Linda Nelson was honored for her contribution to the creation of Big Sky Passenger Rail Authority (BSPRA) with the first ever founders award given by Executive Director Jess Peterson and State Representative and Vice Chair of the Montana Transportation Interim Committee, Denise Baum at the Billings Depot.

When asked about the award, Nelson explains that "it was just a wonderful, coming together of farm and city to get something done. And the support was there, and I was surprised reading the bill and looking at the quote, it passed very easily. So now, we are just getting started.

Chicago-Fort Wayne-Pittsburgh and the Big Sky North Coast Corridor take next steps in Corridor ID process.

Thiel says with the upcoming opening of the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library in nearby Medora, ND, it would be nice to have another travel option. "it's a mode of transportation that people enjoy," Thiel said. "They don't have to be in a vehicle, driving. They could just sit and enjoy the trip, and not have to concentrate on the road, and just relax."

The "North Coast Hiawatha" was discontinued by Amtrak in 1979. Amtrak has one route through North Dakota, which goes from Fargo and Grand Forks, through Devils Lake, Minot and Williston.

Dave Strohmaier is the Big Sky Passenger Rail Authority’s board of directors chairman and a Missoula County commissioner. He told MTFP that county participation could play a role when the Federal Railroad Administration makes decisions on what routes to fund for restoration at the end of this year.

“If I’m the Federal Railroad Administration needing to allocate limited resources at some point, someone is going to have to make a decision,” Strohmaier said. “If a community or a county says for whatever reasons … ‘You know what, we don’t want to join the rail authority. We don’t want to participate in supporting passenger rail.’ Okay, there are plenty of others who do.”

"There's the other side of the ledger here. There's the benefit side, and just focusing on costs and potential costs only provides part of the story. The other part of the story, you need not look any further than Northern Montana to see the Empire Builder," said Strohmaier.

NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that Big Sky 55+ endorses the efforts of the Big Sky Passenger Rail Authority to increase daily long-distance passenger rail in Montana, including improvements and strengthening of service on the Empire Builder, reintroduction of the North Coast Hiawatha across southern Montana, and North-South service from Billings to Denver.

After a decision by the Prairie County Commission nearly three months ago to withdraw any local voice from participating in the affairs of the Big Sky Passenger Rail Authority, the Terry Town Council may support the organization financially to regain that voice.

The AFL-CIO and Montana AFL-CIO, through the District 19 IAMAW, join Big Sky Passenger Rail Authority as an ex officio member by unanimous vote. John Denny will serve as its representative to BSPRA.

Big Sky Passenger Rail Authority Annual Meeting June 7th, 2024

Recording of all presentations.

The PNWER RIA team joined other expert panelists for a full day of insightful discussion on the benefits of improved passenger rail service, reiterating its benefit for economic sustainability and community connectivity – the guiding theme for this year’s annual meeting. BSPRA Chairman Dave Strohmaier and his team gathered rail industry professionals, Amtrak and FRA representatives, and community advocates that underscored the importance of investment in Montana’s passenger rail network.

Long-distance service corridors selected into Corridor ID include: Daily Cardinal Service (Amtrak), Daily Sunset Limited Service (Amtrak), North Coast Hiawatha (Big Sky Passenger Rail Authority) - Restoration of service over all or portions of an intercity passenger rail route formerly operated by Amtrak.

Dickinson, ND joins BSPRA as a Government Partner

Tribal leaders are optimistic about the possibilities of a passenger railroad line that crosses the same strip of land previous leaders fought so hard against building on the reservation. The proposed passenger rail will travel north from Missoula through Arlee, Ravalli, and Dixon then west to Spokane.

We are in the midst of an infrastructure decade, and you are at the center of it.

Big ideas discussed during the Big Sky Passenger Rail Authority's annual meeting in Missoula on Friday, June 7th. Dennis Bragg talked with BSPRA Chair Dave Strohmaier about the state of passenger rail in Montana.

The buzz around the new route brought several top railroad officials to the Big Sky Passenger Rail Authority (BSPRA) for its annual conference in Missoula, including Amtrak and the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA).

“Right now as we speak, we are in the middle of accepting proposals from consultants engineering firms to help us throughout this process, which is probably an 18-month to a two-year long planning process,” said BSPRA chairman Dave Strohmaier.

If there was one theme to Friday's Big Sky Passenger Rail Authority's annual conference, it was one of accomplishment, with a lot of work to come. However, there were many messages of encouragement during the day, both from Federal Rail Administration officials and the private sector working on breakthrough technology with hydrogen and hybrid trains. The conference was the latest milestone for BSPRA, which was formed less than 4-years ago, but with the restoration of Montana's "Southern Route" already on the list for possible projects.

Big Sky Passenger Rail Authority hosted its annual meeting today Friday to discuss several statewide projects that are on the fast track. The goal was to discuss recent accomplishments and set goals for the future. The organization noted railroads in Montana received a $15 million grant for rail improvements.