Building the Rail Workforce of Tomorrow!

Montana State University's Western Transportation Institute (WTI) just received a $6.5 million grant from the Federal Railroad Administration's (FRA) CRISI Program to fuel workforce development in the rail industry! This transformative project, supported by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, will connect academic, industry, and community partners across Montana and beyond to strengthen and diversify the rail workforce pipeline.

With $630,000 in support, Big Sky Passenger Rail Authority (BSPRA) joins WTI, The University of Memphis Office of Admissions & Orientation, and Cal State University, Long Beach to identify regional workforce needs and develop training strategies. As BSPRA Chairman Dave Strohmeier put it, "This CRISI grant will help us as a region and nation build the rail workforce of the future.”

As we step into a rail renaissance, this initiative marks an exciting leap forward for American rail!

Positive news from last night's Bismarck ND City Government meeting to "Consider the request for approval of becoming a member of the Big Sky Passenger Rail's Government Partners program through the Bismarck-Mandan Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO).”

Reconnect America is the new podcast from Solutionary Rail that presents a creative yet common sense vision for U.S. railroads. It weaves together the genius of community and technical experts, workers and policymakers, advocates and scholars. Reconnect America reflects a decade of research, writing, and advocacy aimed at illuminating the ways in which the U.S. rail system can be harnessed to better service public interests and to address 21st century problems.

Reconnect America is hosted by Bill Moyer, co-author of the book Solutionary Rail: A People-powered Campaign to Electrify America’s Railroads and Open Corridors to a Clean Energy Future.

I was asked to moderate a panel titled “Renaissance for Passenger Rail Across America: From Washington, D.C. to Your Local Depot”, which cast a spotlight on work being funded by the unprecedented investment in rail passed as part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL). The panel featured updates from the Federal Railroad Administration, Amtrak, Big Sky Passenger Rail Authority, Washington State Department of Transportation, and the Oregon Department of Transportation.

While it was heartening to hear about all the work being done to upgrade the Amtrak Cascades corridor (Eugene, OR – Portland, OR – Seattle, WA – Vancouver, BC), as well as restore the North Coast and Pioneer long-distance routes, it also highlighted the need for Congress to recommit to a strong rail program in the upcoming transportation reauthorization. The BIL is set to expire September 2026, and there simply isn’t enough time or funding left to advance more than a fraction of the ready-to-go projects along the 69 corridors selected as part of the Corridor Identification Program. For the Greater Northwest to see these plans come to fruition, we’ll have to help build a strong national coalition of states, cities, towns, and rail industry stakeholders to ensure the BIL isn’t simply a one-off investment.

One of the proposed routes is the former North Coast Hiawatha line, which ran through four western states from Chicago to Seattle until it shut down in 1979. The revival of the North Coast Hiawatha route is thanks in large part to the Big Sky Passenger Rail Authority, which has spent years gathering support for restoring the rail service. As one of the proposed routes in the Corridor ID program, Big Sky Passenger Rail Authority received $500,000 in federal funding in December, and the group has been working on planning and designing the route since then. 

Through the Corridor ID Program, BSPRA is working with eight states to assess infrastructure needs, identify service gaps, and develop a robust service development plan (SDP). This effort is not just about restoring a route; it's about enhancing the quality of life for rural residents and providing a sustainable transportation option that reduces environmental impacts and improves mobility.

Big Sky North Coast Corridor Update

Consultants for the Big Sky North Coast Corridor program estimated completion of Corridor ID Step 1 in April of 2025. This is the first of the seven Corridor ID routes affecting Wisconsin to estimate a Step 1 completion date.

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