Our Vision: A Bigger Role for Regional Rail
Our Vision
The success of commuter rail is a key component of our strong economy, and it can become even more important with the right investments.
With more frequent service and better coordination, commuter rail could function more like rapid transit connecting the region. Many suburb-to-suburb trips now only possible by car -- for work and a wide range of personal trips -- would then be possible by transit.
Even though jobs are spread throughout regional economies, and in many case in nearby cities, "commuter rail" in America means getting commuters in conventional 9-to-5 jobs from outlying suburbs to inner-city job centers. While this is a valuable service, it fails to capitalize on the full capabilities of a commuter rail network. Frequent service throughout the day, even approaching mass transit frequencies, can increase usage. This doesn't just mean having "reverse peak" service, it means having frequent and dependable service throughout the day on both weekdays and weekends.
Commuter rail should also connect job centers to each other. A successful regional rail network is needed to provide connections between nearby cities and employment centers. City-pairs such as Milwaukee-Chicago should have frequent regional rail service.