Sometimes in the course of understanding Illinois, it helps to look beyond its borders to ponder issues in other states.

Today, we shift focus across the Cheddar Curtain, specifically the southeast corner and the comparatively urban population in lakeshore communities waiting for “a new vision for passenger rail” to materialize, according to Heather Asiyanbi in the Racine County Eye.

State officials have long discussed a KRM commuter rail line (Kenosha-Racine-Milwaukee), but the new focus is on the MARK Rail project (Milwaukee Area-Racine Kenosha Passenger Rail). A MARK commission held its first meeting Friday – it replaces the Southeastern Regional Transit Authority and the KRM Steering Committee – and the agenda included more than explaining why MARK is a better branding than KRM or the virtues of focusing on passenger versus commuter.

Illinoisans who pay attention to our state’s public transportation boondoggles may recall the brief notion of replacing the Regional Transit Authority with the Metropolitan Mobility Authority before landing on the Northern Illinois Transit Authority, as well as a slide from the MARK Commission’s presentation tracing efforts at solving that region’s problem back to a 1998 feasibility study. However, it’s worth noting that Wisconsin law forbids regional transit authorities (while allowing rail commissions).

And even those who don’t care about buses and trains might take note of the commission’s leading point in a list of opportunities the project promises: to “connect Racine, Kenosha and other lakeshore communities to a world-class economic region and cultural center.” (They’re not referencing Milwaukee.)

As with Illinois’ efforts to connect population centers via trains, MARK ideas require partnerships, specifically with the Union Pacific corridor already used by Metra’s UP-North line (meaning eventually Chicago and Springfield will be intimately involved), and also a lot of waiting. The commission authorized preparing to apply for a 2026 grant, which could move things into the service development plan phase in order to set the table for engineering, environmental review and construction.

Who pays? Local funding would be needed to match federal grants (Racine may have some money left over) and Metra probably wants to be reimbursed for anything extra it provides as part of whatever agreement advances.

The total cost will easily be a nine-figure sum. Even though the Federal Transit Administration’s Capital Investment Grant Program can appropriate up to $4.6 billion per year, Wisconsin (and perhaps Illinois) communities will have to cut their own checks to make anything MARK a reality, and good governance practices should make it essential to build only what can be operated in perpetuity without Congress and the White House contributing.

A lot of people are spending serious time and money trying to bring Midwestern railroad usage into the 21st century. Here’s hoping we all learn from each other.

• Scott T. Holland writes about state government issues for Shaw Local News Network. He can be reached at sholland@shawmedia.com.