While it’s been more than four decades since passenger rail service stopped running on Montana’s southern route, Missoula County commissioners and a growing list of advocates believe it’s time to revisit the issue.

In the wake of climate change, struggling small towns and a general shift in how people move from point to point, proponents of passenger rail service see an economic opportunity in restoring the North Coast Hiawatha Route.

Jim Mathews, president and CEO of the Rail Passengers Association, said several southern states are close to launching the new Mobile to New Orleans Route, which is expected to return an estimated $170.7 million to local economies every year in exchange for an operating investment of around $6 million.

By Martin Kidston