Big Sky Passenger Rail

10/15/2026

*Passenger rail doesn't stop at state lines. Neither should the conversations about its future.*

At the October 9 Rail Users Network - RUN online conference, state Representative Mari Leavitt (Washington), Representative Nancy Nathanson (Oregon) and Representative Denise Baum (Montana) joined a legislative panel moderated by Kim Whittemore of the Big Sky Passenger Rail Authority.

The discussion brought together perspectives on state rail priorities, legislative collaboration, the challenges of expanding service, and opportunities to connect communities across the Greater Northwest.

For BSPRA, the conversation reinforced something central to our work: advancing passenger rail requires sustained cooperation among states, legislators, transportation agencies and communities.

Thank you to Representatives Leavitt, Nathanson and Baum, and to the Rail Users' Network for making this important conversation possible. We'll share the panel recording and additional materials when available.

FYI and thanks All Aboard Washington Aorta - Association of Oregon Rail and Transit Advocates BNSF Railway Amtrak PNWER Regional Infrastructure Accelerator WSDOT Oregon Department of Transportation Montana Department of Transportation

10/13/2026

Advancing passenger rail across state lines.

Tomorrow, October 14, Dan Bucks of the Big Sky Passenger Rail Authority and Gary Wirt, Vice President of All Aboard Washington, will present jointly to the Washington State Transportation Commission in Yakima.

Their presentation, “Regional Passenger Rail Expansion,” will explore regional rail planning, potential future passenger rail routes, economic and community benefits, and the steps needed to make expanded passenger rail service a reality.

For BSPRA, this is another opportunity to highlight the importance of multistate cooperation and the potential of the Big Sky North Coast Corridor to reconnect communities across the northern United States.

The meeting is open to the public, in person or virtually. Be sure to register.

Wednesday, October 14 | 2:30 p.m. Pacific
Meeting agenda and Zoom registration:

https://wstc.wa.gov/agendas/2026/09/16/meeting-agenda-october-14-15-2026/

Greater Yakima Chamber of Commerce City of Yakima Washington State Department of Transportation HQ Montana Department of Transportation Western Governors' Association

10/09/2026

Passenger rail, trails and local transportation connections all have a role to play in connecting Montana communities.

BSPRA's Jacqueline Lavelle is at the Montana League of Cities and Towns conference, sharing information about the Big Sky North Coast Corridor alongside Rails to Trails Conservancy.

For communities large and small, the conversation goes beyond restoring passenger rail service. It's also about how people get to and from stations, connect with downtown businesses, access recreation and travel between communities.

Thanks to Jacque for bringing these conversations to local leaders from across Montana!

10/07/2026

Videos, presentations and other resources from the 2026 Greater Northwest Rail Summit are now available in one place on the Big Sky Passenger Rail Authority website.

If you couldn't join us in Helena, or want to revisit a session, you can watch recordings and keynotes, view presentations from all three days, review the session and speaker guide, and catch up on news coverage from the Summit.

Explore the 2026 Greater Northwest Rail Summit: https://bigskyrailmt.gov/2026-gnwrs-bspra-annual-meeting

Thank you to our speakers, sponsors, partners, everyone who joined us in Helena and online, and our co-host, the PNWER Regional Infrastructure Accelerator

We'll be sharing more of the conversations, ideas and takeaways from Helena in the weeks ahead.

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10/01/2026

Thank you to the Silver State Post & Philipsburg Mail and reporter Luke Ulatowski for front-page coverage of our Sept. 17 community conversation at the Philipsburg Public Library.

The story lays out where things stand for Granite County as the Big Sky North Coast Corridor heads into its next phase of FRA Corridor ID planning, an 18-month to two-year process:

- Station locations aren't set. Whether Drummond gets a stop will be decided during planning, so local participation matters.
- Our design objective is twice-daily service, with two trains each direction every day.
- We're upgrading existing freight track, not building a new railroad.
- Now is the time to think about connections from a station to Philipsburg, Discovery Ski Area and beyond.

As Chair Dave Strohmaier put it: "That's why having a seat at the table is so important."

Thanks to everyone who came out, and to Granite County Director Charlene Bucha for co-presenting.

📰 Read the full story: bigskyrailmt.gov/news/silver-state-post-granite-county

Support local journalism and subscribe: [email protected] or 406-846-4152

09/28/2026

🚆 What could restored passenger rail mean for Missoula?

A new Montana Kaimin Newsroom story brings the question close to home. As BSPRA Chair Dave Strohmaier puts it, a University of Montana student could one day board a train at the north end of Higgins Avenue and head west to Seattle or east to Chicago. Missoula has been without that connection since passenger service ended in 1979.

The story covers the work underway since the Big Sky Passenger Rail Authority formed in 2020, and what students think about having a train option. Their reactions reflect something we hear often: people want more practical ways to travel between Montana communities and major destinations.

Missoula is one stop in a much larger picture. The proposed Big Sky North Coast Corridor would reconnect southern Montana and North Dakota with Seattle, Chicago and the wider Greater Northwest.

Thanks to Corbin Vanderby and the Montana Kaimin for the closer look.

The Big Sky Passenger Rail Authority is working to restore the North Coast Limited/Hiawatha route that once brought passenger trains from Chicago through Missoula and to Seattle.

09/26/2026

From Montana to Capitol Hill.

Big Sky Passenger Rail Authority Chair and Missoula County Commissioner Dave Strohmaier was in Washington, D.C. this week with America Forward and local leaders from across the country for an infrastructure delivery convening focused on what it takes to turn federal investment into real projects on the ground.

The group included five mayors, a county commissioner, former Washington State Secretary of Transportation Roger Millar, and AmericaFWD staff, with meetings on Capitol Hill centered on the challenges communities face in planning, funding and delivering transportation infrastructure.

That conversation matters to communities across the Greater Northwest. Restoring and expanding passenger rail depends not only on federal programs, but on making those programs workable for the local and regional partners expected to help deliver them.

We’re grateful to Dave for carrying that perspective to Washington and continuing to connect BSPRA’s work with the broader national infrastructure conversation.

09/22/2026

Moving people and goods across the Greater Northwest takes coordination.

That was the focus of the 2026 Greater Northwest Rail Summit in Helena, where freight and passenger rail, ports, shippers and producers, communities, state DOTs, Amtrak, and federal leaders came together to examine the region's rail network and the opportunities and challenges we share.

Passenger rail expansion. Freight and supply chains. Public-private partnerships. Workforce. First- and last-mile connections. Federal investment. These aren't separate conversations. That's why we bring them together.

Our partners at the PNWER Regional Infrastructure Accelerator have put together a strong look back at three days of conversations, from local communities to national transportation policy. We're grateful to PNWER RIA for helping convene the Summit and for capturing so much of what came out of Helena.

Read the recap below. More to come from Helena in the days ahead.

Since 2023, the PNWER Regional Infrastructure Accelerator has co-hosted an annual gathering of regional rail leaders as part of our High Performance Rail initiative. Bringing together railroads, ports, shippers and producers provides an incredible chance to advance the regional freight net

09/21/2026

Beginning September 30, Amtrak Cascades will become the first route in the nation to carry passengers aboard Amtrak’s new Airo trainsets, serving the corridor between Vancouver, B.C., Seattle, Portland and Eugene.

The new trains bring more than 300 seats per trainset, improved accessibility, larger windows, Wi-Fi, power at every seat and a completely refreshed passenger experience.

But this Washington State Standard story makes an important distinction: new trains do not, by themselves, mean more trains.

The Airo fleet will replace existing equipment. Adding frequencies, improving travel times and expanding service will still require the less-visible work of long-range planning, infrastructure investment, host-railroad coordination and sustained state and federal partnership.

That matters well beyond the Cascades corridor. Building a stronger passenger rail network across the Greater Northwest requires both: modern equipment and the planning and infrastructure necessary to put more useful service on the map.

Read Tom Banse’s story below.

All Aboard Washington Aorta - Association of Oregon Rail and Transit Advocates High Speed Rail Alliance Rail Passengers Association Pacific NorthWest Economic Region (PNWER) VIA Rail Canada WSDOT Oregon Department of Transportation

Amtrak’s sleek, amenity-packed new trains will debut on the Cascades intercity route in Washington and Oregon on Sept. 30.

09/19/2026

A big shout out to our business and organization partners who support our work and also sponsored the recently completed Greater Northwest Rail Summit and BSPRA Annual Conference in Helena! Northern Hotel, Billings Montana BNSF Railway NorthWestern Energy Montana's Yellowstone Country Western Montana's Glacier Country Southwest Montana Republic Services Clearwater Credit Union Intrepid Credit Union The Montana Club Xanterra Travel Collection Townsend Hardware