Amtrak to Madison could move forward under a Wisconsin grant application that seeks to extend part of the existing Hiawatha train service beyond Milwaukee.

Amtrak to Madison Plan Seeks Federal Grant
Photo: Amtrak

The Wisconsin Department of Transportation and Gov. Tony Evers submitted the grant request⁠ to the US Department of Transportation on Thursday. The application, sent to the Trump Administration, proposes using existing rail infrastructure to extend two daily Hiawatha trains that currently run between Chicago and Milwaukee.

Under the proposal, the expanded service would reach Dane, Jefferson, and Waukesha counties, with trains serving Madison, Watertown, and Pewaukee. Federal award decisions are expected in the coming months.

Wisconsin grant bid for Amtrak to Madison

Wisconsin has made several attempts to expand passenger rail across the state in recent decades. In 2009, former Gov. Jim Doyle reached an agreement with Talgo, a high-speed rail manufacturer, for two new trains intended to connect Madison and Milwaukee. That same year, Wisconsin received $810 million in federal funding for the project.

The plan was halted in 2010, when former Gov. Scott Walker rejected the $810 million in federal funds. Talgo later sued the state after it had built the two trains. A settlement required Wisconsin to pay $50 million to the company, and the trains eventually went to Nigeria.

Madison was once linked by passenger rail with major Midwestern economic centers, including Milwaukee, Minneapolis, and Chicago. But after federal legislation reorganized passenger rail and led to the creation of Amtrak, the city lost passenger rail service in 1971.

Madison station planning and Hiawatha extension

Preparatory work for a possible Hiawatha extension has already taken place in Madison. In November 2025, the city completed a Passenger Rail Station Study⁠ in cooperation with WisDOT. The study reviewed six corridors and eight possible station sites to help determine where a future Amtrak station in Madison could be located.

What changes for passengers?

For passengers, the proposal is tied to an existing corridor rather than a standalone concept. WisDOT currently lists the Hiawatha Service as six round trips a day between Chicago and Milwaukee, while the grant application would extend two daily Chicago–Milwaukee Hiawatha trains to Madison, Watertown and Pewaukee. Madison’s station planning is also more specific than a general route idea: the completed city study recommends two priority station areas, names Monona Lakefront as the top option, and says a future site must meet Amtrak operating needs while connecting with local transport, intercity buses and parking.

The latest proposal comes after another recent passenger rail expansion in the region. In May 2024, Amtrak, together with Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Illinois, extended service through the Borealis route⁠, which connects St. Paul, Minnesota, with Chicago, Illinois, via Milwaukee.