Judging from the audience for a virtual Passenger Rail Summit on Thursday, the idea of bringing passenger trains to Montana’s “southern route” is generating a lot of interest.

The Rail Summit was organized by Missoula County, and others working to establish the Big Sky Rail Authority, the legal entity needed to lobby for the restoration of rail service across Southern Montana for the first time in more than 40-years.

More than 5-hundred people registered, and over 3-hundred followed the three-hour discussion. At the same time, panelists were also concerned about upcoming Amtrak service cuts on the “Empire Builder”, across the Hi-Line.

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Efforts to restore passenger rail in southern Montana, Northern Rockies gain momentum

When the Big Sky Passenger Rail Summit kicked off in Missoula on Thursday, an attendee from Glendive noted that he was further away from Missoula than a fellow attendee in Seattle.

The observation illustrated the size of Montana and the diversity of its population and terrain, and the role passenger rail service could play in connecting communities, boosting economies, and providing another mode of transportation across the Northern Rockies and Pacific Northwest.

State Rep. Andrea Olsen, like other advocates, sees passenger rail as a vital economic tool with untapped potential. But it also serves other goals that don’t get much attention, such as reducing highway deaths in bad weather, addressing climate change, and punctuating the role transportation plays in local economies.

By Martin Kidston

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National rail lobby lines up behind Big Sky Passenger Rail Authority

Montana delegation, governor lend support for passenger rail across southern tier