The West Central Wisconsin Rail Coalition (WCWRC) has a survey out in the community gathering input about a possible passenger rail running from Eau Claire to St. Paul’s Union Depot.

“There’s been tremendous interest in our region for connecting to the Twin Cities, especially with passenger rail, because of the commerce that takes place, and the convenience it would provide,” said Scott Rogers, chair of the West Central Wisconsin Rail Coalition.

Last year, a commission created by St. Croix, Dunn and Eau Claire counties was awarded a $500,000 federal grant to begin studying the concept, according to the WCWRC website.

The discussion centers around using a possible private contractor to run the passenger train on existing Union Pacific tracks in the coming years.

For more in-depth research, supporters are asking Wisconsin lawmakers for additional funding.

“It’s where you really get into the detail — stations, equipment, how fast, and how many trains would run and all those kinds of details,” Rogers said.

The final price tag hasn’t been determined, according to Rogers, but he expects federal and state funding would have to come into play.

One of the possible stops that has been mentioned is the village of Baldwin, which sits alongside Interstate 94 in St. Croix County.

“I can see the possible need and want for this, and I think many people would love to ride the train to see what it’s all about,” said Lance Van Damme, Baldwin Village president. “My one concern is if they want to make a depot here in Baldwin, the always asked question is ‘Who is going to pay for the depot and upkeep?’”

At first, long-time Baldwin resident Jerome Holman said he was opposed to the train, but wants to hear more about it before deciding.

“We’re just like the small community, and we don’t want to lose that,” Holman said.

Retiree, Brad Hopp, used to make the more than 30-mile drive one way from Baldwin to the Twin Cities metro for work.

“I’ve always thought it was a great idea, there’s a lot of people who commute from this area,” Hopp said.