A state lawmaker has introduced a bill that would allow Montana municipalities to issue revenue bonds backed by local gas taxes to fund transportation projects.
“We need train service in western Montana — and probably all of Montana,” said Rep. Ron Erickson, D-Missoula.
The western part of Montana has freight rail service, and a public-private partnership might be able to add passenger service for Missoula and its bedroom communities if lawmakers provide a method of public funding, he said.
Republican legislative leaders have killed the bill before, but Erickson said the strong prospect of a Democratic takeover of the Montana House in November gives him more confidence that his proposal may pass this year.
