More Passenger Rail Coming to Montana

The Big Sky Rail Authority has confirmed plans for two passenger rail routes through Montana, according to Missoula media outlet 8KPAX. A federal rail study has identified two preferred long-distance routes: upgrades to Amtrak’s east-west Empire Builder line connecting Seattle to Chicago that runs through the state and a restoration of the connecting north-south North Coast Hiawatha route from southern Montana to Billings, the state’s largest city.

Funding for the projects come from $8 billion in new grants announced by the Biden administration in December for rail projects. The Empire Builder upgrades will receive $15 million for upgrades, while $500,000 will go to the planning stage of the North Coast Hiawatha route, which Amtrak discontinued in 1979. The restoration of the north-south route is a massive win for the Big Sky Rail Authority, a coalition of 20 urban and rural counties and three tribal nations, which has been advocating for the project for the last few years.

“If folks are wondering about feasibility or not, that train has left the station,” Big Sky Rail Authority Chairperson Dave Strohmaier told 8KPAX. “We are no longer debating feasibility. We are in the planning stage as we speak to make this happen.”

According to a 2021 report from the Rail Passengers Association, total cost for restoration of the North Coast Hiawatha is estimated to generate $271 million in economic benefits to seven states and cost Amtrak $68 million to operate, which will be offset by the collection of $41 million in fars and other customer revenue. In addition to enhanced tourism opportunities for the state, the new line will offer major benefits for rural southern Montana residents, including connecting them to vital services like medical care in larger cities like Billings that they can’t access in their home counties.