Baucus, Tester announce more than $2.5 million for Montana Amtrak stations

Senators Say Funds Will Create Jobs And Make Stations More Accessible For Disabled Passengers

(Washington D.C.) The recently passed Jobs Bill will put more people to work in Montana by investing $2.5 million to make Montana’s Amtrak stations more accessible for disabled passengers, Montana Senators Max Baucus and Jon Tester announced today.

Both Baucus and Tester helped write, supported and voted for the Jobs Bill, formally known as the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, earlier this year.

“The Amtrak is a lifeline for Montana, and making rail stations more accessible means more folks can travel for work, or for fun,” Baucus said. “Infrastructure investment is a key way to getting our economy moving again, and this is a great investment for our state.”

“This investment is yet another example of why Max and I voted for the Jobs Bill,” Tester said.  “It creates jobs, invests in our transportation infrastructure, and this funding will create new opportunities for folks with disabilities. All Americans deserve access to Amtrak.”

The $2.5 million announced today will upgrade Montana stations along Amtrak’s Empire Builder route so that they meet standards required by the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA).

The following Montana stations will receive funding:

• Browning, $509,000: Station to receive a new ADA-compliant concrete platform and additional upgrades.
• Cut Bank, $509,000: Station to receive a new ADA-compliant concrete platform and additional upgrades
• East Glacier Park, $93,000: Station to receive a new wheelchair lift and enclosure; New pad for lift and sidewalk to platform; New sidewalk and curb cut from parking to platform; New accessible parking stalls.
• Glasgow, $35,000: Station to receive a new wheelchair lift and enclosure; New sidewalk and curb cut from parking to platform; New accessible parking stalls.
• Havre, $35,000: Station to receive a new wheelchair lift and enclosure in; Improvements to sidewalk from station to platform.
• Libby, $509,000: Station to receive a new ADA-compliant concrete platform will be built (height will be 8” above the rail), with a small elevated platform known as a “mini-high” to be built to allow mobility-impaired passengers to board the train and additional upgrades.
• Malta, $93,000: Station to receive a new wheelchair lift and enclosure; New pad for lift and sidewalk to platform; New sidewalk and curb cut from parking to platform; New accessible parking stalls.
• Shelby, $114,000: Station to receive a new ADA-compliant tactile edge on existing concrete platforms and a new wheelchair life.
• West Glacier, $93,000: Station to receive a new wheelchair lift and enclosure in; New pad for lift and sidewalk to platform; New sidewalk and curb cut from parking to platform; New accessible parking stalls.
• Whitefish, $509,000: Station to receive a new ADA-compliant concrete platform to allow mobility-impaired passengers to board the train, and additional upgrades.
• Wolf Point, $93,000: Station to receive a new wheelchair lift and enclosure; New pad for lift and sidewalk to platform; New sidewalk and curb cut from parking to platform; New accessible parking stalls.