Big Sky Passenger Rail

10/30/2026

Jamestown, ND 🦬🚆

Last week we sat down with Jamestown’s mayor, city council, chamber, tourism, development, and public works leaders to discuss what a future passenger rail stop could mean for the community.

Jamestown’s Northern Pacific depot opened in 1917. The tracks are still busy. The conversation now is what comes next.

Our Corridor ID Step 1 package is in with the Federal Railroad Administration, and we’re waiting on the green light for Step 2. The goal is two trains each way daily, with daylight stops spread across the corridor.

Thank you, Jamestown. And yes, we visited Dakota Thunder, the World’s Largest Buffalo.

📰 Jamestown Sun subscribers can read the full story: https://www.jamestownsun.com/news/local/big-sky-passenger-rail-authority-completes-first-phase-of-corridor-id-for-big-sky-north-coast-corridor

FYI City of Jamestown - Government Jamestown ND The Jamestown Sun Jamestown Area Chamber of Commerce Travel North Dakota North Dakota Department of Transportation; University-of Jamestown Valley City State University

10/28/2026

🚆 A SEAT AT THE TABLE FOR RURAL PASSENGER RAIL

The state rail officials who shape passenger rail decisions met in New Orleans last week, and the Big Sky North Coast Corridor was in the room.

BSPRA Chair Dave Strohmaier attended the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) Council on Rail Transportation annual meeting, October 19 to 22, and spoke with Rusty Roberts, Senior Policy Advisor at the Federal Railroad Administration, about the corridor’s progress in FRA’s Corridor ID program.

That matters for us. Restoring service across southern Montana and the Northern Plains will take coordination among states, federal agencies, host railroads, and the communities along our 2,300-mile corridor. Those relationships get built in rooms like this one.

Thanks, Dave, for carrying the rural rail message to New Orleans.

10/22/2026

A point of agreement in Montana's congressional debate: passenger rail.

During their October 13 debate, Republican Aaron Flint and Democrat Sam Forstag both expressed support for restoring passenger rail service across southern Montana.

Responding to a question about passenger rail between Glendive and Missoula, Flint spoke about his experiences riding Amtrak's Empire Builder and emphasized the importance of protecting existing service along the Hi-Line while pursuing a southern route.

Forstag also expressed support, describing the proposed service as the kind of major infrastructure project the federal government can help advance.

The Big Sky North Coast Corridor is currently advancing through the Federal Railroad Administration's Corridor Identification and Development Program, with planning underway for a route connecting Chicago and the Pacific Northwest through southern Montana.

Read the Daily Montanan's coverage:
https://dailymontanan.com/2026/10/14/flint-forstag-trade-barbs-during-debate-for-montanas-open-congressional-seat/

Republican Aaron Flint and Democrat Sam Forstag are vying to replace U.S. Rep. Ryan Zinke, a Republican, representing the western part of Montana

10/20/2026

Passenger rail is about more than transportation. It's about reconnecting America.

Speaking to the Washington State Transportation Commission, BSPRA Senior Policy Advisor Dan Bucks described the Big Sky North Coast Corridor's potential to revitalize rural and Tribal communities, expand access to essential services, and bring people together.

“Passenger rail is a form of transportation that promotes, that supports human connections and human understanding. And my goodness, we really need that in this country.”

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

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