The recent Commentary page article, “Critics don’t slow down high-speed rail,” describes the unnecessary $810 million train from Madison to Milwaukee. Starting in 2013 it will have stops in Brookfield, Oconomowoc, and Watertown and end at Truax Field in Madison. Who wants to go there? But a downtown stop would slow the train when it goes on to Minneapolis in future years, say planners.

Then we hear the usual line that it’s needed for workers to get to jobs. I wonder why they’re not riding the Badger Coach now? It’s been around since my University of Wisconsin student days over 50 years ago and it still makes six trips a day, each way for $19, less with prepaid deals. A back-of-the-envelope calculation shows that if each bus carries only 40 people times 12 trips times 365 days equals 175,000 a year. It’s probably more since even in my day at busy times more than one bus left at each departure time. At best, train backers think 361,000 annual riders will pay $66 round trip for “high speed” 79 mph. Badger Coaches Web page shows all their routes including one to Minneapolis! Right now! The rail line there is far off, if ever.

So far as I can tell, Badger is self-supporting. The rail line will need an annual state subsidy of $7.5 million after the federal “stimulus.” But it’s supposed to provide 55 jobs when up and running. Most of the money goes for track and signal improvement providing full employment for gandy dancers.

John Valaske

Kenosha