Wisconsin announces high-speed rail plan

MILWAUKEE, July 18 (UPI) -- High-speed trains could connect Chicago and Milwaukee within two years, Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle announced this week.

The state plans to buy the trains from the Spanish company Talgo for $48 million but the assembly would be done in Wisconsin, The Wisconsin State Journal reported. Doyle said he hopes to extend the service to the state capital, Madison.

"We're one state in the country that's really stepping up on high-speed passenger rail," Doyle said Thursday.

The agreement between the state and Talgo calls for two additional 14-car trains if Wisconsin can get funding for them.

Wisconsin officials say 766,000 passengers used Amtrak's Hiawatha Service between Chicago and Milwaukee in 2008, a 24 percent increase over the previous year.