secured by Kohl in February 2003,[14] combined with the $2.5 million previously appropriated, construction of the $6.5 million station could commence.[15]

A Hiawatha Service train at the station in October 2010

Groundbreaking for the facility occurred on June 28, 2004.[16] Included in the $6.8 million project budget were funds for the construction of the station and track improvements to reduce delays between Milwaukee and Chicago.[16] State and local economic development officials saw its construction as an opportunity for travelers from the Chicago metropolitan area to use the station as a rail link to reach Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport as an alternative for both Chicago's Midway and O'Hare airports.[15][16][17] The station opened for Hiawatha Service trains on January 18, 2005, as a regular stop along Amtrak's .[18] 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.[18]

The station was designed for trains carrying only four coach cars, but service was expanded to five cars by 2009, with a sixth proposed.[19] In 2010, the Wisconsin Department of Transportation was awarded $678,000 in ARRA funds to double the length of the 400-foot (120 m)-long platform.[20][21] The work was completed in October 2012.[22] From March 21 to June 29, 2020, the Empire Builder temporarily stopped at Milwaukee Airport and Sturtevant while Hiawatha Service trains were suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[23][24]

In February 2019, the Federal Railroad Administration awarded $5 million in Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements funds to the Wisconsin Department of Transportation to add a second 800-foot-long (240 m) platform and a footbridge at the station.[25] Construction on the $17.2 million project began in June 2023, with completion expected in June 2025.[26][2]

References
  1. "Amtrak Fact Sheet, Fiscal Year 2022: State of Wisconsin" (PDF). Amtrak. June 2023. Retrieved August 30, 2023.
  2. Jannene, Jeramey (September 22, 2023). "Friday Photos: Airport Train Station Construction Progressing". Urban Milwaukee. Retrieved September 28, 2023.
  3. Amtrak (October 26, 2009), Hiawatha Service Timetable: Milwaukee – Chicago (PDF), Amtrak
  4. "Milwaukee Airport Railroad Station". Wisconsin Department of Transportation. Archived from the original on September 12, 2008. Retrieved January 3, 2010.
  5. "Milwaukee – General Mitchell International Airport, WI (MKA)". Amtrak. Retrieved January 3, 2010.
  6. Sandler, Larry (January 14, 2005). "Amtrak on track to open at airport; Officials expect to lure O'Hare traffic". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. p. 1B.
  7. "Milwaukee Airport Railroad Station". wisconsindot.gov. Wisconsin Department of Transportation. Retrieved August 28, 2017.
  8. Sandler, Larry (March 10, 1996). "Norquist, Daley considering Mitchell-O'Hare train". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. p. 3A.
  9. Sandler, Larry (October 21, 2000). "Thompson tours site of possible rail station". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. p. 3B.
  10. Sandler, Larry (June 12, 2001). "Amtrak station at Mitchell advances". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. p. 1A.
  11. Sandler, Larry (June 13, 2001). "Funding for Amtrak stop up in air; County, airlines not interested in footing bill for airport station". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. p. 3B.
  12. Sandler, Larry (July 13, 2001). "U.S. Senate panel backs Hoan funds; Bill would cover repairs, fund airport Amtrak, Kohl says". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. p. 3B.
  13. Sandler, Larry (December 4, 2001). "U.S. aid for Hoan repair advances; Congressional panel sets aside $7.5 million". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. p. 3B.
  14. Sandler, Larry (February 25, 2003). "State, federal budgets would keep railway passengers on track". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. p. 3B.
  15. Sandler, Larry (May 18, 2003). "DOT officials consider train service to Mitchell". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. p. 3B.
  16. Sandler, Larry (June 29, 2004). "Amtrak breaks ground for airport station". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. p. 1D.
  17. Sandler, Larry (August 15, 2004). "Mitchell touted as alternative to O'Hare". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. p. 2B.
  18. Sandler, Larry (January 19, 2005). "Amtrak launches airport link". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. p. 3B.
  19. Wisconsin Department of Transportation (August 2009), Milwaukee Airport Rail Station Platform Extension Grant, Application Number: HSR2010000142 (PDF), archived from the original (PDF) on May 28, 2010, retrieved January 4, 2010
  20. "HSIPR Funding by Region". Federal Railroad Administration. Retrieved June 22, 2023.
  21. Sperry, Benjamin R.; Morgan, Curtis A. (December 2011). Intercity Passenger Rail: Implications for Urban, Regional, and National Mobility (PDF) (Report). United States Department of Transportation Research and Innovative Technology Administration. p. 23.
  22. "Amtrak Fact Sheet, Fiscal Year 2012: State of Wisconsin" (PDF). Amtrak. November 2012.
  23. Johnston, Bob (March 19, 2020). "Amtrak sets more cuts in Midwest, announces first changes on West Coast". Trains Magazine. Archived from the original on March 20, 2020.
  24. "First 'Hiawatha' trains to return June 1". Trains Newswire. May 25, 2020. Retrieved June 22, 2023.
  25. "FRA To Provide Nearly $57M In New CRISI Grants". AASHTO Journal. February 15, 2019. Retrieved June 22, 2023.
  26. "Milwaukee Airport Rail Station Second Platform and Pedestrian Overpass Project". Wisconsin Department of Transportation. Retrieved June 22, 2023.

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