Rail Service

Wisconsin & Southern Railroad Company (WSOR) is the principal or only operator on all of the rail lines except a portion of rail line that runs from Madison north through DeForest owned by Canadian Pacific (CP). WSOR is a regional railroad with operations on over 700 miles of track traversing a total of 21 counties throughout south central Wisconsin and northeastern Illinois. In 2010, on average, there were approximately 38 WSOR trains per week (1,900 annually) transporting goods into and out of Dane County. Another mainline operator, Union Pacific (UP), previously operated in Dane County on the old UP rail line that runs from Madison south to Evansville. Freight service has been discontinued on the line, and the City of Fitchburg and the Village of Oregon purchased the rail line in 1999 with a WisDOT grant to serve a planned joint business/industrial park. The industrial park has not been developed.

WSOR recently agreed to an acquisition by Watco Companies, LLC, and the transaction is tentatively scheduled to be completed on January 1, 2012. Watco is a privately held transportation services company based in Pittsburg, Kansas. WSOR will preserve its name and all necessary operations in order to serve its existing and future customers, and it will also retain its Milwaukee headquarters.

Three rail transit commissions have been created in southern Wisconsin to preserve rail service or the potential for rail service, and to influence policies on the future use of rail corridors if rail service is discontinued. Dane County belongs to two of these commissions, the South Central Wisconsin Rail Transit Commission (SCWRTC) and the Wisconsin River Rail Transit Commission (WRRTC).

The WRRTC has an operating contract with WSOR for rail freight service on the publicly owned east-west rail corridor. Freight rail service was terminated on the publicly owned north-south rail corridor from Madison to Monroe. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WisDNR) entered into an agreement with the SCWRTC and WisDOT to operate a recreational trail and take over management responsibilities for the rail corridor. The trail has been constructed. It is called the Badger State Trail and runs from the Capital City Trail south to the county line and beyond all the way into Illinois.

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Search Outside Resources Ride Options Information Contact Us HOURS: Monday - Friday 8:00am to 4:30pm 121 S. Pinckney St., Suite 400 Madison, WI 53703 Tel: (608) 266-4336 Fax: (608) 261-9967 Email: MPO	Rail Service Wisconsin & Southern Railroad Company (WSOR) is the principal or only operator on all of the rail lines except a portion of rail line that runs from Madison north through DeForest owned by Canadian Pacific (CP). WSOR is a regional railroad with operations on over 700 miles of track traversing a total of 21 counties throughout south central Wisconsin and northeastern Illinois. In 2010, on average, there were approximately 38 WSOR trains per week (1,900 annually) transporting goods into and out of Dane County. Another mainline operator, Union Pacific (UP), previously operated in Dane County on the old UP rail line that runs from Madison south to Evansville. Freight service has been discontinued on the line, and the City of Fitchburg and the Village of Oregon purchased the rail line in 1999 with a WisDOT grant to serve a planned joint business/industrial park. The industrial park has not been developed. WSOR recently agreed to an acquisition by Watco Companies, LLC, and the transaction is tentatively scheduled to be completed on January 1, 2012. Watco is a privately held transportation services company based in Pittsburg, Kansas. WSOR will preserve its name and all necessary operations in order to serve its existing and future customers, and it will also retain its Milwaukee headquarters. Three rail transit commissions have been created in southern Wisconsin to preserve rail service or the potential for rail service, and to influence policies on the future use of rail corridors if rail service is discontinued. Dane County belongs to two of these commissions, the South Central Wisconsin Rail Transit Commission (SCWRTC) and the Wisconsin River Rail Transit Commission (WRRTC). The WRRTC has an operating contract with WSOR for rail freight service on the publicly owned east-west rail corridor. Freight rail service was terminated on the publicly owned north-south rail corridor from Madison to Monroe. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WisDNR) entered into an agreement with the SCWRTC and WisDOT to operate a recreational trail and take over management responsibilities for the rail corridor. The trail has been constructed. It is called the Badger State Trail and runs from the Capital City Trail south to the county line and beyond all the way into Illinois.