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your homegrown newspaper May 31, 2023
Vol. 19, No. 37
Veto
pg. 12
Championship pg. 14
FILE PHOTO
Passenger rail conversation comes to rural Montana By Taylor Davison / Valley Journal
Award pg. 17
RONAN — The Big Sky Passenger Rail Authority (BSPRA) held a series of six community engagement meetings throughout rural Montana last week, including one at the Ronan Boys and Girls Club. Community members gave their input on the possibility of the restoration of passenger rail service through southern Montana. Passenger rail service ended in the southern part of the state 43 years ago, part of the
ever-decreasing infrastructure and routes throughout the US. However, in 2020, community members from 12 Montana counties came together to form the regional passenger rail authority. Since then, eight additional counties have been added, making the BSPRA the largest transportation district in Montana. With a goal of restoring and/or modifying past long distance Amtrak routes through the state, the organization is seeking community input to figure out what would work
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best for Montanans of the 21st century. Their current project, funded by the Montana Healthcare Foundation to focus on how rail transportation can reduce health disparities in the state, will document what benefits communities could experience from passenger rail service with support from the Montana State University Extension. A report generated with the feedback of Montanans will be submitted to the Federal Railroad Administration in hopes that they
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