Fox Valley Swyft

With the announcement that Amtrak will re-open the line from Milwaukee to Green Bay (with stops at Fond du Lac, Oshkosh, Appleton, and Green Bay) by 2036, I wondered what could be done to supplement intercity service and enhance regional connectivity. The primary "commuter rail" line would be served with single-car DMUs to start (rather like an "interurban" service), but with stations built to take up to three-car trains and land "protected" to build platforms up to six-car length. That backbone would be fed by a small network of BRT lines (with small, simple stations featuring level boarding and shelters) and a larger network of local bus lines with more frequent service than today. The line could also be extended north (to Howard/Duck Creek and Suamico) and/or south (to Oshkosh, North Fond du Lac, and Fond du Lac). At this stage, the primary line does not serve Oshkosh or Fond du Lac for the simple reason that Amtrak does and development south of Neenah is less dense; southern passengers wishing to travel to, say, Lambeau Field could take Amtrak to Green Bay or Appleton and transfer directly on the platform to the commuter line, knowing that supplemental service would be run on game days. If popular, the commuter rail service could be easily expanded by simply adding platforms along the route; potential infill stations include (from south to north) North Fond du Lac, Snell Road, County Y, Bell Street, Cecil Street, Shady Lane, Prospect Avenue, 2nd Street, Meade Street, Ballard Road, Highway 441 (well-sited for a park and ride), County J (for the Kaukauna industrial park), Wrightstown, Burgoyne Lake, Scheuring Road, and Highway 172. This is a work in progress and is attempting at least some realism; the Valley is currently very car-centric, with buses that run sometimes as little as once an hour, so special attention is being paid to potential cost savings/doubling-up, while laying the groundwork for a more transit-oriented development pattern (e.g., using "Not BRT"-standard corridors that could be more cheaply upgraded to BRT or LRT in the future if demand warranted).