Wisconsin partners with Talgo for high-speed trains
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Wisconsin has agreed to a $47 million deal with Spanish train manufacturer Talgo for two 14-car passenger trains.
The cars would replace the passenger cars that currently run between Milwaukee and Chicago.
They would be built with parts manufactured in Spain and assembled at plants in Wisconsin. Gov. Jim Doyle says that could create as many as 80 jobs in the state.
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel quoted Talgo Inc. CEO Antonio Perez as saying that the company has scouted locations in Janesville and Milwaukee.
Each train will have a capacity of 420 passengers, a 20 percent increase over the current cars.
The agreement includes an option to buy two more trains if the state gets federal stimulus money for extending rail service from Milwaukee to Madison.
Doyle said the agreement marks the beginning of high-speed rail in Wisconsin.
Jul 21, 2009 at 7 a.m.
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to displacedworker and billnewbie- after those are built, we build more for the rest of the counrty. To bad we are now the 3rd world country building trains for someone else.
Jul 18, 2009 at 3:13 p.m.
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The earlier news item about this impending announcement on GazetteXtra said that the state was going to use stimulus money for this train. Glad to see all that U.S Government money going to stimulate job growth... in Spain!
Jul 18, 2009 at 7:46 a.m.
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Tax dollars already are spent building and maintaining roads, airports and waterways, so why not add trains to the mix. If the money isn't spent on trains, it'll get spent on adding more lanes to highways. Ridership on regional trains is up in areas of the country that have it, so there are a lot of folks who see trains as a viable alternative to congested highways and airports. ... As to whether Janesville gets picked for the maintenance facility, why would Talgo want to site that so far from where the trains are running? Sending a train to Janesville for repair add to the time the units are out of service, thus not producing revenue for Amtrak.
Jul 18, 2009 at 12:09 a.m.
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displacedworker: According to the Madison stations, Gov. Doyle is hoping this will lead to other trains being ordered for high-speed rails across the country. It's a gamble but could also be a jackpot.
Jul 17, 2009 at 10:15 p.m.
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we love trains, we take harvard to chicago when ever we can. we have even gone to hawaii by train. Janesville(bus) to chicago, chicago to LA, the flew out of LA.
Jul 17, 2009 at 8:03 p.m.
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Like it or not in two years You and I will be paying for the trains........through our tax (oh no I said the "T" word.) dollars. and we will be subsidising (i don't care if I misspelled it or not) for a long time to come......Hold onto your wallets
Jul 17, 2009 at 7:49 p.m.
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Yeah right. Why would a company like this put money into a sinking town? I remember when Janesville had an Amtrak stop and that was very short lived.
Jul 17, 2009 at 6:47 p.m.
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How many people are going to use these trains? According to jsonline.com, "Hiawatha ridership jumped 24% last year, to 766,167." The Hiawatha's are a great alternative to the chronically congested I-94 between Milwaukee and Chicago. I-94 between Madison and Milwaukee isn't quite as bad, but it's getting there. Plus, the highway is rough in spots. Assuming the Madison station is located well, the train seems like a good alternative.
Jul 17, 2009 at 6:10 p.m.
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Let's be realistic. How many people are really going to use these trains? If the station is at Madison airport how are people going to get to the west side and the UW? The same going the other way to Milwaukee. The train to Chicago is fine because most travelers walk to their jobs in downtown Chicago. I for one will not drive to Madison to take a train to Milwaukee. Remember also fair rates have not even been discussed.
Jul 17, 2009 at 6:05 p.m.
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The Madison television stations reported this evening that two sites in Janesville are being considered as well as the one site in Milwaukee.
Jul 17, 2009 at 4:59 p.m.
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The concept, as with any business, is that increasing service levels will bring more customers. I hope this is not too difficult to understand.
Jul 17, 2009 at 3:34 p.m.
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Are the trains that full that we need capacity to increase by 20%?
Jul 17, 2009 at 3:08 p.m.
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Si, bienvenidos. But we'll need a lot of luck, as PJGnyc notes. More on this in Saturday's Gazette. --Gazette reporter Frank Schultz
Jul 17, 2009 at 3:04 p.m.
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This could be potential jobs for people who don't have an education in the health care field, which is good news.
Jul 17, 2009 at 2:56 p.m.
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Ya era hora de recibir algunas noticias buenas!
La ciudad de Janesville tendra mucha suerte en conseguir una empresa como Talgo. Y si no escogen a Janesville, que mas da-escogeran un lugar en Wisconsin, y eso es lo importante...
Good news. We like it.
Jul 17, 2009 at 1 p.m.
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Dream on Janesville, quality workforce and a closer location in Milwaukee.
Jul 17, 2009 at 12:52 p.m.
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Antonio Perez, chief executive officer and president of Talgo Inc., the company's U.S. subsidiary, said it has scouted locations in Janesville and Milwaukee.
Jul 17, 2009 at 12:50 p.m.
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the old gm plant. railroad service alredy there.
Jul 17, 2009 at 12:47 p.m.
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The locations of the assembly and maintenance facilities have not yet been determined, but are likely to be in south central or southeastern Wisconsin. Together, the assembly and maintenance facilities are expected to create about 80 jobs for Wisconsin workers, with the potential for more jobs as operations grow.
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