“This event here in Paradise is directly related to what is going to happen in Boise on July 18 because we are collecting information across the state in 6 communities right now that we will feed to the FRA. In advance to that meeting which will hopefully influence the outcome of that meeting, will be their short-list of recommended routes to be restored.”

The Big Sky Passenger Rail Authority (BSPRA) held a series of meetings last week to assess how restoring passenger rail service across southern Montana would affect communities. Five community engagement meetings took place last week in Lame Deer, Ronan, Paradise, Glendive and Forsyth.

A sixth meeting will be held in late June on the Crow reservation, but a time and place have yet to be set.

The Big Sky Passenger Rail Authority held a public meeting in Glendive on Thursday in an effort to “engage tribal and rural communities in the development of passenger rail services in southern Montana.”

According to BSPRA Vice Chairman Jason Stuart, the meetings were integral to the future success of restoring a passenger rail track across the southern half of the Treasure State. The five public engagement meetings were entirely funded by a $25,000 grant from the Montana Healthcare Foundation.

“This is a very important discussion for us to participate in,” Stuart said.

The Big Sky Passenger Rail Authority would like to invite the community to a public meeting on Thursday, May 25 from 4-7 p.m. at Room 107 of the Ullman Center at Dawson Community College. Food will be provided.

The BSPRA, through a grant made possible by the Montana Healthcare Foundation, is hosting a series of meetings in Glendive and other rural communities across southern Montana titled “Engaging Tribal and Rural Communities in the Development of Passenger Rail Services in Southern Montana.”

A rail expansion for the lower part of Montana is getting some renewed attention.

“Why should people in rural America not have the same access an opportunity to those transportation options as people in urban America? It’s not fair, it’s not right, and we need to fix that,” said Jason Stuart, vice-chair of the Big Sky Passenger Rail Authority.

The Big Sky Passenger Rail Authority (BSPRA) strongly supports Montana Senator Jon Tester’s decision to block the White House’s slate of nominees for the Amtrak Board of Directors, urging President Joe Biden to reconsider nominating potential Board members from Western states.

“Amtrak is not only critical to Montana, but it’s critical to rural communities and economies across this entire country, and it’s important that folks in rural America have a voice at Amtrak to make sure we aren’t left behind,” Tester said. “I’ll be blocking these nominees until rural America has a seat at the table.” - Senator Jon Tester

The Big Sky Passenger Rail Authority received a $25,000 grant by the Montana Healthcare Foundation to conduct rural and tribal engagement in southern Montana. Photo: NBC Montana

Missoula Community Radio dedicates 90 minutes to talk about all things passenger rail in southern Montana and beyond including rural, tribal, and underserved communities, and how they could benefit including affording access to healthcare.

The Big Sky Passenger Rail Authority and its county members across the state joined Amtrak in a call this week regarding the agency's “Throughway” service, or the various tools the railroad uses to bring remote riders to a train stop.

More routes, more frequent trains, better serving disadvantaged communities and improving connections with other transportation modes were some common priorities for long-distance rail across six geographic regions, according to a report the Federal Railroad Administration released Thursday.

“I felt like all the stakeholders represented were aligned in that the North Coast Hiawatha is a high priority route to restore,” Strohmaier said. “Also, from a regional perspective, the Pioneer route from either Denver or Salt Lake City up through Boise to Portland is also an important piece of regional passenger rail.”

From Railway Age:
The Big Sky Passenger Rail Authority has submitted a proposal to the FRA for the restoration of Amtrak’s North Coast Hiawatha route, which would travel from Chicago to Seattle and has BNSF support. (BNSF Map)

The FRA is expected to announce this summer which projects will be selected.

Chairman Dave Strohmaier said reestablishing the North Coast Hiawatha Line would improve the economy for rural communities across several states, including Montana and North Dakota. The proposed route would travel from Chicago to Seattle, following interstates 90 and 94, and making stops in Dickinson, Bismarck, and Glendive.

Not only are many Montana counties supporting the effort, but transportation leaders in adjoining states have also been signing on to show support, turning what had been a Montana-based drive into a much larger initiative.

The North Coast Hiawatha route is already under analysis as part of the FRA’s Amtrak Daily Long-Distance Service Study. The Corridor ID Program will work hand in glove with that study to complete a service development plan and preliminary engineering — precursors to resuming passenger rail service through southern Montana and beyond, the press release said.

Plans are moving forward for a proposal to bring back passenger rail service to southern Montana. The Big Sky Passenger Rail Authority's proposal would restore the North Coast Hiawatha Corridor, which stretched from Chicago to Seattle and Portland until 1979. Organizers recently submitted the proposal to the Federal Railroad Administration.

After experiencing success from community events, the Big Sky Passenger Rail Authority is looking to host more events in communities throughout Montana this year with an emphasis on what they call “pint nights” at local breweries in those communities.