A side note: When I rode it in September 1976, the EB used the NP west of Spokane, running via Yakima, and then the GN between Spokane and MSP. The NCH used the GN west of Spokane, and the NP to MSP.
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An expanded partnership between Amtrak and Jefferson Lines now takes passengers to and from the Amtrak Empire Builder
trains in Williston, N.D., by bus to eight communities in Montana.
Montana passengers at Sydney, Glendive, Miles City, Billings, Livingston, Bozeman, Butte and Missoula will meet trains at Williston and access the Amtrak network.
While it’s been more than four decades since passenger rail service stopped running on Montana’s southern route, Missoula County commissioners and a growing list of advocates believe it’s time to revisit the issue.
In the wake of climate change, struggling small towns and a general shift in how people move from point to point, proponents of passenger rail service see an economic opportunity in restoring the North Coast Hiawatha Route.
“I can’t think of an issue that has generated as much positive feedback as this particular one,” Missoula County Commissioner Dave Strohmaier told the Missoula Current. “There seems to be a fair amount of populist energy surrounding this. It’s partially attributable to folks recognizing that our transportation options are somewhat limited in Montana, but also people really value a vision that’s larger than what we’re accustomed to.”
The route would run from Chicago to Fargo and continue west through a number of Montana cities, including Miles City, Billings, Livingston, Bozeman, Helena, Missoula and Paradise. It would then arrive in Spokane, where passengers could choose between Portland and Seattle.
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