MADISON, Wis. — The Wisconsin Department of Transportation has announced that the Amtrak Interstate 41 Thruway Bus Service will cease operations on October 1, since the contract between the state and Amtrak would not be renewed. The service linked the Wisconsin cities of Green Bay, De Pere, Appleton, Oshkosh, and Fond du lac with Amtrak trains in Milwaukee.
According to WisDOT, the Republican-controlled state legislature didn’t provide adequate resources to keep this service operational in the 2025 biennial state budget. Democratic Gov. Tony Evers requested over $15 million in his proposed budget to finance the expansion of the rail system in the state and keep funding existing rail operations, including Amtrak I-41 Thruway bus service. However, the legislature cut the funds for passenger rail-related operations.
The I-41 Thruway bus service has provided two daily trips since 2009. These buses were timed to ensure connection with the Milwaukee-Chicago Hiawatha Service at the Milwaukee Intermodal Terminal.
This service, WisDoT says, is partially funded through ticket revenue, but still needs state funds to operate. Unfortunately, recent increases in operational costs due to equipment and maintenance needs combined with inflation, have made the I-41 service financially unsustainable without state funds.
While the I-41 Thruway Bus Service is being cut now, it may not be the last news about the corridor. In 2021, then-President Joe Biden signed the $1.2 trillion Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), awarding $2.1 billion to Amtrak and its partners. This is the largest federal investment in public transit in history. From the BIL, WisDoT received four $500,000 grants through the Corridor Identification and Development Program to study new rail services in the state. The study corridors include: connecting Milwaukee to Minneapolis via Madison and Eau Claire; an additional daily round trip between Chicago and St. Paul via La Crosse to complement the Empire Builder; and increasing Hiawatha frequency and extending its service to Green Bay (through the Fox Valley along I-41).
