“We just crossed a major hurdle in our work to restore passenger rail service to southern Montana when we learned of our inclusion in the Corridor ID Program,” smiled Big Sky Passenger Rail Authority chair Dave Strohmaier.

The federal government announced that they will provide $500,000 in seed money to help kickstart construction of BSPRA North Coast Hiawatha route revitalization between Chicago and Seattle/Portland and connecting communities like Fargo, Bismarck, Billings, Bozeman and Missoula. 

Formerly known as the North Coast Hiawatha, and before that the North Coast Limited, the route existed from the 1890s through the late 1970s when cuts to Amtrak ended the service. According to the Federal Railroad Administration, BSPRA would enter Step 1 of the program to develop a scope, schedule, and cost estimate for preparing, completing, or documenting its service development plan. 

“This is the biggest thing that has happened for passenger rail in Montana in over 44 years,” said Strohmaier.  “The $500,000 we’ll be receiving will be used for initial planning and will set the stage for the creation of a full-blown service development plan for the North Coast Hiawatha along with design and preliminary engineering. None of this would have been possible without Mineral and Sanders County support and involvement in the Big Sky Passenger Rail Authority. For those who have been skeptical of the likelihood that passenger rail could ever be restored to our region, the time for skepticism is over. The train has now left the station," Strohmaier beamed. 

Twenty counties in Montana are members with Diane Magone representing Mineral County and Jerry McDonald with Sanders County. BSPRA’s inclusion in this program also brings with it a commitment to additional major federal funds over the coming years as the project moves closer to reality. 

Strohmaier believes this project will transform the economy and quality of life in Montana more than any other single project in recent memory and will serve to revitalize rural and tribal communities. 

It is important to note that this project is the only new long-distance route among the 69 Corridor ID routes announced last week, and at 2,200 miles is by far the longest new route being funded. 

The announcement also addresses Amtrak's rail infrastructure in and around Malta, along the Empire Builder route, which will soon see upgrades thanks to the $14.9 million newly secured for the project through the Federal-State Partnership for Intercity Passenger Rail Grant Program. BSPRA and Amtrak were co-applicants in securing these funds, which reflects BSPRA’s commitment to maintaining a strong Empire Builder and efficient freight operations along Montana’s Hi-Line.

Along with the 20 counties, there are 17 municipal partners, three tribal councils, BNSF Railway, Montana DOT and Amtrak. They have also been bolstered and supported by their major business partners and sponsors including Xplorer Maps, Clearwater Credit Union, Siemens, KLJ Engineering, and all the individual donors and citizen volunteers. The Montana Healthcare Foundation, Pacific Northwest Economic Region (PNWR), and MSU Extension have been instrumental collaborators and advocates. Montana Sen. Jon Tester helped write and pass the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, also known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

As part of the Corridor ID study efforts, BSPRA will be inviting state, local, and tribal governments in Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Dakota, Idaho, Washington and Oregon to consult in the planning process for the route. B

SPRA will also welcome new member counties and municipal partners who will want to be involved in the decision-making.  More announcements will be forthcoming over this month. Learn more at bigskyrail.org.