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Committee hears bill creating Big Sky Rail account to fund passenger‑rail planning; witnesses cite $2M statutory allocation, 8–10 year horizon
Summary
House Bill 848 would direct the first $2 million of Montana's rail‑car tax into a new Big Sky Rail account to support the Big Sky Passenger Rail Authority's planning and grant‑matching work. Witnesses described federal grants already won, estimated multi‑billion capital needs and said service could take 8–10 years to run if steps proceed on schedule.
Representative Denise Baum introduced House Bill 848 to establish the Big Sky Rail account, a statutory appropriation of the first $2,000,000 of Montana’s rail‑car tax, penalties and interest. The account would be used by the Montana Department of Transportation and the Big Sky Passenger Rail Authority to plan, design and match federal grants needed to restore passenger-rail service along what proponents call the Big Sky North Coast Corridor.
"HB 8 48 establishes statewide revenue fund, the Big Sky Rail account," Baum told the committee and described the bill as a way to reconnect rural communities cut off from long-distance passenger rail since 1979. Supporters included county commissioners, economic developers, chambers of commerce, labor unions and the Big Sky Passenger Rail Authority itself.
Dave Strohmeier…
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