Montana lawmakers ask in new survey where transit is missing and who needs it

Montana — A new statewide survey asked Montanans to share where public transportation is falling short and whether passenger rail should return to southern Montana.

The survey was part of an interim legislative study on mobility across Montana. It asked people how they travel now, where service is missing and what could help connect them to health care, jobs, education and other communities.

Rep. Denise Baum of the Montana House said the state still had passenger rail service along one route.

“We currently have passenger rail. We have the Empire Builder line along the High Line and that is a very critical element of our transportation infrastructure also for giving people access, you know rural to larger communities. When we lost service to the southern route in 1979, it lost that connectivity through the most populous the largest population centers in our state. And I think that really further isolated some of the rural communities and took away access to health care, education, jobs, things of that nature,” Baum said.

Baum explained the survey was meant to gather wide-ranging feedback on buses, taxis, rideshare and rail. She said the focus was especially on areas where transportation choices were limited or hard to reach.

The survey takes about 10 to 15 minutes to complete. It is available online TIC Public Transportation Survey 2026 , and it closes at noon on April 10, 2026.