WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers successfully secured over $140 million from the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) to update up to 41 passenger locomotives, which serve Amtrak’s Midwest and Pacific Northwest routes, including the Milwaukee-Chicago Hiawatha route. The FRA investment in Wisconsin is funded by the Baldwin-backed Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), which no Republican member of Wisconsin’s Congressional delegation voted for.

“Amtrak connects Wisconsinites and visitors to communities across our state and is a wonderful way to see all that Wisconsin has to offer,” said Senator Baldwin. “Investing in this rail line is an investment in the Main Streets that will get more customers, in families’ safety, and in our state’s future. I voted for the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and supported this project so we can build on its success, support our small businesses and tourism economy, and help travelers get from point A to B more safely and efficiently.” 

“Expanding reliable transportation alternatives to make it even easier to get to and from work, school, home, and everywhere in between has been a top priority for my administration since Day One, and I’m jazzed that we secured the funding so we can continue our work to bolster passenger rail here in Wisconsin,” said Gov. Evers. “I’m grateful to Sen. Baldwin for her unwavering support to bolster freight and passenger rail services in Wisconsin, and similarly grateful to the Biden-Harris Administration for their work in 2021 to ensure states have the funding we need through the historic Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to support essential projects like this for years to come.”  

Last year, with Senator Baldwin’s support, the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT), applied for the grant in partnership with Amtrak and the Illinois, Michigan, Missouri, Oregon, and Washington transportation departments. The grant will provide essential, mid-life overhauls for the 41-unit Charger locomotive fleet to allow for continued, uninterrupted, and reliable service along nine corridors in the Midwest and Pacific Northwest.

“This grant will help keep the locomotive fleet in a state of good repair, enhancing rail line resiliency, and preventing unplanned outages,” said WisDOT Secretary Kristina Boardman. “As the Charger locomotives entered mid-life stage, it became clear to WisDOT and our state partners that upgrades were needed to ensure safety and reliability on the popular Hiawatha train, between Chicago and Milwaukee, and a host of other routes.” 

Funded locomotive improvements include overhauls to the wheel sets, air compressors, traction motors, turbochargers, high-pressure fuel pumps, and diesel engines. The improvements will help modernize the locomotive fleet and improve reliability on Amtrak’s Milwaukee-Chicago Hiawatha route, as well as Blue Water, Cascades, Lincoln, Illini/Saluki, Illinois Zephyr, Missouri River Runner, and Pere Marquette routes.

Additionally, as part of WisDOT’s application, Wisconsin was a co-applicant on a project that received an over $45 million grant to support the procurement and installation of Onboard Shunt Enhancement devices, which aim to enhance safety, increase reliability, and improve system and service performance on Amtrak’s rolling stock. This project will support Wisconsin’s rail system, as well as over 30 state-supported and all 15 long-distance Amtrak routes. 

More information on the National Railroad Partnership Program and the selections is available on the FRA website, as is the list of selected projects.  

An online version of this release is available here.