Midwest Hub

Madison, WI

Stop on the proposed 17,000-mile maglev network. Next stop: Rockford, IL (57.5 mi).

About Madison

Madison is the capital of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It is the second-most populous city in the state, with a population of 269,840 at the 2020 census.

Source: Wikipedia summary (full article). Population and facts as published there.

Cost breakdown (proposal-scale estimates — see math)

⚠️ All figures below are parametric estimates scaled from the proposal's own budget ($8.5T ÷ 17,000 mi ≈ $500M per mile), not engineering quotes. Methodology is shown so you can check the math.

Item	Basis	Estimate
Terminal construction	Mid-size terminal (parametric range $1-2B)	$1.5B
Land acquisition	Regional factor 1× on $200M base	$200M
Track: Madison → Rockford	57.5 mi × $500M/mi	$28.75B
Annual operations (share)	Staffing, power, maintenance	$30M/yr
Stop total (excl. annual ops)		$30.45B

Best terminal location (proposed)

The downtown transit corridor near Monona Terrace. Madison's isthmus concentrates state government, the University of Wisconsin, and Epic-bound commuters into one of the Midwest's densest downtown job markets. The Monona Terrace area and East Washington corridor offer build sites with lake views, and Metro Transit's hub is blocks away.

Before / after

Before and after aerial mock-up of the proposed maglev terminal at Madison, WI

Aerial mock-up (illustrative, not an engineering rendering). Left: the proposed site today. Right: with the maglev terminal.

🛤️ Infill stops toward Rockford: the proposal envisions more stops than cities — smaller stations between majors. Plausible infills on this leg:

Janesville, WI - Rock County city on the I-39/90 corridor
Beloit, WI - stateline city on the Rock River
Roscoe, IL - village just south of the state line

← All 287 stops