MADISON, Wis. -- The high-speed rail project is throwing a proposed Madison park off-track.

Long a dream of near East Side residents, the land for a "central park" sits waiting for a grand design. But now it might have to wait a bit longer, as the rail line from Milwaukee to the Monona Terrace in downtown Madison happens to run right through the proposed park.

The plans for the park might have to be redesigned for a third time, WISC-TV reported.

"Instead of us going into a much more intense design stage this summer with the answers from the railroad commission, I think next summer might be when we get those answers," said Joe Sensenbrenner with the Center for Resilient Cities, which is doing fundraising for the central park.

Those answers will address how a high-speed train will move through the middle of the park land. Tracks leading to a planned Monona Terrace station sit between the neighborhood and the park.

"The train, after crossing Winnebago Street, would be slowing down some because of the curve there, but we could still be as high as 40 or 45 mph," said Rodney Kreunen, former state railroad commissioner.

There could be fences around the tracks dividing the park in half, WISC-TV reported. And key to a current design plan is a pedestrian crossing added at Few Street, which Kreunen said shouldn't be approved.

"This would be, unfortunately, setting up a fatality to happen," said Kreunen.

The current railroad commissioner is waiting to see how consultants will upgrade the tracks to make a decision on the crossing, as well as closing three other nearby vehicle crossings to traffic.

Park advocates said a train coming through six times a day won't help the park's amenities.

"It makes it less attractive, but there is very little land available for this kind of an amenity, and part of it is already assembled," said Sensenbrenner.

Sensenbrenner said the park is now in a holding pattern until more questions are answered.

"In the longer run, I'd rather have these issues addressed in this stage of design rather than put millions into a design and then have to change things," said Sensenbrenner.

The current design is actually the second one that the central park design and implementation task force has approved. But another design might be necessary pending the design the rail engineering consultants decide on.