“I think without exception, everyone in the room (was) enthusiastically trying to pursue this,” said Missoula City Councilman Dave Strohmaier, of Ward 1, after the meeting earlier this week.
Several economic development folks and rail advocates from Missoula attended this week's meeting, including the director of the Missoula Area Economic Development Corp. and Montana Association of Railroad Passengers president Michael Ackley.
Strohmaier said the immediate goal is to get lawmakers to appropriate money this session for a feasibility study. And he said the U.S. Senate soon takes up an Amtrak reauthorization bill, “which will be critical in providing matching funds for new Amtrak lines.”
The idea is an opportunity for good transportation and economic development for Missoulians, Strohmaier said. The lines run from Missoula to Helena to Bozeman to Livingston to Billings, and railroad association president Ackley said there are plenty of people - including a lot of senior citizens - who would hop aboard.
“Basically, everyone was enthusiastic about this effort, from the lieutenant governor (John Bohlinger) on down,” Strohmaier wrote in an e-mail.
And that might be because nobody is keen on the cost of filling up a tank of gas.
“It seems like the time is ripe to revisit this,” Strohmaier said.
Reporter Keila Szpaller can be reached at 523-5262 or at Keila.Szpaller@missoulian.com
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