Line(s) Hiawatha Service Parking Yes; paid Opened 14 August 2006 | Tracks 2 Disabled access Compliant Platforms in use 2 | |
 | ||
Location 9900 East Exploration Court
Sturtevant, Wisconsin 53177 Connections Belle Urban System Routes 7 & 27 Address Sturtevant, WI 53177, United States Similar Milwaukee Airport Railroad, Milwaukee Intermodal Station, Glenview station, La Grange Road station, Summit station | ||
S3 e19 hiawatha at the sturtevant station
Sturtevant is an Amtrak railway station which opened for service on August 14, 2006. It is located at 9900 East Exploration Court, as part of the Renaissance Business Park in Sturtevant, Wisconsin, United States. The facility accommodates travelers who use the Hiawatha Service between Chicago Union Station and the Milwaukee Intermodal Station, and sees fourteen daily arrivals, seven each from Milwaukee and Chicago. Located along tracks owned by the Canadian Pacific Railway, the station was constructed as a replacement for the Milwaukee Road's 1901 Sturtevant depot at 2904 Wisconsin Street, which was moved from its former location to Caledonia in October 2009.
Contents
Service and facilities
The Sturtevant station's primary function is to provide residents of Racine County and the southern portions of the Milwaukee metropolitan area Amtrak service. The station is served only by the Amtrak Hiawatha Service, and sees fourteen daily arrivals, seven each from Milwaukee and Chicago Union Station. The station is the third stop en route to Chicago, with a travel time along the 23-mile (37-kilometer) section taking 28 minutes. It is also the third stop en route to Milwaukee, with a travel time along the 63-mile (101-kilometer) section taking one hour. For 2009, the station handled 71,369 passengers.
The 1,800-square-foot (170 m2) station includes a Quik-Trak ticket vending machine, restrooms, a seating area and a pedestrian bridge to connect the northbound and southbound boarding platforms. As the station is unstaffed, all tickets from the station need to be pre-paid, purchased from Quik-Trak or on the train from a conductor. The station parking lot contains 170 spaces, with payment required upon entering for daily use and a permit required for monthly use. Connections from the station to the local bus service operated daily by the Belle Urban System are also available.
History
Prior to the completion of this facility, Amtrak served the 1901 depot located in downtown Sturtevant. 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. 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. 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. Additionally, construction costs were revised to $1.2 million with an estimated completion date of spring 2001.
Final approval for the construction of the station was given by the Sturtevant Village Board in April 2001, with completion slated for that November. 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). By fall 2002, after both design changes and a delay in the receipt federal funding, construction was expected to commence. 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. The issue was resolved by February 2003, with solicitation of bids for its construction being requested soon thereafter.
In May, costs for construction of the station were again increased to $4.1 million. The increased costs were primarily associated with the relocation of fiber optic lines during the construction of the pedestrian tunnel. To reduce overall costs, village officials asked for architects to remove the tunnel and replace it with an elevated walkway over the tracks. In October 2004, the village board gave final approval to the revised station plan with a pedestrian bridge. 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.
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. Service would be discontinued at the 1901-depot the following day with the new facility opening for passenger service on August 14, 2006. The shuttered, 1901 station would subsequently be deconstructed and relocated to Caledonia between August and October 2009.