The Madison Downtown Coordinating Committee discussed possible train station locations Thursday night for the high-speed rail set to connect Madison to Milwaukee and potentially to the Twin Cities.
Set to open in January 2013, the Amtrak railroad station in Madison would integrate the city into a series of railroads that facilitate transportation between major cities in the Midwest.
The state and federal government have already allocated $810 million to the project, but logistics such as the station location have not yet been worked out.
The council deliberated between two sites, one adjacent to the Madison airport on the outskirts of the city and the other near the Fiore Shopping Center, a downtown location.
Barry Gore, a city planner with experience in railroad planning, presented the benefits of a downtown station location. Gore said the accessibility of a downtown station to students and government workers was a key motive for a station within the city.
""The station would be surrounded by bus stops, sidewalks and bike trails,"" Gore said. ""People would step off the train and see the capitol as a landmark, and they would know they are in Madison.""
Supporters of the downtown site said the economic incentives provide another crucial benefit.
Former UW-Madison history professor Stan Schultz commented on the economic role of a downtown station, saying, ""Every city since the 1800s has grown economically after railroads were placed in the city limits. We can learn from this history.""
Royce Williams of the Citizens Advisory Committee suggested the airport as an alternate location. Williams included the airport's proximity to taxis, food and parking as benefits of an airport location.
Despite an aggressive timeline for the construction of the railroad and station, the final decision for its location has not been decided by the Wisconsin Department of Transportation.
