Plan to restore passenger rail service from Washington through Montana chugs along | Local

More passenger rail isn’t just a hope and a dream, it’s a plan working its way into reality, according to a report this week from the Big Sky Rail Authority.

And Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg is on board.

Representatives of the Big Sky Rail Authority updated the Montana Legislature’s Transportation Interim Committee this week, shortly after Secretary Buttigieg visited the Treasure State and touted federal investments in infrastructure.

Dave Strohmaier, chairman of the Big Sky Rail Authority, said a federal rail study shows two long-distance routes through Montana are preferred: an east-west line connecting Seattle to Chicago and a north-south line to Billings.

“Montana is really the epicenter and beneficiary of two preferred long-distance routes in this study,” Strohmaier says.

He said selecting Montana’s routes as preferred routes in the Federal Railroad Administration’s study was one of two major goals the Big Sky Rail Authority has accomplished since its inception about three years ago. He said the routes would connect urban and rural communities in the American West.

At a separate event this week at the Missoula Montana airport, Buttigieg spoke about the ripple effects that federal infrastructure dollars have on customers, workers and economic development.

He said the West famously had some of America’s largest railroads, but trains have seen a loss of service, which is one reason the federal transportation department has poured planning dollars into rail.

In December 2023, the Biden administration announced $8.2 billion in new rail grants for projects ready to be built and projects in the works, including planning dollars for improved service in Montana.

A few weeks ago, Buttigieg said he was present at a groundbreaking for a high-speed rail line that will run between Nevada and Southern California. He said rail is part of the transportation system, and a Corridor Identification Program will lead to a plan to implement more rail.

“The bottom line is that passenger rail is something we believe in… we’ve done it before in this country, and we’ve done it well, and there’s no reason why we can’t do it again, Buttigieg said.

Strohmaier said there are a number of major federal initiatives underway related to rail, and Montana plays a role in both. He answered questions by phone and also gave a report to the Legislature on Wednesday, where he shared a map showing the lack of services in Montana.

“If people are wondering whether it’s feasible or not, that train has left the station,” Strohmaier said. “We no longer debate feasibility. We are currently in the planning stages to make this possible.”

Planning is underway with a $500,000 grant from a federal Department of Transportation, he said. However, Rob Stapley of the Montana Department of Transportation said there are currently no federal funds available to operate rehabilitated or new long-distance passenger routes.

According to a 2021 report from the Rail Passengers Association, restoring Hiawatha’s north shore will provide an estimated $271 million in economic benefits to seven states and cost Amtrak $68 million to operate. According to the report, the costs will be offset by the collection of $41 million in fees and other customer revenue.

Samantha Beyl, of Rosebud County, told the committee that southeastern Montana represents 20% of the state’s population and 26% of its landmass, and is a place rich in cultural and recreational significance.

However, Beyl said many communities face challenges accessing services such as health care, and passenger rail can bring people to cities where medical care is available, such as Billings.

In 2023, tourists spent $5.45 billion in Montana, including $1.6 billion on public transportation, she said, citing the University of Montana’s Institute for Tourism and Recreation Research. In southeastern Montana alone, she said, nonresidents spent $868 million in 2022.

“This underscores the importance of improving transportation infrastructure, such as the passenger rail system, to meet growing tourist demand,” said Beyl, a Forsyth city councilor and member of the Big Sky Rail Authority.

The Big Sky Rail Authority is the largest transit district in the state of Montana and part of the state government, Strohmaier said. The leaders include representatives from twenty member provinces; three tribal nations, the Crow, Northern Cheyenne, and the Confederated Salish and Kootenai tribes; and Amtrak, the Montana Department of Transportation and BNSF.

First, Strohmaier says, the Federal Railroad Administration’s long-distance study is examining the potential to reopen discontinued routes or new routes of 750 miles or more. That study will be completed soon and will identify both the north shore of Hiawatha, which connects Chicago to Seattle through southern Montana, and a north-south line to Billings, from El Paso or Denver, your choice, he said.

“This is a major issue for the state of Montana and something that has been in the works for more than four decades,” Strohmaier said.

In addition, Strohmaier said the North Shore of Hiawatha is the only new long-distance route that will be recommended to Congress through another Federal Railroad Administration program, the Corridor Identification Program, which establishes railroad priorities.

“This is also a huge victory for Montana,” he said.

He said a request for proposals to hire a company to move the project into the development pipeline will be sent out within days. The federal rail programs are part of the bipartisan infrastructure bill.

According to the Big Sky Rail Authority, the North Coast Hiawatha was discontinued in 1979, leaving “a vast expanse of the Greater Northwest Region” and some of Montana’s largest cities without passenger rail service.

Next steps for the plan include answering the “burning questions people have been asking for so long,” Strohmaier said. Where will the stations be located? What will the schedules look like? What are the necessary infrastructure investments?

“What will the trains themselves look like?” said Strohmaier, who is also chairman of the Missoula County Board of Commissioners.

He said a $500,000 federal grant is supporting the planning process, and a “shovel-ready project” should be ready for implementation within 2.5 to three years.

The partnership includes the Federal Railroad Administration and eight states, including Montana. Strohmaier said he met Buttigieg briefly this week, and that the secretary was aware of and enthusiastic about the efforts in Montana.

One question people have asked is whether a train could run through Butte in the future, but it is a heavier lift than Helena due to the lack of an active rail line east of Butte, Strohmaier said. However, he said Butte will remain in the mix throughout the long game.

“In the short term, let’s just keep the damn train running through southern Montana (and) figure out transit connections through communities that might not initially see a rail stop,” Strohmaier said. “But Absolutely, Butte is still in the mix at some point when it comes to rail connectivity.”

He also said infrastructure work near Malta is underway with a $15 million federal DOT grant. He said upgrades near Malta are important because it is a chokepoint for passengers and freight.

This week, Strohmaier and an Amtrak official were headed to Havre for a meeting focused on the Empire Builder. He said one concern along the Hi-Line is that if Montana adds passenger rail elsewhere, it will mean a loss of track along the Hi-Line.

“Only with a strong Empire Builder can we have a strong, vital and sustainable Hiawatha on the North Coast,” Strohmaier said.

This story first appeared on Daily Montanan.