Business, community and political leaders today (7/25/97) announced that the Phase I Feasibility Study for Commuter Rail in Dane County will begin early this fall. Making the announcement at the Monona Terrace Convention and Community Center were Bob Brennan, Executive Director of the Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce; George Nelson, Vice President of WISC-TV and leader of the community's effort to construct Monona Terrace; Charles Thompson, Secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Transportation; Kathleen Falk, Dane County Executive; Sue Bauman, Mayor of Madison; Jonathan Becker, Dane County Board Chair; Dick Wagner, Co-Chair, Commuter Rail Study Committee; Darold Lowe, Dane County Board Supervisor and Chair of the Transportation Committee; Scott McDonell, Dane County Board Supervisor and Chair of the Commuter Rail Subcommittee; and Mike Theisen, Dane County Board Supervisor and Chair of the Town of Madison.

"As Monona Terrace reminds us, the community can accomplish great things when we work together in partnership. The Chamber is rolling up our sleeves to work with Dane County, the City of Madison, and the Department of Transportation to plan and then build an effective, economical and fun solution to Madison's congestion. We think now is the time to get on the 'Dane Train'."

Falk said: "In response to our Madison business community's leadership on this issue, I am today releasing the $25,000 in Dane County funds so that the Commuter Rail study can proceed. These funds are an investment in our future. To preserve the heart of Dane County, we need to start work on cost-effective, convenient, business-friendly ways of reducing traffic congestion. The 'Dane Train, might just be the best way to accomplish those goals."

Mayor Bauman said: "The City of Madison is very pleased that Dane County is releasing $25,000 to go forward with a preliminary feasibility study of commuter rail service in the region. For its part, the City has been ready for some time to provide $25,000 to enable the analysis to proceed. This study is critical to any future decision the city, county and state may make regarding commuter rail options. It is important, however, to not jump to conclusions at this point by anticipating the final recommendations that may emerge from the review. There are substantial questions that have to be answered before an informed judgement can be made on whether commuter rail service is a viable part of Madison and Dane County's future transit system."

Brennan added: "We want to see this project start smart. We should focus our initial development of this system in and near the downtown area where the customer base is large and the traffic congestion is worsening."

County Board Supervisor Scott McDonell announced that the Subcommittee on Commuter Rail has selected the consultant to conduct the Phase I Feasibility Study: "The firm of ParsonsBrinckerhoff won the national competition to conduct this study. The competition was intense with superb entries from around the country; I am satisfied that we have one of the best transportation planning firms in the world to conduct this study. Dane County taxpayers will get their money's worth in this study."

McDonell continued: "In addition to their own excellent staff, Parsons-Brinckerhoff has assembled an all star team to pursue this study. KKO and Associates of Boston and Calthorpe and Associates of Berkeley bring nationally recognized expertise in key issues in this study such as ridership estimates, station location and land use impacts."

Falk and Bauman thanked DOT Secretary Chuck Thompson for the state's partnership in this study. Both leaders said: "of the $150,000 needed for this study, DOT supplied $100,000. We genuinely appreciate the DOT's willingness to seriously explore innovative, economical ways of dealing with traffic congestion." Thompson replied: "We hope this study will prove to be a major step forward in improving Dane County and Madison's transportation infrastructure so that the area residents can continue to enjoy an excellent local economy and quality of life and traffic will continue to move smoothly and safely in and through the Madison area."

Although Dane County supervisor Mike Blaska was not able to attend the announcement, he did comment: "I am pleased to sponsor the County Board resolution approving the ParsonsBrinckerhoff contract. When I created the first Commuter Rail Study Committee, chaired by Dick Wagner and Jonathan Barry, I wanted a systematic, careful study of commuter rail. This feasibility study is a key step in that process and getting the 'Dane Train' out of the station."

The cost of the study is $150,000, with $25,000 contributed by Dane County, $25,000 by the City of Madison, and $100,000 by the Department of Transportation.

The purpose of the study is to assemble and analyze information so that local and state policy makers can decide if commuter rail is feasible in Dane County.

The next step for 'Dane Train' would be a Major Investment Study (MIS). That more extensive study is the point in the process at which different modes (commuter rail, light rail, express bus service) are compared.