Commission History

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Counties in southern Wisconsin have been working together since the mid 1970s to ensure that active rail is preserved.Wisconsin’s original rail assistance program was created in 1977 to help preserve freight rail service during an era when widespread railroad bankruptcies and line abandonments threatened the availability of rail service in Wisconsin.In southwestern Wisconsin, the Lone Rock to Prairie du Chien line was filed for abandonment by the Milwaukee Road in late 1978.

In response, Crawford, Dane, Grant, Iowa, Richland, and Sauk counties began meeting to discuss possible actions to preserve rail service.The Wisconsin River Rail Transit Commission (WRRTC) was formed in March of 1980 as a proactive option for saving its first corridor — the Prairie du Chien to Madison line. WRRTC advertised for rail operators interested in the system in October of 1980. The Wisconsin Western Railroad began operations in the summer of 1982.

Rock County joined the commission in 1982 and the WRRTC took action to expand its control to include the Janesville to Madison line, owned by the Milwaukee Road.From 1982 to 1984, the Wisconsin Western Railroad provided service between Middleton and Lone Rock and on the branch line from Lone Rock to Richland Center. Its affiliate, the Central Wisconsin Railroad, contracted with the WRRTC to provide service between Madison and Janesville. Using trackage rights from the Milwaukee Road in Madison, the two segments were connected and operated as one system.

Walworth County joined the commission in 1983 and the commission became actively involved in the Janesville to Fox Lake line. WRRTC is now one of the only public agencies owning railroad lines in two states.In December 1984 the two operators filed for bankruptcy and the entire rail system was closed until a new operator could be found. Operations resumed on the east end of the system in January, 1985 under a new operator—the Wisconsin & Calumet Railroad. Service was resumed on the Middleton-Lone Rock-Richland Center line and opened on the Lone Rock to Prairie Du Chien segment in 1985.

Waukesha County joined the commission in 1987 and WRRTC assumed control over the Waukesha to Milton Junction line.In August, 1992 the Wisconsin & Southern Railroad became the Commission's designated operator. WSOR ships aggregates, barley/malt, cement, coal, fertilizer, food products, grain, lumber, paper, plastics, pulpboard, and steel, serving customers in southern Wisconsin. Ongoing maintenance is important, as WSOR notes: Our existing rail was manufactured in the early part of the 1900s when cars were smaller and lighter. Our bridges are reaching the end of their useful life and were not designed to handle these heavier cars.

Project Funding - The State of Wisconsin has provided funding for the acquisition and preservation of rail service since the late 1970s. State funding is administered by the Rail and Harbors Division of the Wisconsin Department of Transportation. In 1992 Wisconsin voters approved a constitutional amendment that allowed state money to directly fund railroads, in cooperation with local Rail Transit Commissions, as a type of internal improvement.