is a 501(c)(4) nonprofit public policy and advocacy organization that is advocating for expanding passenger rail service to underserved or unserved communities in the Pacific Northwest, the Mountain West, and the Midwest. Formally launched earlier this year, it鈥檚 involved in lobbying efforts, community engagement and education, in addition to conducting research on how passenger access would affect communities.
鈥淥ur group kind of started informally, just us trying to dialogue as a region (of only focusing on one state),鈥� said Dan Bilka, President of All Aboard Northwest. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 why we started probably almost two and a half years ago, just having those informal dialogues from Minnesota to (the) City of Boise, (to) over in Washington (state).鈥�
Currently, Wyoming and South Dakota are U.S. that aren鈥檛 served directly by or other passenger rail operators, though is served by Amtrak鈥檚, which are non-rail forms of transportation that connect customers to rail-served stations.
鈥淥ne of the key routes through Wyoming that should be looked at is the which ran up from Denver to Cheyenne west along the to be able to serve there,鈥� said Bilka. 鈥淪o, it鈥檚 a good building block but we want to be able to go beyond that to start looking at things.鈥�
Once several major Class I railroads served Wyoming communities large and small, almost all of which offered passenger service. Many Wyoming communities haven鈥檛 had passenger service for over 50 years. All Aboard Northwest鈥檚 have sought to change that. This includes connecting the state鈥檚 larger population centers as well as the smaller communities in between. Recent throughout All Aboard Northwest鈥檚 territory have generally indicated support for passenger service.
鈥淭hey (communities) really are feeling very cut off because of the fact that they don鈥檛 have the sorts of opportunities to get to other places that would have been true many decades ago,鈥� said Charlie Hamilton, a member of, a group located in Seattle that鈥檚 affiliated with All Aboard Northwest.
Hamilton also said that he鈥檚 found that younger people who have moved away from rural communities, often for college and have returned to rural areas, have voiced support for passenger trains due to a lack of other viable transportation options that exist in many of these communities. He said passenger trains provide a vital link to cities and those who need the amenities that they often provide.
鈥淥ne thing that people think about, particularly in small places, is how do you get medical facilities and services,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e have stories of places where the local hospital is no longer there and so if somebody needs heart surgery, they have to go to the big city, and that鈥檚 not very convenient when [it鈥檚] the winter and things are closed down.鈥�
Bilka said the funding for expanding passenger routes would likely be a mix of public and private investment, including state and the, as well as the involvement of local economic development associations and the major railroads that passenger trains would run on. The Biden administration has stated its support of service.
Hamilton added that local communities, some of whom still have existing passenger rail infrastructure from decades ago, would provide additional benefits in the form of stations, depots, and other associated facilities as it wouldn鈥檛 be necessary to construct them.
Some of the logistics of their plans are still being worked out. Who would be responsible for operating these trains has yet to be determined and what the involvement of the private sector, local communities, and state and the federal government has also yet to be better defined. But there is hope that an expanded passenger rail network could begin operating sometime within this decade.
鈥淟ike I tell my buddies throughout Wyoming and in the greater region, just because you have four-wheel drive, does not mean you have four-wheel stop,鈥� Bilka said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a critical lifeline for people and (an) option to be able to use if you need to be able to get from one place to another place.鈥�
The and the are two entities that have expressed interest in the All Aboard Northwest鈥檚.
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