started here today. I'd like to thank everybody for coming out for this event. I was fortunate
enough to talk to a TV station yesterday about this. The city of Portage is very excited
about this. Personally, I love riding trains. Like I said yesterday, there's not a better
way to travel than on a train because all you can do is just sit back and enjoy the ride.
You get to see countryside that you've never seen before. So it's a great way to see different
parts of Wisconsin or other states that you've never seen before. So it's always a great
event. I'd like to recognize quite a few different people that are here today. Mayor
of Madison, Sergeant Rode Cotton. Yep, there we go. And Wisconsin DOT Secretary Craig Thompson.
He's on the train. Yep. Assistant Secretary Joel Nielsen. Wisconsin DOT passenger rail
program manager, Rich Kedser, Amtrak manager, and government affairs, Ismall, Pueblos. Wisconsin DOT
Secretary, Secretary Christina Boardman, State Representative Dave Consenade, and our
State Senator Joanne Bond. And so what we'd like to do first is ask this bull to come up and give him a talk and give him a call from the government.
Good afternoon, everyone. I'm going to speak to all of you if you have a train coming.
Well, my name is Ismall Pueblos. I am the government affairs manager for Amtrak in the Middle East. I am based out of Chicago. Good morning for my app. Good afternoon, my app is like more chairman, Tony Kosch and our president, Roger Harris.
And the more than 21,000 Amtrak people nationwide. The more of our over 100 colleagues are working together throughout Michigan or, sorry, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Illinois to put this out together.
So I'm really happy to be part of that group. That number will continue to grow as we inaugurate this Borealis service today.
First, we want to thank the State of Wisconsin, our longtime partner, for leading this effort to completion.
Wisconsin, together with Minnesota and Illinois, have come together to fund the Borealis Amtrak's 29th short distance State supporter, Ralph.
This will not have happened without the study leadership of Governor Evers, Wisconsin Department of Transportation Secretary Thompson.
And we also help them to help you to welcome our neighbor, Minnesota, as the newest state in the Amtrak family.
A part of our business that accounts for half of the ridership and almost all of our growth.
We're also here celebrating this new service thanks to the strong leadership and support over the years from the city of Portage led by the mayor,
economic development director, Steve, Sylvia, Chamber of Commerce, President Marianne Hanson.
And I also want to give a special shout out to other folks as well.
Under the leadership of a meatballs, the FRA now has the ability to lead in the way to add new and improve existing services because this administration
and Congress have created the biggest passenger rail program in history.
Amtrak contributed 5 million to the twin cities Milwaukee, Chicago, inner city passenger rail, capital project to help pay for the railroad improvements coming to this route to make our Amtrak and freight trains more reliable.
Another special mention is the railroad that owns the route between St. Paul and Chicago controls almost all of it.
Canadian Pacific Kansas City, CPKC.
We topped here railroad when it comes to hosting Amtrak trains.
Thanks to an agreement Amtrak made with CPKC, we can start this service now and make improvements going forward to make both the new borealis and the historic empire builder trains better and better.
These trains here in the Midwest and across the 46 states connect communities such as Portage.
This is at the heart of what we do and why Congress created Amtrak 53 years ago.
For Portage, this means new service, more schedule options and convenient one-seat ride trips to the twin cities, Chicago and Milwaukee, and connections to the National Amtrak Network via Chicago.
And also more business, local businesses like the one where I had lunch at shoes on a pit stop where I had a really good burger.
Whether it's Amtrak passenger trains or freight trains rail can do more to prevent gridlock and improve supply chains.
More highway lanes won't get the job done, but passenger trains will.
We're in the new era of rail with leaders such as those you've heard from today and we'll hear from later on.
So there's more that we can do here in Wisconsin across the Amtrak Midwest Network and the country.
There's a success story where we promised in 2022 or we're making a reality today in 2024 and we look forward to doing these events in the upcoming months and the upcoming years as it looks to our mayor here in Afghanistan.
Thank you for being here and let's get ready to ride the rails and other Amtrak trains.
Thank you.
We'd like to have the Wisconsin DOT Deputy Secretary, Secretary Christina Borden.
Welcome.
Thank you very much.
Hi, thank you so much to the community at Portage. We're organizing this amazing event today.
We are so excited to be with you to celebrate such great news for rail communities across Wisconsin.
I just came from Milwaukee where we mark the arrival of the Borealis train as it rolled into Wisconsin from Chicago for the first time this afternoon.
And here in Portage, your transportation needs are different than in our bigger cities, but no matter the size of the community, reliable passenger rail is an important resource for many.
It's been 22 years since we've expanded passenger rail in Wisconsin and this long-awaited train will provide more convenience and flexibility for commuters, families, students and tourists to get where they need to go.
We know that some of our smaller communities have fewer options to get around and are less likely to have the infrastructure for multi-modal services.
That's why the state invests in passenger rail to help our private companies reach communities like Portage.
And so you've all been vocal supporters of Borealis for years now because your community serves as a critical resource and a connection point for the central Wisconsin residents.
You're right in the center of the line and can get to Minnesota, Illinois in just a few hours.
Plus, just a few steps away from Wisconsin Del, Portage is a gateway from many tourists from other states.
We hope that this new rail service will bring more visitors to your community and give your economy and small businesses a boost just in time for the summer travel season.
So thank you so much for being an advocate to help us make this happen.
We couldn't have accomplished it without our local partners and we hope this added service helps you feel more and connected to the rest of the state and the region.
We also need to thank Amtrak, CPKC, Minnesota, Illinois, and Wisconsin DOT staff and our federal and local partners who work tirelessly to develop and implement plans for the new service.
In addition to funding amongst these three states, the bipartisan infrastructure law discretionary grants help make Borealis a reality.
The rail line needed infrastructure improvements to support long-term growth of passenger rail in this corridor.
And this federal funding was allowing us to look ahead to the future passenger rail in the system in Wisconsin.
We're currently studying other potential opportunities to add rail services in different parts of the state.
We want to bring more options to people in Green Bay, Eau Claire, and Madison.
And passenger rail is so critical because it links our rural communities with popular urban cities in the region.
And that's why we're committed to continuing to invest in resources to advance passenger rail in Wisconsin.
So we must prioritize sustainable transportation options to meet the needs of all of our residents and visitors.
So thanks so much for everyone being here today.
And I'd like to turn it over to Senator Volley.
Thank you.
Well, thank you very much for being here.
This is very exciting across the 14th Senate district.
Actually, this stops in Wisconsin.
Wisconsin delves here in Portage and then onto Columbus.
And when you get off the train at Columbus, make sure you go over to Julie's Java House for a coffee.
She's very excited to have this extra extra train coming through right now.
My first train ride was actually a long time ago as a Girl Scout.
We got on the train in Milwaukee and went up to the Delves for a field trip.
So this is very exciting that more people have that opportunity.
So with that, the train is moving again, so we'll get back to the bear.
Thank you all for being here.
Thank you.
I'd like to thank Senator Volley.
She comes to all of our community events.
She's a big supporter of our community.
And I'd like to thank her for coming today to show her support for this.
Is the state representative Dave Konsenai here?
Dave Konsenai, are you here?
I don't see him.
Well, then I guess we'll call Marianne and answer up here with the ribbon to do a little bit of study.
Yeah.
Well, what do you think?
Should we cut it?
Let's wait, perhaps.
It would be more exciting to cut it when the people on the train are here.
Like we are.
Yeah.
Exactly.
You're probably waiting until we see it.
Yeah.