quote: Proponents of re-establishing a passenger rail line from Billings to Missoula and beyond have moved a step closer to their goal, but questions remain over who would pay for the service.
Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., successfully passed through the U.S. Senate a measure requiring Amtrak to study possible reinstatement of the old North Coast Hiawatha Route. Amtrak abandoned the line in 1979 in a cost-cutting move.
The U.S. House has not yet written its version of the bill. Even if the measure were passed this year and the study completed, the rail line's advocates would still need to secure government funding.
Jim Green, President of the Montana Association of Railroad Passengers isnt optimistic about it though and his response speaks volumes..
quote: “It's not going to have any real effect, because we don't have any money, and that's the bottom line,” Green said.
posted
Before getting too excited, the key word in the above is "STUDY possible reinstatement." Congresscritters love to call for "Studies." This way they look like they are doing something about some of the things "their people" are interested in, throw some business to one of their favorite "beltway bandits" and get their constituents off their backs until sometime after they next come up for re-election. These things are frequently done with no intention whatsoever of ever going any further. When done, you have something that you can refer to, discuss, analyze, and generally treat as if it is something real without having done anything real except spend some money. The congresscritter can even fund studies on both sides of an issue and so long as no money has been spent on actual work, they have made everybody happy and nobody mad at them. If well funded, the Appendices can have some interesting and possibly useful information on the area and the railroads that would be involved, but other than that sort of stuff, these things usually turn out to be much sound and fury signifying nothing.
Posts: 2808 | From: Olive Branch MS | Registered: Nov 2002
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Oh, Boy, some Beltway Bandit is going to get hundreds of thousands of dollars for a study. Woo-hoo!!!
When I see language in the appropriation mandating SERVICE, then I'll believe it.
-------------------- The City of Saint Louis (UP, 1967) is still my standard for passenger operations Posts: 1404 | Registered: Oct 2001
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See the current Railfan and Railroad for a description of present-day traffic levels on what BNSF calls its "northern coal route". It would be tough to run a passenger train on any reasonable schedule in among all those coal trains (at least east of Huntley, MT). West of Huntley MRL is not *too* busy, but then between Sandpoint and Spokane you have to deal with "the funnel". Of course both the northern coal route and the funnel are outside Montana, but then the train would have to start and end somewhere...
Posts: 614 | From: Merchantville, NJ. USA | Registered: Aug 2000
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Forgive me if I choose not to climb aboard the Pessimist Bandwagon. The mere fact that people are even talking about adding two long distance routes (this and the Pioneer) to Amtrak's system is encouraging. A few years ago such was considered not just impossible, but even unmentionable. To me it is a sign that minds are opening up. It is marginal progress to be sure, but progress nevertheless.
Posts: 2649 | From: California's Monterey Peninsula | Registered: Dec 2000
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quote: Jim Green, President of the Montana Association of Railroad Passengers isn't optimistic about it though and his response speaks volumes..“It's not going to have any real effect, because we don't have any money, and that's the bottom line,” Green said.
Obama has $210 billion for infrastructure. "Obama offers $210 billion economic plan"
"Neera Tanden, Hillary Rodham Clinton’s policy director, said Obama was offering ideas Clinton proposed months ago."
Id.
Someone should tell Mr. Green to ask Obama and Hillary for some help. I think both would be glad to help him out.
Posts: 82 | Registered: Jul 2007
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I think, if this route were to offer a second frequency of service between the western ND border (say, Williston, ND - Chicago) and also from Sandpoint, ID, west, I think it would serve to generate more revenue passenger miles. I think it is important to have more than one departure each way per day in order to find the true potential for these routes.
I also second what George Harris wrote above. Studies are nothing but talk until someone cuts the checks to implement service.
-------------------- "Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one corner of the Earth all one's life." Posts: 506 | From: Wisconsin | Registered: Mar 2002
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