Local Officials Keep Eye On Empire Builder Funding
Roosevelt County Commissioner Gordon Oelkers attended the Big Sky Rail Conference to urge continued support for the Empire Builder in Montana.
Although people at the conference said the proposal to add the Amtrak North Coast Hiawatha will not effect the current Empire Building route to northern Montana, Oelkers is still concerned about potential funding challenges. He noted the people making the statements aren’t legislators who will decide on Amtrak’s routes in the future.
U.S. Sen. Tim Sheehy, R-Montana, spoke in support of both routes during the conference.
Oelkers said the track in southern Montana needs to undergo billions of dollars for track repairs if the proposed route occurs.
Currently, appropriations for Amtrak is quite different between the U.S. House’s and U.S. Senate’s proposals.
The Senate bill features $100.2 billion in overall discretionary funding, which is an increase over the fiscal year 2025 level. The Senate’s version preserves most funding from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. It provides $2.9 billion in Amtrak funding, which fully meets Amtrak’s funding request.
The House bill includes $89.9 billion for overall discretionary funding, which is a reduction of $4.5 billion or 5 percent below the fiscal year 2025 level. The proposal redirects $4.4 billion in Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act funds toward other priorities. The House’s bill also zeros out new funding for Amtrak.
