MISSOULA, Mont. – Railroad discussions that impact the region are set to take place starting Thursday in Missoula. The Federal Rail Administration (FRA) will be kicking off a series of meetings followed by the Big Sky Passenger Rail Authority (BSPRA) on Friday.
The resurrection of the North Coast Hiawatha route which runs from Seattle to Chicago and through Southern Montana, will be one point of discussion over the next few days. This route has been discontinued since 1979, but the BSPRA is past the optimism stage with this route and currently planning on how to make this route operational once more.
“We are now past the point of advocacy and saying, ‘This would be a nice thing to have happen.’ We are now a planning organization. We are now planning this route. We actually have funding,” said Vice Chair of the BSPRA, Jason Stewart.
The meetings will commence on Thursday with an FRA working group meeting and then a welcome ceremony at the Residence Inn in Downtown Missoula. The goal being to pursue and revitalize passenger rail.
On top of discussions regarding the North Coast Hiawatha route, the FRA has conducted a long-distance study of other potential routes that could impact the region. Two routes that have been looked at, both start in Bilings, Montana and would see long-distance rail service go to El Paso, Texas or Denver, Colorado.
However, discussions from both the FRA and BSPRA are in different positions currently. The North Coast Hiawatha route is beyond being just an idea and is currently being seen as a legitimate planning option, to see if railroad service can improve in this part of the country.
