Staff Reports
Well, well, well, look at that! Those Milwaukee-made trains finally started chugging along, but hold on to your hat, folks, because they won’t be chugging through good ol’ Wisconsin like originally planned. Nope, instead of connecting the Badger State to Minnesota, these trains are now making their way to Lagos, Nigeria. Can you believe it?
Wisconsin’s taxpayer-funded trains are entering service — but in Nigeria, not Wisconsin https://t.co/kKUc5wWFv5 https://t.co/kKUc5wWFv5
— Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) March 6, 2024
Now, let’s take a little trip down memory lane, shall we? Back in 2010, the Republican governor-elect, Scott Walker, did what any fiscally responsible leader would do and turned down a whopping $823 million federal grant to expand Amtrak into Madison and extend service to Minneapolis. Why? Because he wasn’t about to let the state get bogged down with those high operating costs. And let’s not forget, it was his Democratic predecessor, Jim Doyle, who ordered these trains in 2009 after snagging those contracts and federal funds. But hey, someone’s gotta foot the bill for those shiny new trains, right?
Fast forward to 2022, and guess what? The state ends up shelling out a hefty $59 million to settle a lawsuit with Talgo, the company that assembled the trains in Milwaukee. Yup, you heard that right. The trains were just sitting in storage, and Talgo wasn’t having any of it. So, who ends up buying these trains that caused all this hoopla? The Lagos transit authority, that’s who!
But hold your horses, because it looks like Lagos is pretty stoked about snagging these trains. The executive governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, is all about it, calling it a “generational leap” for their city. They even have big plans to reshape their urban landscape and expect a whopping 500,000 riders per day. Now, that’s a whole lot of people hopping on those Milwaukee-made trains!
And here’s the kicker, y’all. Old Scotty boy was right all along. Just last year, Wisconsin won some grants to study expanding rail service to Madison and other cities, including Green Bay. Looks like the state might finally get a chance to hop on that train after all. Plus, there’s talk of a second daily route between Milwaukee and St. Paul coming soon. So, who’s laughing now?
So there you have it, folks. The saga of the Milwaukee-made trains that almost chugged through Wisconsin, but ended up taking a little detour to Nigeria instead. But hey, at least it seems like Wisconsin might finally be getting back on track with those trains. All’s well that ends well, right?
