Empire Builder Returns To Full Service May 25
Area residents will soon be able to travel with Amtrak’s Empire Builder every day of the week again.
Amtrak has announced that its will resume full service for the Empire Builder on Monday, May 24. That means that the Empire Builder is available for travel either East or West starting Tuesday, May 25, on a daily basis.
“Offering daily long distance service represents a vital step in our road to recovery,” Amtrak CEO Bill Flynn said in a press release. “Recognizing the immense value of our employees, we’d like to thank Congress for enabling service restoration and helping us recall furloughed employees.”
Amtrak is also returning to full service for the California Zephyr, Coast Starlight and Texas Eagle on May 24. Full service will return for the Capitol Unlimited, City of New Orleans, Lake Shore Limited and Southwest Chief on May 31.
Sen. Jon Tester’s bill to restore service and reinstate furloughed employees cleared the Senate on March 6. Tester’s legislation reinstated furloughed Amtrak employees and returned complete long-distance service to routes like the Empire Builder, which passed as a part of the Senate’s COVID-19 relief package. Tester was the only member of Montana’s Congressional delegation to vote for the bill.
“Folks on the Hi-Line depend on Amtrak to stay connected, and its full return will boost the economy and create good-paying jobs across the region,” Tester said. “Returning Amtrak service to Northern Montana has been one of my top priorities since the service was cut, and I won’t stop fighting until this bill is signed into law by the President and the Empire Builder is fully restored.”
Tester’s legislation reverses cuts imposed by Amtrak late last year, which furloughed Montana jobs and reduced service on the Empire Builder from seven days per week to three — a move that Tester opposed. Tester personally secured a Senate Commerce Committee hearing on the cuts last year, inviting Havre’s Paul Tuss, executive director of Bear Paw Development Corporation, to testify about how critical long-distance rail is to rural and frontier economies in Montana and across the country.
