Montana's Big Sky rail authority receives grant for rail-service planning

The Big Sky Passenger Rail Authority (BSPRA) in Montana recently was awarded a $150,000 grant through the Pacific Northwest Economic Region's Regional Infrastructure Accelerator (PNWER-RIA) to advance "high-performance" rail across the region.

The award is the largest planning grant received by BSPRA to date, authority officials said in a press release.

"These funds will further our work both in southern Montana and also along the [Amtrak] Empire Builder route, to the benefit of both freight and passenger operations," said BSPRA Chairman Dave Strohmaier.

The authority will use the funding to work with the PNWER-RIA on the following projects:

• researching the feasibility and economic case for renewing Amtrak small parcel delivery service as an economic driver for rural and tribal communities along the Great Northern (Empire Builder) and North Coast Hiawatha (southern Montana) corridors;

• analyzing track along the Amtrak Empire Builder corridor to identify small-to-medium track improvement projects that, if bundled, would co-benefit freight- and passenger-rail service. Grade separation projects and opportunities for transit-oriented development near passenger-rail stations are major areas of focus; and

• analyzing track from Sandpoint, Idaho, to Glendive, Montana, along a proposed Amtrak North Coast Hiawatha route to identify small-to-medium track improvement projects for enhanced freight- and passenger-rail service and identify funding opportunities that promote safety and/or economic development opportunities for rural communities and tribal nations.

The authority's grant funding stems from a U.S. Department of Transportation Build America grant that the PNWER received to advance infrastructure development through the RIA, officials said.

"The RIA grant will continue to allow the PNWER Accelerator to leverage public and private talent and financial resources to fast-track key transportation projects in five states," said PNWER RIA Director Bruce Agnew.

The BSPRA is a subdivision of state government formed to re-establish passenger-rail service across southern Montana.