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DOT 188-04
Contact: Lori Irving, (202) 366-4570
Tuesday, October 12, 2004
Local railroad helps grow Wisconsin economy, U.S. Transportation Official
says
OSHKOSH, WI – As the Wisconsin & Southern Railroad improves its service, more
companies are bringing business and jobs to towns along the route, helping to
build a stronger economy across the state, according to a senior advisor to U.S.
Transportation Secretary Norman Y. Mineta who toured the line today.
Mineta’s Deputy Chief of Staff Martin Whitmer took a ride on the Wisconsin &
Southern Railroad this morning to see how the railroad is driving new business
development all along the line.
Whitmer said the railroad is “sparking hope and renewal among the businesses,
farmers and railway workers who rely on it for their livelihood,” adding “these
tracks are an economic lifeline in every sense of the word.”
Following years of decline, the Wisconsin & Southern Railroad turned the corner
in 1988 when new owners bought the once struggling line, he said. Since then,
major improvements in the track, equipment and service have led to new
opportunities along the 550-mile long railroad. In 15 years, freight traffic on
the line has quadrupled to 50,000 carloads a year, Whitmer learned. The railroad
projects that number will grow to more than 73,000 carloads a year by 2010,
according to railroad officials.
“The Wisconsin & Southern and the businesses it serves are providing growth
opportunities for countless employers throughout the state,” he said.
Officials with Wisconsin & Southern say 12 new businesses are looking to locate
along the line, following the lead of 16 companies that already have opened on
or near the rail line over the last five years, bringing more than 500 new jobs
to the region.
“As we see here today, transportation has never been more important to America’s
future than it is right now,” Whitmer observed. “There is not a doubt in my mind
that our economy will stay on track with companies like Wisconsin & Southern
hauling the load.”
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