Commuter rail service discussion in Missoula

History may repeat itself if alternative transportation proponents succeed in creating a light-rail commuter service between Missoula and Hamilton.

Various officials met in Missoula on Thursday to discuss the feasibility of revamping rail service between the two western Montana towns, similar to the service that ended in 1927.

Proponents said with high gas prices, air quality in jeopardy for both Missoula and Ravalli counties and a large number of commuters in both counties, a commuter rail service seems to be a viable choice for the future, especially considering the Montana Department of Transportation is in the process of planning for the U.S. 93 corridor, a 20 year project.

The development of a rail service is not something new to the Bitterroot, historical research associate Dave Strohmaier illustrated in a presentation on Thursday. In 1887 the Missoula and Bitterroot Valley Railroad Company incorporated, and in 1888 the company introduced a commuter rail service between Missoula and Hamilton. In 1905 the rail reached Darby, linking rail service from one end of the valley to the other. The passenger rail service was discontinued in 1927.

by ANTHONY QUIRINI – Ravalli Republic

Full Story: http://www.ravallirepublic.com/articles/2006/06/16/news/news03.txt

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Light rail options discussed at forum

By ROBERT STRUCKMAN of the Missoulian

More and smaller cities are taking passenger rail service from a pie-in-the-sky dream to reality, San Francisco rail proponent Lewis Ames told a forum Thursday on the feasibility of local rail transit in the Missoula and Bitterroot valleys.

Missoula can, too, he said.

“There’s nothing magical about it. The makings are in this room,” Ames said in a speech that was both a prediction of – and blueprint for – a commuter railway centered in Missoula.
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Local supporters have been building interest in a small-scale commuter rail system between Missoula and Hamilton for months. However, critics say the enormous costs of passenger rail outweigh the benefits, and the Missoula area might be better served by other transportation options such as improving the bus system.

Full Story: http://missoulian.com/articles/2006/06/16/news/local/news04.txt