Tester introduces bill that looks to restore daily Amtrak service

U.S. Sen. Jon Tester has introduced a bill that would provide up to nearly $166 million in funding to bring back furloughed Amtrak employees and return long-distance service routes like the Empire Builder.

The bill would provide funding to Amtrak in the form of grants until September 2024. The bill says that service would need to be restored no later than 90 days after it passes.

Amtrak cut service to three days per week for most of its long distance routes in October following a drop in ridership due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Long-distance Amtrak service creates good paying jobs on the Hi-Line, generates revenue for Montana’s frontier communities, and keeps folks connected with family and friends across the country,” Tester said in a release. “These cuts were an unacceptable attack on rural America, and my legislation will right that wrong by reinstating Montana’s furloughed Amtrak employees and restoring full long-distance service to the Empire Builder. Our state has been hit hard by the pandemic, and my bill will help put our economy back on track and get Montanans back to work.”

Whitefish is the busiest stop along the Empire Builder. In 2019, there were about 55,600 passengers who passed through the Whitefish Depot.

Amtrak last year reduced service on the Empire Builder from seven days to three days per week. The route includes 12 stations along the Montana Hi-Line serving about 121,430 passengers in the state in 2019.

Amtrak operates 15 long-distance routes in 47 states across the country.

In the most recent COVID relief package, $1 billion was designated to Amtrak with $345 million reserved for long-distance routes including the Empire Builder.

Amtrak recently asked Congress for $1.5 billion in funding to help routes like the Empire Builder return to full service. Officials say the funding would restore service to pre-COVID levels.

Kevin Gartland, executive director of the Whitefish Chamber of Commerce, recently pointed out that the train has regularly funneled visitors to Whitefish from places like Portland and Seattle, and returning service is an important part of the economy here, and in the past was a great option for weekend travel.

“We’d certainly like to see it back up to seven days a week so people can depend on it,” he said.