HELENA, Mont. — Passenger rail has become a bipartisan priority across the country.
That includes here in Montana, with the Big Sky Passenger Rail Authority currently trying to get the old Hiawatha route back up and running.
With that, local governments and federal agencies meet regularly to discuss progress toward getting the line back, and this week in Helena, they all met once again.
WATCH THE FULL VIDEO BELOW:
“We've done a ton of preliminary work, but to actually be almost to the start line is pretty exciting and I think we'll be there soon enough,” said Dave Strohmaier, chair of the Big Sky Passenger Rail Authority.
Strohmaier has been one of the main figures leading the charge for bringing back the former North Coast Hiawatha route, which, if all goes according to plan, will pass through Billings, Bozeman, Butte, Helena and Missoula by the 2030s.
The conference itself brought together both federal and local officials, like Jordan Hess, CEO of Missoula’s Mountain Line, who was there to further flesh out connectivity issues if rail were to return.
“Our goal there is just to really keep tabs on the effort and be supportive. You know, if passenger rail does, or hopefully when passenger rail does return to visualize, we want to make sure that we're connecting to the system so that folks can get off the train and access the community,” Hess said.
Beyond transportation officials, Sen. Tim Sheehy also made an appearance, discussing at large how the return of passenger rail could not only be another form of getting people where they need to go but also an economic booster.
He says that he’s supporting the efforts through advocacy in his seat on the Senate Commerce Committee.
“We'd love to see that come back so we can have connectivity between Montana's population centers and also have connectivity for our growing tourist population to not just see our beautiful natural resources, but also see our great cities and towns,” Sheehy said.
Currently, planning is at a standstill as the Federal Railroad Administration is on a freeze as they're waiting for their fourth policy shift in the past year and a half.
