HAVRE, Mont. (NMB) – With President Joe Biden having signed the $1.9 trillion stimulus bill into law on Thursday, Amtrak has officially announced that daily service for the Empire Builder will be restored.
Amtrak is receiving $1.7 billion as part of the bill, and says daily service will resume on May 24th, earlier than the 90 day target included in U.S. Senator Jon Tester’s provision of the bill. In addition, recently furloughed employees will be brought back.
Barry Green, Rail Passenger Association Representative for Montana, was worried the cuts that were implemented back in October would become permanent.
“We are glad. I know it took a lot of work up on Congressional Hill there. Phone calls, interacting with out Senators and Representatives. They’ve got the money. I guess that’s the bottom line. They’ve got the money now committed to them. They’ll be able to move forward in a way of operating because they know they have the funding in hand. That’s what was kind of up in the air.
Amtrak has already updated their schedule on their website and app to reflect the restoration of daily service.
All long-distance Amtrak routes have been running on a tri-weekly basis since October, after the federal government did not provide the emergency funding Amtrak requested.
The Empire Builder line runs from Chicago to Seattle and Portland and features 12 stops in northern Montana, including in Havre.
