On its way from Chicago to Seattle to Portland and back, the Empire Builder serves a dozen communities in northern Montana, including Wolf Point, Glasgow, Malta, Havre, Shelby, Cut Bank, Browning, East Glacier Park, Essex, West Glacier, Whitefish and Libby. In February, Tester's office said the bill would affect 1,250 furloughed employees nationwide. During a Senate hearing in October, though, Daines said daily service on the Empire Builder is "essential to providing Montanans access to health care" and "critical to our local economy" by accommodating tourism.Īmtrak furloughed roughly 2,000 employees last fall but the number of employees unable to work fluctuated. Matt Rosendale, both Republicans, voted against the Amtrak measure as it was wrapped up in the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan, which included pandemic relief as well as other spending measures. "Today is a great day for thousands who live and work on the Hi-Line." "Montanans from Wolf Point to Libby rely on the Empire Builder to visit family and friends, conduct business and stay connected with the rest of the country, and these cuts were an unacceptable attack on our frontier communities," Tester said in a statement Monday. Jon Tester, D-Mont., which provides up to $166 million for the carrier to reinstate furloughed employees and return to normal operations.
The resumption of daily service is the result of a bill introduced by U.S. Amtrak resumed daily service on its long-distance passenger routes Monday, including the Empire Builder that connects Montana's Hi-Line communities and brings tourists to Whitefish.Īmtrak cut service on most of its long-distance routes to just three days a week in October as the pandemic caused a precipitous drop in ridership and ticket revenue.