railroad

Fresh off a successful run for reelection, Missoula County Commissioner Dave Strohmaier plans to pick up where his first term ended – moving the county forward and facing its challenges.

he Big Sky Passenger Rail Authority on Wednesday agreed to apply for a federal grant to make improvements to rail infrastructure along the Hi-Line to benefit the existing Empire Builder.

Six weeks ago, railroads, labor leaders and the White House celebrated a deal to avert a nationwide railroad strike. Now workers are saying "not so fast."

As the potential strike deadline approach, Montana Rail Link officials said a shutdown would have local impacts and limit its ability to interchange freight traffic to its Class 1 rail partners.

The coalition working to restore passenger rail service to southern Montana gained another member this month and in doing so, it secured a continuous block of counties stretching across the state.

With no immediate plans to run freight down the Bitterroot Branch line, Montana Rail Link and Missoula County still hope to remove several rail crossings until the day comes where they're needed again.