In 1998, the Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission found the creation of a 33-mile rail service through Milwaukee, Racine, and Kenosha to be feasible.[1] In 2005, the state of Wisconsin created a temporary regional transit authority covering Milwaukee, Racine, and Kenosha for stewarding the project, but the temporary RTA did not have authority to operate or construct the proposed service.[1]
In 2009, the Wisconsin Legislature passed legislation allowing the creation of regional transit authorities, including the Southeastern Regional Transit Authority, or SERTA, with SERTA being responsible for KRM Commuter Link.[2]Milwaukee, Racine, and Kenosha Counties were part of SERTA, while Waukesha, Ozaukee, and Washington Counties opposed being included.[3]
The proposed service would have had stops in downtown Milwaukee, southern Milwaukee, Cudahy, South Milwaukee, Oak Creek, Caledonia, Racine, Somers, and Kenosha, with new stations constructed at all stops but downtown Milwaukee, Racine, and Kenosha, and with transfers with Metra available in Kenosha.[4] Metra rejected a proposal to operate the service as a northward extension of its Union Pacific North Line, but in a November 2010 meeting with SERTA, it expressed willingness to line up its schedules with that of the KRM Commuter Link.[5]
On May 3, 2011, the Legislature's budget committee repealed the legislation that allows regional transit authorities to exist.[2] On July 25, 2011, SERTA had its final meeting, ending its plans for the service.[6] Federal funding for the service was reallocated to the creation of express bus routes for the Milwaukee County Transit System.[7]
KRM Commuter Link service would have started in 2017 with a projected annual ridership of 1.89 million, with operational costs supported by SERTA's authority to levy an up-to-$18 tax on rental cars.[8]
Post-RTA era
In August 2022, the Wisconsin Department of Transportation sponsored private company Wisconsin Transit and Reality Group's request for federal funding to implement the service,[9] but after acceptance into the Federal Transit Administration's New Starts program, the application was withdrawn due to insufficient private funding.[10]
A passenger rail service following the proposed alignment is included in the Wisconsin Department of Transportation's draft of its Wisconsin Rail Plan 2050 report.[11]
As of November 2023[update], the cities of Milwaukee, Racine, and Kenosha are collaborating to update the studies from the KRM Commuter Link proposal in preparation for potentially funding the service with a combination of a federal grant and
tax increment financing around stations.[12]
