“It is only through regional collaboration and coordination with the host railroads and policymakers that we will achieve our goal of expanding and improving passenger rail service both here in Montana and throughout the region,” said Authority Chairman Dave Strohmaier said

Big Sky Passenger Rail Authority and the North Coast Hiawatha are in the Wisconsin Department of Transportation Rail Plan. Special thanks to Eau Claire Area Chamber of Commerce and West Central Wisconsin Rail Coalition for the collaboration and coordination.

“All of our public transportation is subsidized to some extent. Look at what it would cost to fly if airports and airlines weren’t subsidized,” Magone said. “The money has already been earmarked to restore passenger rail service, so if we ignore this short window of opportunity, another railroad authority in another state will receive it.”

Rural and tribal communities are weighing in on the possibility of restoring passenger rail in Montana, as the Big Sky Rail Authority made six stops around the state. The final stop was in Crow Agency on Thursday morning, where people from the community were given the opportunity to voice their opinions directly to the Big Sky Rail Authority.

Yellowstone County has pushed back against a passenger rail route in southern Montana for months, and now following the recent derailment, officials say their opposition has been reaffirmed.

"Everything that comes in and out of Montana goes on trains, so it is super important that we make sure the infrastructure is steady," Yellowstone County Commissioner Ostlund said. "That (derailment) was kind of a wake-up call for everybody. I think the infrastructure is vulnerable all across the United States."

We have communities across the state who jumped on board because they wanted transportation options. They were looking for ways to revitalize their main streets and communities economically. And the fact is, passenger rail is a much more efficient way to move people than any other mode of transportation.

During BSPRA’s Passenger Rail meeting in Ronan, attendees were asked their desired destinations for rural Montana communities to access vis passenger rail. Responses included local access, as well as popular destinations like Missoula, Billings, Bozeman, Great Falls, Denver, Albuquerque, Phoenix, Lake Tahoe, Las Vegas, and more.

“I’d use it (the train) because driving gets more difficult every year,” Nick said. “A good portion of Eastern Montana is elderly people and the train service itself from here to Billings or from her to Bozeman or whatever would be great for them.”

“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.