Three times a week, Deanna Ver Steeg begins her commute shortly after 6:30 a.m. She takes a Metra train from Chicago to Kenosha, then boards a large van that takes her and other co-workers to Racine. On most days, she's at her desk by 8:40 a.m., more than two hours after her commute began.

Ver Steeg, who has been making the trip for more than three years, said her life might be easier if the commuter trains didn't stop just over the state line.

The answer for marathon commuters such as Ver Steeg could be a proposed $200 million, 33-mile commuter rail system that would serve Kenosha, Racine and Milwaukee Counties and carry commuters from Chicago to Milwaukee and dozens of towns in between.

"It could improve the quality of the commute and extend our productivity," said Ver Steeg, senior manager of global internal audit for S.C. Johnson.

Proponents say connecting Milwaukee and Chicago by commuter rail would provide access to jobs, airports and entertainment venues in both cities, and boost housing and retail development along the route.

But the train is stuck at the station because Wisconsin lawmakers can't agree on how to pay for it. It would cost about $11 million a year to operate and maintain the system, with fares covering less than half of that amount. The rail service would use existing track. Some federal money would be available to help build new stations, but not without local matching funds.