In its latest form, the Kenosha-Racine-Milwaukee commuter rail line, or KRM Commuter Link, would offer more frequent service and more stops - but at a higher cost - than the version that emerged from a previous study in 2003. Passengers would have to change trains to continue into Illinois.
Sixty years ago [15 pp. pdf] Robert R. Young complained in an ad campaign that "A hog can cross the country without changing trains - but you can't." With Amtrak, you still can't; you still have to change trains in Chicago. For $237 million, Milwaukeeans would have the opportunity to change trains just to get to Chicago.
Fares would be similar to Chicago's Metra trains, at less than $10 one-way between Milwaukee and Kenosha.
About thirty cents a mile to travel 33 miles. That's 2/3 the business auto mileage deduction rate and substantially more than the non-business rate allowed by the IRS. And that $237 million is just the capital cost.
Operating costs would run $14.7 million a year, with fares covering $3.8 million.
If a ten dollar fare covers about a quarter of the operating costs, then the operating cost is about $40, or $1.20 per passenger mile. It might be cheaper to rent limos.
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