Railroad tracks getting $17 million upgrade
Photo
Jackie Stockwell and her son Sam survey the chaos of a trail derailment that occurred just behind their home on Rock River Road on the outskirts of Edgerton. The derailment, which occurred on Feb. 16, 2007.
FULTON TOWNSHIP — The train wreck of 2007 was terrifying for neighbors and expensive for the railroad.
But bad memories fade with time. A new set of tracks helps, too.
The Wisconsin & Southern Railroad announced Thursday that it soon will complete an upgrade of tracks that link Milton, Edgerton and Madison, thanks in large part to a grant from the state.
Ninety percent of the $17 million project is complete, and trains between Madison and Milton already are running at 49 mph on most of the track instead of the 10 mph to 25 mph typical after the derailment, WSOR spokesman Ken Lucht said.
The result is faster service for customers and less waiting at railroad crossings for motorists, according to a news release.
Dave Markson, whose property abuts the rail line near the accident site, said it appears the upgrade has made the line safer.
Markson complained at the time about the out-of-date tracks.
“We were very lucky that there were no tanker cars with dangerous chemicals,” he said Friday.
“So far so good. I hope we never see another derailment,” Markson added.
The derailment knocked 14 cars off the track and cost the company $1.2 million, according to Gazette files. A smaller derailment occurred that April.
Lucht said the new rail, which is rated to handle the much heavier loads of modern rail cars and locomotives, replaces tracks that were about 90 years old.
Bridges of approximately the same age on the 33-mile line still need to be brought up to modern standards. The bridge work will take place after the spring thaw, Lucht said.
In the meantime, trains still slow for the bridges.
The bidding process for the bridges is under way, Lucht said. The work will include strengthening or replacing of piers and abutments, and some decks will be replaced.
Warning signals at crossings have been adjusted to give motorists an earlier warning for the faster trains, Lucht said.
The project included installation of 30,000 new ties, upgrading of 21 public railroad crossings and installing 32 miles of continuous welded rail, according to a news release.
The new rail was tested Jan. 10, and no defects were found, WSOR reports.
Paying for the upgrade is a state Department of Transportation grant covering 80 percent of project costs. Another 18 percent comes from Wisconsin & Southern. The remaining 2 percent is from the Wisconsin River Rail Transit Commission, which is a consortium of eight counties.
The state and the commission own the Milton-to-Madison railroad corridor. WSOR is responsible for ongoing track maintenance, Lucht said.
The WSOR operates 700 miles of state-owned track in south-central Wisconsin as well as track in northeastern Illinois.
The rail line from Madison splits at Milton. One line goes east to Whitewater and on to Waukesha. The other goes south to Janesville.
The Milton-Janesville stretch already is rated for 49 mph, Lucht said, although trains must slow in the city.
The Milton-Waukesha line is about 90 years old and is scheduled for an upgrade, but that work won’t be done unless the state approves a grant.
The state makes $15 million available each year, and grants are very competitive, Lucht said.
If a grant is approved this year, the Milton-Waukesha line probably would be completed in 2014, Lucht said.
Jan 22, 2012 at 1:51 p.m.
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cratergrease, when you lease an apartment, do you let people cross through it on their way to another apartment? Just wondering.
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schnibble, rail shipping has been increasing substantially for years, apart from a recent dip from the recession. In 2006, railroad ton-miles peaked at 1,856, which is double that of 1980 and triple that of 1960. Despite the flexibility and ease of truck transport, the lower costs of rail for permanently-situated facilities (e.g. coal mines and power plants) remain a significant advantage, and more miles of track were built in the last ten years than in any preceding decade.
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The point of the publicly owned rail corridors is to guarantee this level of service to assist the local economy and preserve access for individual facilities. The railroad (WSOR or any other) leases the track and provides a given standard of service. They maintain the track, but we are responsible for capital projects like this major reconstruction.
Jan 22, 2012 at 1:33 p.m.
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WSOR's Wm. Gardner did plead guilty to excessive campaign contributions to Walker's campaign. He is serving probation for two felony counts. But some Democrats also received minor amounts from him - Mike Sheridan and the Assembly Democratic Campaign Committee. Influence isn't a cheap thing to peddle in our state. P.S. - I did see numerous piles of unused ties being covered over next to the tracks. Did anyone else see this? Is this a proper and environmentally sound means of disposal? Creosote, arsenic and copper anyone? Just toast the railroad the next time you drink a glass of Janesville water.
Jan 22, 2012 at 11:35 a.m.
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We own it, we continue to pay for improvements, but youbetter not get caught hunting on it or crossing it to get to a hunting ground
Jan 22, 2012 at 11:33 a.m.
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I must post again and Thank You Schnibble for these links to the continued corruption on behalf of SCOOTER,,,Don’t forget that CEO William Gardner of Wisconsin and Southern Railroads was charged with excessive contributions to Walker’s campaign. http://host.madison.com/ct/news/local/go......
Then, a couple of weeks ago, the Wisconsin and Southern is recently sold to Watco out of Kansas. By coincidence, one of their biggest customers is Koch Industries. I am sure everyone knows the Kock/ Walker relationship. Anyway, read the “Rick Webb” story on the first page. It is stated right there. http://www.watcocompanies.com/news/the_d......
It all looks pretty suspicious. Unless of course this is all a great big coincidence.
Jan 22, 2012 at 11:20 a.m.
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It never stops does it?
Jan 22, 2012 at 10:01 a.m.
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So our tax money to cover the deficiencies of the railroad?...A privately run business. Why should we have to pay for this?
Jan 22, 2012 at 1:46 a.m.
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The corridor was slated for upgrades which actually began well before Walker was in office. The funding beginning last year was for Phase II. If there was a quid pro quo between Walker and Gardner, it was likely regarding scrutiny of the Watco sale, not the track project. The tracks are owned by us, after all. I don't know when the service agreement with WSOR is up for renewal.
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JohnWicket, if you saw a pile of ties, it is pretty much 100% certain they were put to use. At any given time anything from 1-5% of the ties on a particular line need replacement.
Jan 21, 2012 at 8:07 p.m.
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Is it just a coincidence that Wisconsin southern railroad gave big campaign donations to walker and now receives $17,000,000 from the taxpayers to upgrade the tracks. I would guess it's no more coincidence than Michael best & friedrich giving walker $30,000 for the campaign and then getting $400,000 in taxpayer money to redraw district maps. I would urge all of the walker supporters to look at the list of walker's campaign donors and then follow where our tax dollars go. If you still support this crook then you are just as corrupt as he is. Our government is for sale and unless you can afford to pay off our politicians you will be left out. Walker is a disgusting human being.
Jan 21, 2012 at 7:18 p.m.
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Sorry. I meant "hear of that".
Jan 21, 2012 at 7:08 p.m.
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There was a derailment behind my house on E. Delavan Dr. in the spring of 2011. Did anyone here of that? It was a cover up by the WSOR. If this had been brought to the public's attention,along with the other derailments in this area,this would have been an issue long before Scott Walker and his administration came into office. These are the same tracks that Amtrack wanted to run their passenger trains on. In my opinion it was a wise decision to abandon this venture.
Jan 21, 2012 at 6:46 p.m.
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What ever happened to the numerous ties that were located at the old Janesville stop on Delevan Drive. Did they use them or just bury them in a ditch? Such a waste, if they did. I wonder if somebody oversees and insures efficiency in all railroad operations. I hope that Republicans and Democrats alike will just examine the operations expenses and make the WSOR responsible and responsive to the public. Is their more to this story than what meets the eye? Can we do more than throw money at problems? If the state owns the Milton to Madison corridor, who owns the one going to Waukesha? How much money will be rairoaded to Waukesha County, home of the governor's friends?
Jan 21, 2012 at 5:06 p.m.
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yada,yada,yada. Same sad excuse for every story.Scott Walker this, Scott Walker that. Lets put the blame where it is due.The railroad signed contracts,made alot of money, and did'nt follow through on their obligations to maintain their infrastructure. This has been going on for years and now it is Scott Walkers fault? Nice stretch!
Jan 21, 2012 at 4:56 p.m.
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yada, the high speed rail funds would not have been available for this project. It was a bad decision, but not for this reason. A good portion of the monies did come from the federal rail infrastructure project.
http://www.dot.wisconsin.gov/localgov/ai...
http://www.dot.wisconsin.gov/opencms/exp...
Jan 21, 2012 at 4:30 p.m.
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Scott Walker did NOT want the Federal money for the WI passenger rail service. I am WONDERING if any of the federal money of over 800 million dollars that Walker turned away would have paid for the rail improvements listed in the article. Otherwise it appears that WI taxpayers will again foot the majority of the bill for this project. Remember Mr Big Shot Scott Walker told us and the feds that he wanted the money for roads instead - WALKER & WI gets nothing! Another bad decision by Scotty!
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