Big Sky Passenger Rail Authority details federal wins, route planning and near-term funding needs

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 completing an 18–24 month service-development planning phase (step two of the corridor ID program) and lining up the non‑federal match needed for that work.

Planning and costs: Strowmire estimated the service-development planning exercise at about $11 million and said the program currently requires a 10% non‑federal match (roughly $1.1 million). He said congressional relief from that match requirement would remove this immediate funding hurdle; the authority is backing legislation (referred to in the briefing as S.3728) introduced by Sen. Tim Sheehy that would eliminate the non‑federal match for long‑distance corridors in the corridor identification program.

Grants and infrastructure work: the presentation listed several wins and applications. Officials said the authority partnered with Amtrak on a $15 million federal grant to address a congestion point near Malta; that grant has been obligated and officials anticipated a summer groundbreaking. The authority also applied to the National Railroad Partnership Program for roughly $41 million to add about six miles of double tracking near a major maintenance and inspection facility (referred to in the briefing as "Hav").

Workforce and partnerships: Strowmire said the authority teamed with the Western Transportation Institute at Montana State University and won a consolidated rail infrastructure and safety-related grant presented as roughly $6.4 million, with about $630,000 in partner/local support earmarked for workforce training. He described plans to work with tribal colleges, flagship universities and community colleges to build a rail workforce pipeline.

Community engagement and service goals: the authority completed a statewide public-engagement series (from Wolf Point to Libby) and released a final report highlighting practical needs — first/last-mile connections, crossing and substation upgrades and station siting considerations. Dan Bucks, the authority’s senior policy adviser, said the corridor could serve millions across eight states. Officials set service goals that include twice-daily trains in each direction, weather-resilient operations and continuous Wi‑Fi, and stressed a focus on on‑time performance.

Nonprofit affiliate and next steps: the presenters previewed the Big Sky Rail Foundation, a nonprofit affiliate with tax-exempt status formed to pursue philanthropic support and commission studies (economic, health-care impact) beyond the authority’s statutory planning role. Strowmire said the authority will focus this year on federal advocacy for match relief, station analysis and the next planning steps that could position parts of the corridor for engineering and NEPA work in the next authorization period.

The meeting adjourned for one participant’s call while other attendees continued informal discussion; no formal county action on rail planning or funding was recorded in the transcript.