WisDOT to receive $25.7M to upgrade train cars on Amtrak's Hiawatha line

MILWAUKEE -- There will soon be a new look for the trains that connect Milwaukee and Chicago on Amtrak's Hiawatha line.

The Wisconsin Department of Transportation will be awarded up to $25.7 million for the upgrade of train cars on the route.

It's the busiest Amtrak route in the Midwest.

The project will replace deteriorated, outdated passenger cab-baggage and coach cars used in the Chicago–Milwaukee Amtrak Hiawatha Service with three single-level cab-coach cars and six single-level coach cars. Replacement of the cab-baggage cars with cab-coach cars will increase seating capacity, reduce fuel consumption, increase equipment reliability, reduce crowding, and improve accessibility for passengers with disabilities.

The upgrade on the Milwaukee to Chicago route is one of 10 rail projects receiving grant funding in 10 states. The 10 grants add up to more than $272 million.