Do Utah and the West need more passenger trains? These groups make the argument

"Our ultimate vision is for a seamless transportation network," said Dan Bilka, the co-founder of the nonprofit rail advocacy organization All Aboard Northwest. "We don't see passenger rail as an end-all-be-all of transportation but as a crucial missing middle that really makes the other modes of transportation work well and effectively."

Passenger trains, he says, also have the ability to provide strong economic benefits for local communities. For instance, the Big Sky Rail Authority found last year that restoring the North Coast Hiawatha Trail passenger train route would result in $271 million in annual economic benefits in the seven states, including $40 million in Montana alone, according to NBC Montana. Read more