Newsmakers, July 20, 2017

Air Date:
Heard On Newsmakers
Charlie Handy and Clinton Torp
Charlie Handy and Clinton Torp Hope Kirwan/WPR

Despite occasional threats to reduce public funding, advocates of public transportation infrastructure in the La Crosse area remain optimistic that air, train and regional bus service will be able to expand in the future.

As a presidential candidate, Donald Trump proposed a major infrastructure investment, but as president, Donald Trump has signaled an end to the popular Empire Builder passenger train route which runs one way east and west each day from Chicago to Seattle and stops in Wisconsin, in cities like La Crosse and Milwaukee to more rural communities like Tomah, Wisconsin Dells and Columbus.

The president of the Wisconsin Association of Railroad Passengers is confident the Empire Builder and other routes that connect rural America will be saved by Congress. John Parkyn of Stoddard said in the last couple of years, passengers on crowded trains have been able to fund more than 90 percent of Amtrak’s operating budget. He argued passenger rail should expand.

“The Midwest Regional Rail Initiative which we’re supporting would put six trains a day each way through La Crosse at 110 mph, so it would cut travel time down significantly,” Parkyn said.

The Midwest Regional Rail Initiative involves a study of bringing high speed rail between Chicago and Minneapolis. The problem is the effort has been going on more than 20 years with no concrete plan or funding.

All seems well at the La Crosse Regional Airport. Flights are at 90 percent capacity and revenue has allowed the airport to operate without the need for city of La Crosse tax dollars. But Airport Director Clinton Torp said a shortage of pilots is preventing many regional airports from expanding flight offerings to hub airports in Minneapolis and Chicago.

Torp said federal support, which pays for airport improvements like runway construction, has been stable. But he said that’s not the best situation at a time when repair and replacement costs have increased.

“What will happen over time is if nothing gives is that the length of rebuilds for runways for example will get extended out and you’ll start to see the same infrastructure problems we have with roads at airports,” Torp said.

He said the airport has started a program encouraging businesses in the La Crosse area to use the La Crosse Regional Airport as a place to fly to and from to save time on business trips and has even started recruiting students to become airline pilots.

But the regional form of transportation that’s poised to expand the soonest maybe one of the more unique regional bus services in Wisconsin. The Scenic Mississippi River Transit or S.M.R.T. is a bus service that connects La Crosse with Viroqua to the south and east and Prairie du Chien to the south.

Ridership on the S.M.R.T. bus has increased by 60 percent since it started in 2013 when gas prices at the time were around $4.00 a gallon. The service is paid for by riders, municipalities, businesses and state and federal grants. Sixty percent of the riders are commuting to work.

La Crosse County planner Charlie Handy said the success of the bus service led to a study of whether an expansion is feasible to Tomah east of La Crosse and Arcadia north of La Crosse. He said the Tomah route holds the best chance of success right now.

“We’ve done a survey of employers and they’re very positive about this potential,” Handy said. “We may even start that service in August or September of 2017 to try to work out the kinks for a 2018 rollout.”

Handy said the challenge to public transportation in the La Crosse area is that the infrastructure is geared toward the automobile. He said while driving a car or truck is a fine choice to get to a destination, the cost of roads and parking lots are also the most expensive choice for taxpayers.

Featured in this Show

  • Public Transportation Expansion Justified In La Crosse Area Given Ridership

    Despite occasional threats to reduce public funding, advocates of public transportation infrastructure in the La Crosse area remain optimistic that air, train and regional bus service will be able to expand in the future.

    As a presidential candidate, Donald Trump proposed a major infrastructure investment, but as president, Trump has signaled an end to the popular Empire Builder passenger train route that runs one way east and west each day from Chicago to Seattle. The route stops in Wisconsin, in cities like La Crosse and Milwaukee, to more rural communities like Tomah, Wisconsin Dells and Columbus.

    John Parkyn, the president of the Wisconsin Association of Railroad Passengers, said he’s confident the Empire Builder and other routes that connect rural America will be saved by Congress. Parkyn, of Stoddard, said in the last couple of years, passengers on crowded trains have been able to fund more than 90 percent of Amtrak’s operating budget. He argued passenger rail should expand.

    “The Midwest Regional Rail Initiative, which we’re supporting would put six trains a day each way through La Crosse at 110 mph, so it would cut travel time down significantly,” Parkyn said.

    The Midwest Regional Rail Initiative involves a study of bringing high speed rail between Chicago and Minneapolis. The problem is the effort has been going on more than 20 years with no concrete plan or funding.

    All seems well at the La Crosse Regional Airport. Flights are at 90-percent capacity and revenue has allowed the airport to operate without the need for city of La Crosse tax dollars.

    But airport director Clinton Torp said a shortage of pilots is preventing many regional airports from expanding flight offerings to hub airports in Minneapolis and Chicago. Torp said federal support, which pays for airport improvements like runway construction, has been stable. He said that’s not the best situation at a time when repair and replacement costs have increased.

    “What will happen over time is if nothing gives is that the length of rebuilds for runways for example will get extended out and you’ll start to see the same infrastructure problems we have with roads at airports,” Torp said.

    He said the airport has started a program encouraging businesses in the La Crosse area to use the La Crosse Regional Airport as a place to fly to and from to save time on business trips and has even started recruiting students to become airline pilots.

    But the regional form of transportation that’s poised to expand the soonest maybe one of the more unique regional bus services in Wisconsin. The Scenic Mississippi River Transit, or S.M.R.T., is a bus service that connects La Crosse with Viroqua to the south and east and Prairie du Chien to the south.

    Ridership on the S.M.R.T. bus has increased by 60 percent since it started in 2013 when gas prices at the time were around $4.00 a gallon. The service is paid for by riders, municipalities, businesses and state and federal grants. Sixty percent of the riders are commuting to work.

    La Crosse County planner Charlie Handy said the success of the bus service led to a study of whether an expansion is feasible to Tomah east of La Crosse and Arcadia north of La Crosse. He said the Tomah route holds the best chance of success right now.

    “We’ve done a survey of employers and they’re very positive about this potential,” Handy said. “We may even start that service in August or September of 2017 to try to work out the kinks for a 2018 rollout.”

    Handy said the challenge to public transportation in the La Crosse area is that the infrastructure is geared toward the automobile. He said while driving a car or truck is a fine choice to get to a destination, the cost of roads and parking lots are also the most expensive choice for taxpayers.

Episode Credits

  • Hope Kirwan Host
  • John Davis Producer
  • Clinton Torp Guest
  • Charlie Handy Guest
  • John Parkyn Guest