The Rail Renaissance of Wyoming

A new study has put the possibility of a passenger train in Wyoming back on track. The use of passenger trains as a means of transportation has been chugging forward in popularity again across the United States, and a report from the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) from earlier this year recommends that Wyoming get involved. Amtrak has been expanding their services to bring people from Chicago to Los Angeles, and they want to add more Western states and cities as departure locations.

Go deeper: The FRA’s “Long-Distance Service Study Report to Congress” highlights a rail system that runs from El Paso to Billings, a route that would go through Wyoming. At this point in time, Wyoming is one of only two states that don’t have active passenger rail services. An exact route, as well as departure locations, would be set based on public input. As of right now, the leading proposal route links Cheyenne and Casper, then moves up to Billings. There are no estimations in place for timeline to completion of railway projects or for services to begin.

WY We Care: Your Wyoming Chamber of Commerce has been advocating for the improvement and growth of our state’s infrastructure systems, and making Wyoming a part of the growing passenger railway system across our country, is a large part of that. We have been, and will continue to work on pushing this project into a reality. This is a great way to connect our state with others and expand our economy, and it’s an opportunity we don’t want to miss out on!