Three passenger corridor revivals I’d love to see - It’s fun to dream about what’s possible

"Speaking of breathtaking mountain scenery, here’s a vote for bringing back the North Coast Hiawatha, the long-distance train Amtrak ran in Chicago-Seattle service until 1979. Although it basically followed the route of today’s Empire Builder as far as Minneapolis, beyond there it was very much a revival of Northern Pacific’s beloved North Coast Limited, at least in spirit. Over the years Amtrak trains 9 and 10 bounced back and forth between daily and triweekly service and never quite matched the Builder in popularity, but you couldn’t argue with the scenery, thanks to their fabled traversals of Homestake Pass and Bitterroot Mountains...

Of all the services that might come back, the North Coast Hiawatha might have the best chance. Since 2020, a multi-county group in Montana called the Big Sky Passenger Rail Authority has been pushing for the train’s return, touting the fact that it would serve Missoula, Billings, Bozeman, and Butte, arguably more of a true “corridor” than the Builder’s route. I’ve got my fingers crossed." Read more.