Federal bill could help Montana passenger rail move forward

The vision for passenger rail through southern Montana is moving forward as the Big Sky Passenger Rail Authority pushes for federal support in completing a detailed plan for the new transit service.

The rail authority, chaired by Missoula County Commissioner Dave Strohmaier, is partnering with Sen. Tim Sheehy on a bill to remove local funding — and financial burden — required to get the project shovel-ready.

"This particular process is arguably the most expansive community development project in a generation in this region of the country, if not the United States," Strohmaier said during an update to Missoula County officials on Tuesday.

The Big Sky Passenger Rail Authority is made up of 20 member counties, three tribal nations and several cities on the proposed 2,300-mile route between Chicago and Seattle, called the Big Sky North Corridor.

The new route would sit on existing track and cross through cities like Fargo, North Dakota, Billings, Helena, Missoula and Sandpoint, Idaho, although different route alternatives are still in development.

Planning has been ongoing since the Federal Railroad Administration in 2025 designated the route as the only long-distance passenger line in the U.S. planned for reintroduction.

The authority is working through the federal corridor ID process, a three-step process that creates a service development plan with all the details and infrastructure needs required to restart the rail line, which will sit on existing tracks currently used by freight trains.

The first step of the process could be completed by this summer, Strohmaier said, with the remaining two steps taking an approximate three to four years before a project is shovel ready.

The Missoulian previously reported in 2025 that the project could be ready for construction in 2028. Strohmaier clarified on Wednesday the restructure of leadership in the new Trump administration's Federal Railroad Administration temporarily slowed the process, which pushed the proposal back approximately one year.

A larger barrier to completing that work is the federal government's local funding match requirement. Of the $11 million required to complete step two of the process, the rail authority must provide $1.1 million, Strohmaier said.

In 2025, the Montana Legislature considered funding $2 million annually for the rail authority, but the measure failed in the last days of the session.

Strohmaier said there is now an effort to remove the local match requirement through Congress. Sen. Sheehy, a Republican, and Oregon Sen. Jeff Merkley, a Democrat, have proposed a bill that would do so.

"This is huge because the second and third steps of the corridor ID program require a certain percentage of nonfederal match, which is a high hurdle to cross when we are talking eight states from Chicago to the Pacific Northwest," Strohmaier said.

The bill would only impact long-distance routes of more than 700 miles. In a press release earlier in March, Sheehy said railroads are critical to connecting communities and growing economies across Montana.

"I’m proud to introduce the Long-Distance Corridor Relief Enhancement Act to provide the certainty and stability needed to spark a renaissance in passenger rail," Sheehy said in the statement. "Working alongside partners like the Big Sky Passenger Rail Authority, we will continue to prioritize community input and deliver commonsense results."

Dan Bucks, a senior policy advisor for the rail authority, said at Tuesday's meeting the passenger rail line could pass through the heart of several health care services in the Midwest.

"That is a huge, huge addition to the route," Bucks said, "in the sense that a large number of people in the region, from Chicago on up into Montana, are often referred to medical treatment to the Mayo Clinic."

Bucks said if all proposed sections of the route were to come to fruition, the passenger rail would serve 21 metro areas, hundreds of smaller towns and dozens of tribal nations.

Bucks is also set to become the chairperson of the rail authority's forthcoming new foundation, he said at the meeting, which will act as an independent funding arm to financially boost the project. Bucks said a formal announcement and details on the foundation will be shared at a later date.

The rail authority continues to be successful with securing federal grants. Two grants worth $600,000 and $15 million will be used to develop a workforce training service and improve tracks around Malta, Montana, respectively.

The Missoulian previously reported the grants were on hold at the beginning of the second Trump administration, but Strohmaier said Tuesday both have since been obligated.

More grants have been submitted by the rail authority, mainly for improving the existing Empire Builder long-distance route along the High-Line in an effort to streamline the larger regional rail system.

If the southern passenger route through Missoula is approved, both rail lines would share track west of Sandpoint, Idaho and east of Fargo, North Dakota.

Strohmaier remained confident the project can bring back passenger rail in the near future in Montana, although said delays are inevitable with the large scope of work.

"I am quick to remind folks none of this is as quick as we'd like, but we are talking about the longest corridor in the country," Strohmaier said in a phone call. "It's not going to happen overnight."

Strohmaier said people interested in sharing their opinion on passenger rail should take a state legislature survey on how to improve public transit, which is open until noon on April 12. The survey can be found at surveymonkey.com/r/VSYDGX6.