SUN PRAIRIE RISING

Amtrak has made providing passenger rail service between Madison and Milwaukee a high priority.
Amtrak calls this future service Hiawatha West. Amtrak hopes to launch this new service as early as 2030, less than four years from now. Planning would need to be
completed soon, and a considerable amount of construction would need to begin shortly to make a launch in 2030 possible.

If the Hiawatha West service ever becomes a reality, it will run on tracks on the south side of Sun Prairie. At this writing it is unclear if they will lay new tracks or use the current rails. At present, Amtrak is not showing a stop in Sun Prairie, but a stop here is possible and some argue, necessary.

If you want this service to include a stop in Sun Prairie,
now is the time to make your voice heard. Send an email
to HiawathaWest@Amtrak.com. Below is a link for more
information about this initiative for those on the
Website. https://amtraknewera.com/hiawatha-west/

In addition, the Sun Prairie city government would need
to make clear to Amtrak that it wants a stop in Sun Prairie
and is willing to invest in acquiring a site for a platform
and constructing a platform. If you think this should be a
priority for city government, you should contact Mayor
Stocker and Alders to let them know.

Wisconsin State Rail Plan 2050
WisDOT adopted the State Rail Plan 2050 in July 2023, an update to its 2030 Plan. The plan includes policies for railroad crossings, freight rail, Wisconsin’s state-owned rail system, long-distance passenger rail, intercity rail, and commuter rail.

The plan identifies the Milwaukee to Madison and Madison to Minneapolis / St Paul routes as potential intercity passenger
rail services for the medium time horizon, defined as 2027 to 2037. It also provides an overview of the planning and implementation process for federally funded intercity passenger rail corridor projects as shown in the map above.