Secretary Buttigieg addresses the restoration of passenger rail in Southern Montana and beyond at the Western Governor’s Association meeting.

“Once the recommendations are out, even within the five-year time horizon, I think we have a great shot of getting the restoration project up and moving,” Strohmaier said. “We basically have a two-year window to get on a glide path toward project implementation, because all bets are off with a different administration in the White House. We have a shot at this now, which we’ve never had in the past.”

The North Coast Limited

Burlington Northern Sante Fe joins the Big Sky Passenger Rail Authority as an ex officio member

Nevada Rail Coalition Letter of Support for the Big Sky Passenger Rail Authority

Chairman Dave Strohmaier said this funding is “the foundation” of bringing passenger rail service back to southern Montana.

Lake County this week became the newest member of the Big Sky Passenger Rail Authority, bringing the organization’s membership to 18 counties, three tribes, and Amtrak.

Hiawatha rail route will better connect rural Montana - Daily Inter Lake

The newest member of the Big Sky Passenger Rail Authority could lie north of Missoula in Lake County and the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, which have expressed interest in joining.

The vast majority of Americans want the federal government to invest in strengthening the national passenger rail network, according to a new poll by the Rail Passengers Association (RPA), the nation’s largest advocacy organization for rail passengers. Specifically, 78% of respondents said having a strong passenger rail system in the U.S. is “Important” and 66% said they support adding more routes to the current rail network.

Big Sky Passenger Rail Authority chair and Missoula County Commissioner Dave Strohmaier gave an update Monday on the status of connecting the state through passenger rail. One big development the organization has made involves collaborative efforts between counties along the trail.

Officials are confident that the long-defunct Amtrak line that once snaked through Montana’s southern tier en route to the West Coast will be part of a forthcoming federal study into discontinued intercity passenger rail lines — an important step in the mission to restore Amtrak service between the state’s most populous cities.

They are following a similar path to what is being done in Montana with the Big Sky Rail Passenger Authority as they look to connect residents in the southern half of the state.

Advocates urge Lewis & Clark County to back passenger rail campaign