Missoula can, too, he said.
“There's nothing magical about it. The makings are in this room,” Ames said in a speech that was both a prediction of - and blueprint for - a commuter railway centered in Missoula.
About 130 people attended the daylong forum Thursday. Some participants were just curious or were intrigued by the idea. Others had more at stake. There was a representative from Montana Rail Link, the Washington Corp.-owned company that owns the Bitterroot Branch Line - the rails on which the proposed train would run.
Others attended from the Montana Department of Transportation, as well as the transportation offices of Missoula and Ravalli counties. Both Sens. Max Baucus, D-Mont., and Conrad Burns, R-Mont., had field representatives in the crowd.
The speeches built toward a common theme: Too many cars is unhealthy, and trains provide a practical and safe alternative.
Mounting evidence of the environmental problems caused by automobiles, more federal startup funding and an increasingly agile private sector have all made small-scale rail easier, cheaper and more attractive for cities and towns across the continent, said Ames and G.B. Arrington, a Portland, Ore.-based consultant with international engineering firm Parsons Brinckerhoff. Arrington specializes in linking transportation and land use.
The audience balked only when Ames suggested a sales tax as a dedicated source of local funding for a railway.
But murmurs of appreciation passed through the room when presenters like University of Montana chemistry professor Garon Smith discussed research on air pollutants.
A few of his slides put the auto impact in stark relief.
Vehicles are by far the biggest source of particulate and chemical pollutants in Missoula's air. Wood stoves are a second contributor, while industry is a distant third. Autos are also a huge source of water pollution, according to studies conducted over the last 15 years in the Missoula area.
“We really do have some health impacts to think about,” Smith said.
Chris Behan of the Missoula Redevelopment Agency talked about how plans to revitalize the Bitterroot Branch Line corridor - starting at Allegiance Field at Ogren Park (formerly Play Ball Park) and continuing south and west to Southgate Mall and beyond - could jibe with a commuter rail route.
The presentations had a certain momentum that resonated with attendees.
“I like the energy,” said Janet Whaley, a retired nurse and artist.
Whaley also likes the idea of local rail service. She uses it when possible on visits to other cities. She wants Missoula to address air and water quality issues in a progressive way.
According to Ames, the excitement among some of the participants was the crucial first step toward achieving a rail reality.
The excitement builds into components as simple as a regional agency, a 10-year plan and a name. One idea Ames liked was the Bitterroot Lynx.
“The name lives for years and years before the project begins,” Ames said.
The rail doesn't have to extend all the way to Hamilton right away, Ames said. Actually, it's better to start small. He suggested two short connections with a total of about 16 miles of service. One line would go from downtown to Lolo. The other would go from downtown to Missoula International Airport.
A public-private partnership is crucial, Ames said. Luckily, Missoula is home to MRL, one of the most successful rail companies in America.
When the Missoula and Bitterroot valleys have compiled the political will and a good regional transportation plan that includes commuter rail service, the state's senators will come aboard, Ames said.
“You will present the region's plan in Washington. The funders will listen and appreciate that it has ties with air quality and water quality and pulls in the railroad and redevelopment,” Ames said.
After the forum, Ames said it's important for rail proponents not to backpedal about the plausibility and the what-ifs, but to focus on moving through the process. Ames works for the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency. He's on a mission, he said, to bring rail out of hibernation and into common usage in the United States.
Arrington said rail service can be a central tool to maintain the high quality of life in Missoula and its surrounding valleys. Rail can promote dense and walkable neighborhoods and help preserve open space.
“It's a lot of information,” said Andy Sponseller, a local vintner and one of the organizers of Thursday's event. “It's a great opportunity. It's really a call for us all to pull together.”
Reporter Robert Struckman can be reached at 523-5262 or at rstruckman@missoulian.com
What's next?
Continued discussion of passenger rail service between Missoula and the Bitterroot Valley is planned at City Club Missoula on Friday at 11:30 a.m. in the Governor's Room, Florence Building, 111 N. Higgins Ave.
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