WI: Racine hosting inaugural MARK Rail Commission meeting Friday
The Milwaukee-Area-Racine-Kenosha Passenger Rail Commission will hold its inaugural meeting in Racine on Friday.
The meeting will begin at 10 a.m. at Racine City Hall, 730 Washington Ave., in Room 207.
The Passenger Rail Commission was created through an Intergovernmental Agreement under Wisconsin statutes approved by the cities of Racine, Kenosha and Milwaukee.
The agreement authorizes the cities to work collaboratively on preliminary planning, public engagement and eligibility for federal rail-planning programs.
The Racine Common Council unanimously approved the formation of the commission in September.
Friday's meeting will focus on establishing the commission's organizational structure and beginning early coordination to explore the feasibility of future passenger rail service in Southeast Wisconsin, according to a news release from the City of Racine.
The commission's formation does not commit the cities to building rail infrastructure, launching service or making financial expenditures; rather, it provides a formal structure to support long-range evaluation, coordination and planning, the release said. Participation in the commission's early activities carries no local funding obligation.
The release said any future decisions involving investment, construction or service implementation would require additional technical analysis, public input and subsequent commission action.
Friday's meeting agenda includes a presentation of the commission's vision, mission and strategic goals for early-stage coordination; adoption of bylaws to establish the commission's internal governance framework; election of officers, including chair, vice-chair and secretary; review and approval of a Memorandum of Understanding with Metra, Chicago's metropolitan commuter rail service which currently services Kenosha, to support future planning discussions; and authorization to prepare an application to the Federal Railroad Administration's Corridor Identification and Development Program, which provides federal planning support with no required local match.
For more information about MARK Rail, visit www.markrail.org.
© 2025 The Journal Times, Racine, Wisc.
Visit www.journaltimes.com.
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.