Amtrak Resumes Service In Area
By Bill Vander Weele
After a national railroad strike was avoided earlier this month, Amtrak’s Empire Builder will continue rolling through Wolf Point and the rest of Montana.
Rail unions reached an agreement with railroad companies, the White House announced early on Thursday, Sept. 15. The potential strike threatened to cost the economy an estimated $2 billion a day.
In preparation for a possible strike, Amtrak temporarily canceled all of its long-distance trains starting last Thursday. Amtrak was able to resume normal service Friday.
Activity from the Wolf Point Amtrak station has steadily increased throughout the first six months of 2022.
Amtrak reports there were 357 total riders at the Wolf Point station with 172 riders coming off and 185 riders going on during June.
Other strong months during the first half of the year were March with 235 riders and May with 249 riders.
The amount of total rides for January through June in Wolf Point was 1,274.
July and August were busy months featuring several sold-out days, but official numbers won’t be available until after the end of the calendar year. Wolf Point had 2,434 total riders in 2021. Totals for other Montana cities included Glasgow at 2,192, Malta at 2,598, Havre at 5,158 and Whitefish at 30,060. North Dakota totals included Williston at 11,529, Minot at 11,591 and Stanley at 1,739.
