(United Press International circulated the following story on July 31.)
WHITE FISH, Mont. — Gov. Judy Martz vowed Thursday to go to bat for the Empire Builder, the cross-country Amtrak train provideing Montana with its only passenger rail service.
Martz chairs the Western Governors Association and said she would have her staff draw up a WGA resolution backing the preservation of the Empire Builder, which crosses eight states on its regular journey from Chicago to Seattle and Portland, Ore.
The Empire Builder has been in service for 75 years. It serves 110,000 passengers annually in Montana alone and contributes $13 million to the state’s economy.
The train could be discontinued or scaled back in the near future due to reductions in federal funding.