(The Associated Press circulated the following on November 25.)
BISMARCK, N.D. — Transportation officials say a study, to be completed next year, may help determine if cities along Interstate 90 in Montana will again have railroad passenger service.
A bill signed by President Bush last month requires Amtrak to look into reinstating the North Coast Hiawatha route. It paralleled Interstate Highways 90 and 94 through Billings, Bozeman, Butte and Missoula. It was discontinued in 1979 because of federal budget cuts.
The Montana Department of Transportation is doing its own study on the possibility of reinstating a southern route.
The Seattle-bound Amtrak Empire Builder runs from Chicago through Minneapolis and along the Montana Hi-Line, with one train traveling in each direction daily.