The Federal Railroad Association (FRA) announced in late February that it was evaluating the possibility of restoring the North Coast Hiawatha route, among 15 proposed passenger train services. The catch: It wouldn’t run through Jefferson County, as once envisioned.
Instead of running through Butte, the proposed route, which was discontinued by Amtrak in 1979 due to inadequate funding, would run from Missoula to Helena, then southeast through Broadwater County to Bozeman and eastward into North Dakota.
Jason Stuart, vice-chairman of the Big Sky Passenger Rail Authority, a multi-county consortium that has been working to return the North Coast Hiawatha route to service, said the Railroad Association decided on the route change because of the anticipated costs of repairs that would have been needed on track between Butte and Bozeman. Stuart said he would like Butte involved in the future route.
The route change would also exclude stations located in southern Jefferson County, including Whitehall and Cardwell. Whitehall Mayor Mary Janacaro-Hensleigh said that the town was prepared for the decision. “The first route is on track,” said Janacaro-Hensleigh. “It was always going to be on existing tracks. We are hoping that future phases will include a route through Butte.”
The passenger rail plan still remains in the planning stages, as costs are evaluated. An Amtrak study mandated in the Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act, passed by the U.S. Congress in 2023, showed a high ridership projection for the North Coast Hiawatha route. Amtrak projects an annual ridership rate of about 350,000 passengers, with a “farebox recovery ratio” — the percentage of expenses estimated to be covered by passenger fares — of 58%, which is a relatively high figure.
Nevertheless, the study also predicted that even with that many rail passengers, the company operating the rail line would still suffer about $39 million in losses each year, requiring subsidies to make it viable. At this point, none of the states involved in the proposed route have offered any assistance for the plan, nor have the Congressional delegations managed to come together to seek federal funds.
