County officials push southern Montana passenger rail effort – Aboard Amtrak’s Crescent, surprising comfort and welcome seclusion on a slow train to Mississippi

“We lost passenger rail service right through here in 1979 and over the past 41 years the attempt to restore passenger rail service has largely been driven by passionate individuals or advocacy groups,” Strohmaier said, standing at the old train depot at the north end of Higgins Avenue in Missoula. “But what Montana has lacked that other states actually have is a governance structure that is the driving force for the reestablishment of service.”