Dane County, through a long range transportation plan known as "Transport 2020," was once hoping for a 16-mile commuter rail system. However, a lack of local funding led to the County withdrawing its application for an FTA New Starts grant in December of 2009.
Nonetheless, the Madison area now has gubernatorial authority to create a "Regional Transit Authority." This could bring talks of a commuter transit system back, but the high cost of commuter rail seems prohibitive for some. This is why BRT is being discussed again.
Recently, the National Bus Rapid Transit institute visited Madison on October 1st and hosted a workshop with local stakeholder and leaders to discuss the potential of BRT as a transit solution.
