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Big Sky Passenger Rail Authority details federal wins, route planning and near-term funding needs
Summary
The Big Sky Passenger Rail Authority told Missoula County commissioners it has secured federal project-development status, won targeted grants (including a $15 million Malta award), advanced workforce training funds and needs roughly $1.1 million in local match for an $11 million service-development planning phase if congressional match relief does not materialize.
Dave Strowmire, a Missoula County commissioner and presenter, gave the commission a broad update on the Big Sky Passenger Rail Authority’s progress and plans, saying the authority has moved from advocacy to being the state’s default rail planning agency.
Strowmire said the Federal Railroad Administration recognized the southern Montana route as one of 15 preferred national routes and admitted the project to the FRA’s corridor identification and development program, a federal pipeline that advances routes from concept into design and implementation. “We began with 12 counties in November of 2020 and we now have 20 member counties of the rail authority,” Strowmire said, noting Missoula County’s early role.
Why it matters: officials said federal recognition and inclusion in the corridor program unlocks access to project-development funding and a clearer path toward engineering and environmental review. The authority’s near-term priorities are…
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