Your humble diarist posted a diary on June 4, 2008, nearly 9 months ago. Did word get back to our illustrious governor? Seems like he might have picked up on my idea to retool the Janesville GM plant for rail. Go beneath the fold to see how...
It seems as if some of our ideas might be inspiring the political establishment. Long ago, in our hyperspeed media culture, where issues are soundbites, I posted a diary suggesting that, in light of transportation trends in this country, a nascent rail revival, and the contraction and collapse of demand for General Motors SUVs, our local GM plant in Janesville should be retooled to build rail cars to meet the demand for increased passenger and freight rail. Existing railroads, such as Metra commuter rail and Amtrak, are stretched to the limit for rolling stock and cannot meet additional passenger demand.
Some have scoffed at this idea, citing how impractical and expensive this would be, however in World War II, automobile plants were retooled in 18 months or less to build aircraft and components, tanks, Liberty Ship parts, and heavy trucks/Jeeps for the military effort. Many have said here on Kos that we need a similar effort today to dig us out, while promoting more green infrastructure. Rail, if done right, meets the criteria for green transportation, including smaller footprint, less runoff, and more durable, much more fuel efficient, with a lifecycle energy usage 2 to 5 times less than most auto, light truck, and air transportation modes.
9 months ago, I was having this discussion here, and it was well received from the few that read the diary (only 17 recommends and 22 comments, sinking off the front page rather quickly). I also commented at Rock Netroots, a Janesville, WI progressive blog, and Louis Kaye, the blog's owner, thought it a great idea. Nothing more was mentioned of the idea until, believe it or not, Jim Doyle, our Governor, broached the idea last Wednesday. Expanding passenger rail and re-purposing abandoned local industrial infrastructure to build the stock? Isn't that only something that wild-eyed leftist hippie bloggers can get behind?
Heaven Forfend...in a state that has obstructed and blocked passenger rail since the 1960s, and allowed it nearly to die completely while continuing to blow huge amounts of money on auto infrastructure. The Wisconsin DOT is legendary for its pro-highway bias, despite a rail heritage that included an excellent 270 mile long electrified interurban system, the The Milwaukee Electric Rail and Light Company that built its railcars in house at the Cold Spring Shops, and the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific (The Milwaukee Road) that built it's legendary Hiawatha Skytop Lounge railcars in house at it's West Milwaukee shops. So we did build and operate excellent railroads in Wisconsin during the first half of the 20th century, including one of the pioneering US high speed rail service, the Milwaukee Road Hiawathas, which could exceed 110 mph, even under steam.
Are we ready to restore this illustrious past by going back to the future...as I have suggested, rebuilding our industrial base and our environment, or will we continue to trash the train in Wisconsin.
Our Governor, Jim Doyle, seems to think trains are a track to our future, surprisingly. On February 25, our governor, who has earned respect from me by thinking outside the car box, went on a fact-finding junket to Spain to see how their excellent rail system worked. He is working to get stimulus money to build high speed rail upgrades from Milwaukee to Chicago, and restore high speed passenger service from Milwaukee to Madison, the second largest urban area in Wisconsin with over 500,000 residents, that lost intercity rail service in the early 1970s. Imagine my surprise in seeing our most local regional paper, the Janesville Gazette with an article stating our governor is gung-ho about building railroad rolling stock in the shuttered GM plant in Janesville. This attracted 40 (!) comments, most of them positive and supportive of this idea! Again, you saw it first on Daily Kos! It only took 9 months to reach our governor.
Thanks, Mr. Doyle. Together we can make this vision
part of a sustainable future in Wisconsin. It takes courage to buck the auto-oil complex and a willingness to retool that you first saw here.