Editing Madison, Wisconsin (section)

====Railways====
{{See also|Madison station (C&NW)|Milwaukee Road Depot (Madison, Wisconsin)}}

Railroad freight services are provided to Madison by the [[Wisconsin and Southern Railroad]] (WSOR) and [[Canadian Pacific Kansas City]] (CPKC). Passenger train service between Madison and [[Chicago]] on the ''[[Sioux (train)|Sioux]]'' and the ''[[Varsity (train)|Varsity]]'' was provided by the [[Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad]] (Milwaukee Road) until 1971. The [[Chicago and North Western Railway]] also provided service to the east side of Madison, ending in 1965.

The city is served by [[Amtrak]] via [[Columbus station]] {{convert|28|mi|km}} to the northeast, which serves the daily long-distance ''[[Empire Builder]]'' terminating at Chicago, [[Portland Union Station|Portland]] and [[King Street Station|Seattle]]. Columbus station is also served by the [[Amtrak Midwest]] ''[[Borealis (train)|Borealis]]'' route which terminates at Chicago and [[Saint Paul Union Depot|Saint Paul]]. Although located outside of the city proper, the station is listed on Amtrak timetables as Madison's official stop.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Amtrak Advisory &#124; Amtrak to Operate on Modified Schedules |url=https://www.amtrak.com/service-adjustments-due-to-coronavirus |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210321005513/https://www.amtrak.com/service-adjustments-due-to-coronavirus |archive-date=March 21, 2021 |access-date=March 31, 2021 |website=www.amtrak.com}}</ref>

A [[high-speed rail]] route from Chicago through Milwaukee and Madison to Minneapolis–Saint Paul was proposed as part of the [[Midwest Regional Rail Initiative]], but then-incoming Governor [[Scott Walker (politician)|Scott Walker]]'s opposition to the project led to the reallocation of funding.<ref>{{Cite web |date=December 9, 2010 |title=Statement From The U.S. Department Of Transportation |url=http://www.dot.gov/affairs/2010/dot20810.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101211181716/http://www.dot.gov/affairs/2010/dot20810.html |archive-date=December 11, 2010 |access-date=November 14, 2011 |website=Dot.gov}}</ref> Plans to establish Amtrak service within Madison were revived in 2021.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Amtrak proposes route through Madison |date=April 2021 |url=https://www.nbc15.com/2021/04/01/amtrak-proposes-route-through-madison/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210810173116/https://www.nbc15.com/2021/04/01/amtrak-proposes-route-through-madison/ |archive-date=August 10, 2021 |access-date=August 10, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=June 15, 2021 |title=Amtrak aims to expand train service across U.S. with Biden's help |newspaper=The Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/transportation/2021/06/15/amtrak-train-map-expansion-us/ |url-status=live |access-date=December 16, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210627182039/https://www.washingtonpost.com/transportation/2021/06/15/amtrak-train-map-expansion-us/ |archive-date=June 27, 2021}}</ref> Anticipating eventual revival of passenger service, public meetings were held in early 2024 by the city's Department of Transportation to consider possible sites for the station.<ref>{{cite web| url=https://www.cityofmadison.com/transportation/initiatives/passenger-rail-station-study|title=Passenger Rail Station Study|date=November 17, 2022 |publisher=City of Madison, Department of Transportation|access-date=January 29, 2024}}</ref>