Big Sky Passenger Rail Authority

Established during the height of the pandemic in November 2020, the Big Sky Passenger Rail Authority (BSPRA) became the first regional passenger rail authority in Montana and was entirely the result of county governments coming together around the shared vision of restoring the North Coast Hiawatha, which was discontinued by Amtrak in 1979. In the past year and a half, they’ve arguably accomplished more toward this goal than in the previous 42 years combined. BSPRA Chairman Dave Strohmaier, who also serves on the Missoula Board of County Commissioners, will discuss the formation of the Authority and next steps to bring back passenger rail service to Bozeman and the entire southern tier of Montana.