Commuter rail will only add to development pressures in the county by making the hinterlands more accessible. Mike Blaska has no interest in slowing development in the townships, but rather ortly in increasing the development potential of rural land, including his own, in Dane County. The rail advantage. Ostensibly, the benefit of rail over other transit modes is capacity, not performance or investment. If express bus service with 30 minute headways from Mazomanie to Madison were initiated, you would still not have to line up early at the park 'n' ride lot to get a seat.
Commuter rail is heavy rail.
It takes trains considerable time and distance to reach operating speeds and come to a stop. Even with congestion delays on the highway, a conventional train cannot make it to Madison significantly faster than a bus. Endless acres of parking along the Metra route in Lake County, Illinois, leads most to believe the answer is no. Only when an enhanced bus system can no longer meet the ridership demand will rail of any type become a viable alternative. For the record, I like the concept of rail transit in Dane County.