Twelve Montana counties have executed a joint resolution to officially form The Big Sky Passenger Rail Authority, a new entity advocating for the return of passenger rail service along the former North Coast Hiawatha Route in southern Montana. The formation of the new authority marks the first step towards creating a multi-state rail commission that would be modeled after the congressionally authorized Southern Rail Commission.
SRC commissioners participated in the Big Sky Passenger Rail Summit held virtually in September in Missoula and offered their encouragement and support for Montana to join with other adjacent states North Dakota, Idaho and Oregon who have long sought to restore passenger rail service across the Pacific Northwest.
“We commend Montana for taking this initial step in forming The Big Sky Passenger Rail Authority, and we hope other states take notice and jump on board,” said SRC Chairman Wiley Blankenship. “The successes of the Southern Rail Commission are not only due to the combined bipartisan support from our governors, Congressional leaders and other local officials and governmental agencies across our three states, but they also stem from our unique authority enacted by Congress unlocking access to federal funding for passenger rail projects.”
According to a Missoula County media release, the Montana authority is chartered to investigate, analyze, seek funding for and develop long-distance, intercity rail service to support the health, safety, welfare and economic prosperity of communities throughout Montana.
Momentum is building as other regions across the country, such as Denver to Albuquerque, West Virginia and Ohio, and areas across upper New York State, have also expressed interest in creating multi-state rail authorities. Forming these new independent authorities could create a strong passenger rail caucus in Washington, D.C., with numerous states united on passenger rail priorities and with the ability to secure federal funds and create impactful legislation.
In a recent interview with Missoula Current, Missoula County Commissioner Dave Strohmaier said Congress has an opportunity to create additional rail commissions as part of the reauthorization of the surface transportation bill.
“That could be a nice compliment to what we’re trying to do in state by way of the rail authority in terms of creating a cross-state collaboration that would really look at this as a regional collaboration,” Strohmaier said. “We think making our national system stronger is going to involve public investment at some point.”