WISCONSIN (CBS 58) — Gov. Tony Evers and the Wisconsin Department of Transportation have submitted a federal grant application in partnership with Amtrak aimed at expanding passenger rail service to Madison.

The proposal submitted Thursday to the U.S. Department of Transportation would extend two daily Hiawatha Service trains that currently run between Chicago and Milwaukee to Madison, with additional stops in Watertown and Pewaukee. Federal officials are expected to make funding decisions in the coming months.

“My administration has been working hard to fix the darn roads, make sure Wisconsinites can get from Point A to Point B safely, and expand reliable transportation alternatives,” Evers said. “The opportunity to expand passenger rail has haunted Wisconsin for a generation... and we want to right that wrong.”

The proposed project would primarily use existing rail infrastructure while making targeted improvements, including bridge rehabilitation, track and crossing upgrades, and ADA-accessible temporary station platforms in Madison, Watertown and Pewaukee.

State officials say the expansion would provide a new transportation option connecting Madison, Milwaukee and Chicago, improve freight rail operations, support future economic growth, create an estimated 200 permanent jobs and generate roughly $46 million in annual economic benefits.

The effort revives a long-discussed passenger rail expansion after a previous Madison-to-Milwaukee project, backed by $810 million in federal funding in 2009, was canceled when former Gov. Scott Walker rejected the funding.

Madison has not had Amtrak passenger service since 1971. In late 2025, the city completed a passenger rail station study with WisDOT to identify potential locations for a future station.

The application also builds on the success of Amtrak's Borealis route, which launched in 2024 and has carried more than 416,000 passengers while helping boost ridership along the Milwaukee-Chicago corridor.