Sturtevant station

Sturtevant is an Amtrak railway station in Sturtevant, Wisconsin which opened for service on August 14, 2006. It is located on East Exploration Court in the Renaissance Business Park off WIS 20. The facility accommodates travelers who use the Hiawatha Service between Chicago and Milwaukee, and sees fourteen daily arrivals, seven each from Milwaukee and Chicago. Located along tracks owned by the Canadian Pacific Railway through its American subsidiary the Soo Line Railroad, the station was constructed as a replacement for the former Milwaukee Road depot, which was moved from its former location to Caledonia in October 2009.

Sturtevant, WI
The facade of Sturtevant station in June 2014
Location9900 East Exploration Court
Sturtevant, Wisconsin 53177
Coordinates42.7183°N 87.9062°W / 42.7183; -87.9062
Line(s)Canadian Pacific Railroad C&M Subdivision
Platforms2 side platforms
Tracks2
ConnectionsBelle Urban System Routes 7 & 27
Construction
ParkingYes; paid
Disabled accessCompliant
Other information
Station codeSVT
History
OpenedAugust 14, 2006
Passengers
201783,902[1] 8.98%
Services
Preceding station Amtrak Following station
Milwaukee Airport
toward Milwaukee
Hiawatha Service Glenview
toward Chicago
     Empire Builder does not stop here
Former services
Preceding station Milwaukee Road Following station
Milwaukee
towards Seattle or Tacoma
Main Line Deerfield
towards Chicago
Franksville
towards Milwaukee
Chicago Milwaukee Somers
towards Chicago

Service and facilities

A Hiawatha Service train pulls into Sturtevant as a Canadian Pacific freight passes on the left.

The Sturtevant station's primary function is to provide residents of Racine, Kenosha and the southern portions of the Milwaukee metropolitan area with intercity service. The station is served only by the Amtrak Hiawatha Service, and sees fourteen daily arrivals, seven each from Milwaukee Intermodal Station and Chicago Union Station.[2] The station is the third stop en route to Chicago, with a travel time along the 23-mile (37-kilometer) section taking 28 minutes.[2] It is also the third stop en route to Milwaukee, with a travel time along the 63-mile (101-kilometer) section taking one hour.[2] For 2009, the station handled 71,369 passengers.[3]

The 1,800-square-foot (170 m2) station includes a Quik-Trak ticket kiosk, restrooms, a seating area and a pedestrian bridge to connect the northbound and southbound boarding platforms.[4] As the station is unstaffed, all tickets from the station need to be either purchased in advance or from the Quik-Trak kiosk.[4] The station parking lot contains 170 spaces, with payment required upon entering for daily use and a permit required for monthly use.[5][6] Connections from the station to the local bus service operated daily by the Belle Urban System are also available.[7]

For much of the spring of 2020, it was temporarily a stop on the Empire Builder, a long-distance train connecting Chicago to the Pacific Northwest. The stop was added when the Hiawatha Service was suspended in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

History

The platforms, tracks and pedestrian bridge at Sturtevant station.

Prior to the completion of this facility, Amtrak served the former Milwaukee Road depot on Wisconsin Street in downtown Sturtevant.[8] Due to the age and condition of the facility, in summer 1998 village officials applied for a federal grant for the construction of a new station.[8] By November, initial construction costs for the facility were estimated at $1 million. Financing for the facility would come 80 percent through a state grant with the remaining 20 percent coming from the village.[9] In July 2000, the original architectural plans were unveiled illustrating a 1,500-square-foot (140 m2) station, two side platforms, and a pedestrian tunnel crossing beneath the tracks.[10] Additionally, construction costs were revised to $1.2 million with an estimated completion date of spring 2001.[10]

Final approval for the construction of the station was given by the Sturtevant Village Board in April 2001, with completion slated for that November.[11] At the time of approval, construction costs were again revised up to $2.1 million and the size of the station was increased to 1,800 square feet (170 m2).[11] By fall 2002, after both design changes and a delay in the receipt federal funding, construction was expected to commence.[12] However, groundbreaking would again be delayed due to a disagreement between the village and the Canadian Pacific Railway regarding liability for what occurs on railroad property during construction.[13] The issue was resolved by February 2003, with solicitation of bids for its construction being requested soon thereafter.[13]

A Milwaukee-bound Hiawatha train departs Sturtevant

In May, costs for construction of the station were again increased to $4.1 million.[14] The increased costs were primarily associated with the relocation of fiber optic lines during the construction of the pedestrian tunnel.[14] To reduce overall costs, village officials asked for architects to remove the tunnel and replace it with an elevated walkway over the tracks.[14] In October 2004, the village board gave final approval to the revised station plan with a pedestrian bridge.[15] The $3.2 million estimated cost of the station was to be financed through a pair of federal transportation grants in addition to the village borrowing against its tax incremental financing district from the adjacent industrial park.[15]

After nearly six years since it was initially proposed, ground was broken for the station in September 2005. The official dedication for the $3.2 million facility occurred on August 12, 2006, with Governor Jim Doyle, U.S. Representative Paul Ryan and Racine County Executive Bill McReynolds in attendance.[16] Service would be discontinued at the 1901-depot the following day with the new facility opening for passenger service on August 14, 2006.[5] The shuttered, 1901 station would subsequently be deconstructed and relocated to Caledonia between August and October 2009.[17]

References

  1. "Amtrak Fact Sheet, FY2017, State of Wisconsin" (PDF). Amtrak. November 2017. Retrieved 18 December 2017.
  2. Amtrak (October 26, 2009), Hiawatha Service Timetable: Milwaukee–Chicago (PDF), Amtrak
  3. Amtrak Fact Sheet, Fiscal Year 2009 – State of Wisconsin (PDF), Amtrak, November 2009, retrieved January 16, 2010
  4. "Amtrak – Stations – Sturtevant, WI (SVT)". Amtrak. Retrieved January 12, 2010.
  5. Journal Times Staff (August 3, 2006). "New Amtrak facility". The Journal Times.
  6. "Resolution 2008-21 – Resolution by the Finance & Budgetary Committee Setting a Fee for Daily and Monthly Parking Passes at the Sturtevant Depot" (PDF). Village Board of the Village of Sturtevant. Retrieved January 12, 2010.
  7. "Belle Urban System – Points of Interest". Belle Urban System. Retrieved January 12, 2010.
  8. Seibel, Jacqueline (July 5, 1998). "Sturtevant tries to keep plans for future on the right track". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. p. 1E.
  9. Klink, Luke (November 1, 1998). "Sturtevant might get $1 million depot". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. p. 5Z.
  10. Staff Reporters (July 23, 2000). "Design plans for train depot to be unveiled". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. p. 2Z.
  11. Klink, Luke (April 22, 2001). "Sturtevant railroad depot approved; Federal grant sought to help pay for $2.1 million project". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. p. 4Z.
  12. Asiyandi, Heather (October 13, 2002). "Proposed Amtrak depot on a roll in Sturtevant after several delays". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. p. 5Z.
  13. Asiyandi, Heather (February 2, 2003). "Depot plan in Sturtevant clears hurdle". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. p. 4Z.
  14. Asiyandi, Heather (May 25, 2003). "More funds to be sought for train depot". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. p. 3Z.
  15. Asiyandi, Heather (October 3, 2004). "New Amtrak depot on track in Sturtevant". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. p. 1Z.
  16. Sloth, Paul (August 12, 2006). "Old Sturtevant station sees off its last commuters". The Journal Times.
  17. Moore, Mike (April 5, 2009). "Train depot likely moving". The Journal Times.

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