Today, as cold weather slows the Empire Builder through northern Montana both the Front Range and the Big Sky Passenger Rail Authorities are eagerly awaiting some of the $66 billion coming from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act or IIJA. Amtrak, Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway and Union Pacific are non-voting members of the Front Range Passenger Rail Authority.
According to the Washington state Department of Transportation, 47% of Amtrak Cascades trains arrived on time in 2022, with on-time performance rising to 56% in the first nine months of 2023. The passenger rail company blames illegal interference from freight trains for most of its passengers’ often-substantial delays. But in the United States, freight railroads are not only required to let passenger trains use their tracks, they’re required under federal law to give passenger trains priority when dispatchers have to juggle passenger and freight trains. In March and April 2023, freight traffic was delaying Amtrak Cascades trains enough to drop their on-time performance to 40%. Washington state officials told BNSF they needed to do better, and they got results, according to [WSDOT head Jason] Biggs. Performance rose to 64% on time by September. [Dude, where’s my train? Why freight makes Amtrak late]With help from Democratic Senator Jon Tester the Big Sky Rail Authority, twenty Montana counties and the Confederated Salish and Kootenai, Northern Cheyenne and Apsáalooke Nations are closer to bringing the former North Coast Hiawatha to life. The Authority hopes to restore passenger rail across southern Montana from North Dakota to Idaho and include some 47 stops in seven states.
“When I sat down with my Republican and Democratic colleagues to craft our Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, I fought tooth and nail to ensure that the American West would be fairly represented on the Amtrak Board, and throughout the entire bill,” Tester said in a statement. “I’m pleased to see that the Biden Administration will follow the law and set up an opportunity to do right for rural America by guaranteeing our Amtrak board represents our nation’s diverse geography.” [White House to withdraw Amtrak nominee to lift Senate blockade]My maternal grandfather was a veteran of the Great War then became a career brakeman and conductor for the Union Pacific Railroad. In 1921 he and Grandma Panky honeymooned in Hot Springs, South Dakota riding the train from Humphrey, Nebraska. I have at least one vague memory from my toddlerhood going over the Continental Divide in Colorado while riding the California Zephyr between Omaha and Emeryville, California not far from Castle Air Force Base where my dad was stationed and where I was born.
BNSF Railway is killing grizzlies in conflict with the Endangered Species Act.
Although I grew up in Elkton near Sioux Falls and spent nearly 30 years in the Black Hills and ten in Montana my current obsession is integrating the New Mexico Rail Runner with the Santa Fe Southern spur to Lamy into a route to Denver.
Long-distance trains are empty is an arrogant and inaccurate take.
— RAIL Magazine (@RAILMag) September 23, 2023
The Empire Builder averages 410 riders per trip. They have 348 seats to sell on the train (maybe less these days with the Superliner shortage). Yes, they can sell seats more than once, and they do. https://t.co/1UpcwiC7Hu pic.twitter.com/jkOR8oPsqV
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