Rendering: Amtrak station near Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport
MILWAUKEE - The Amtrak station near Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport is getting a facelift. Construction just got underway.
The Milwaukee Airport Rail Station (MARS) Project is an improvement project at the existing station to add a west-side platform and a pedestrian overpass connecting the existing station to the new platform.
A news release says the Milwaukee Airport Rail Station (MARS) at Mitchell International Airport opened in 2005 and is one of the few passenger rail stations in the Amtrak system that offers direct access to an airport.
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Rendering: Amtrak station near Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport
MARS is a station stop for Amtrak’s Hiawatha Service, which offers seven round trips per day between Chicago Union Station and the Milwaukee Intermodal Station. Amtrak’s Hiawatha Service operates over track owned by Metra between Chicago Union Station and Green Oaks, Ill., and Canadian Pacific Railway (CP) from Green Oaks, Ill. to the Milwaukee Intermodal Station in downtown Milwaukee.
Project overview
In 2017, the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) awarded a Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) grant to the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) for the MARS Second Platform and Pedestrian Overpass Project. The project is for the final design and construction of:
- An 800-foot-long concrete platform west of the two CP tracks.
- Elevator towers on the east and west sides of the tracks with an overhead pedestrian bridge.
- Elevator tower on the east side of the tracks will be integrated into the existing station building and walkway.
- 0.6 miles of track surfacing and one-third tie renewal on CP’s east and west main tracks.
Construction is scheduled to be complete in June 2025.