Passenger Trains > Empire Builder Montana Bus Connections Announced

This was reported in Progressive Railroading today:

Rail News: Amtrak
Amtrak makes more Montana connections

An expanded partnership between Amtrak and Jefferson Lines now transports passengers to and from Empire Builder trains in Williston, N.D., by bus to eight Montana connections.

Montana passengers in Sydney, Glendive, Miles City, Billings, Livingston, Bozeman, Butte and Missoula will meet trains at Williston and access the railroad's network, Amtrak officials announced yesterday.

Amtrak customer service representatives in Williston have been serving as Jefferson Lines ticket agents in the station building shared by Amtrak and Jefferson.

Several of the Montana communities were served by Amtrak until 1979, when the Amtrak North Coast Hiawatha was discontinued.

http://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?4,3499366

Riding buses just doesn't do it for me.

The last time I rode Greyhound on a relatively short ride from Cordele to Atlanta, GA, the driver was housed in a plexi-glass cage to protect him from the mentally-ill passengers who might attack him.

How sad is THAT?

Too bad we can't see the NORTH COAST HIAWATHA restored to service.

Funny how the NCH was discontinued shortly after Mike Mansfield (D-MT) left office, the DESERT WIND made its last run shortly after Howard Cannon (D-NV) left office and the PIONEER was discontinued shortly after Frank Church (D-ID) left office. And let's not forget that Turbo Train that operated from Washington DC to Parkersburg, WV to keep Robert Byrd (D-WV) and Harley Staggers (D-WV) happy.

Maybe one day Amtrak will operate trains based on the public's convenience and necessity, rather than just functioning as a way to placate influential politicians.

And maybe tomorrow the sun will rise in the west.

I have never ridden Greyhound. And never will. But have ridden Amtrak thruway busses. From what I've read about the Dog, Amtrak busses are an entirely different and much better experience.

andersonb109 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I have never ridden Greyhound. And never will. But
> have ridden Amtrak thruway busses. From what I've
> read about the Dog, Amtrak busses are an entirely
> different and much better experience.


Of course, there are plenty of strange people on Amtrak trains, as well. Quite a few colleagues of mine think riding a train is quite unappealing ("Amtrak is always late" and "you might need to sit next to a drunk"), whereas air travel is viewed as upscale.

However, Amtrak is a train and bus operation, with many of its own buses, and we should be pleased with that, rather than always so negative.

A number of folks who work in the Bakken actually live in Montana on their days off (2 weeks on, 2 weeks off). This might be a good connection to get them to work in ND. There is now Missoula to Whitefish service that started this past winter, albeit, not very good connections to Amtrak, but gets you there none the less...

Missoula to Whitefish is now CSKT Flathead Transit, part of the Greyhound Connect system.

https://www.greyhound.com/en/newsroom/viewrelease.aspx?id=553&year=2013

I called the local Missoula bus depot and the northbound trip leaves Missoula 1130am and arrives Whitefish 1500. Southbound leaves Whitefish 1600 and arrives Missoula 1930. Round trip is $65.
Dave in Missoula, MT



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/21/14 15:48 by monaddave.

reindeerflame Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> andersonb109 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > I have never ridden Greyhound. And never will.
> But
> > have ridden Amtrak thruway busses. From what
> I've
> > read about the Dog, Amtrak busses are an
> entirely
> > different and much better experience.
>
>
> Of course, there are plenty of strange people on
> Amtrak trains, as well. Quite a few colleagues of
> mine think riding a train is quite unappealing
> ("Amtrak is always late" and "you might need to
> sit next to a drunk"), whereas air travel is
> viewed as upscale.
>
> However, Amtrak is a train and bus operation, with
> many of its own buses, and we should be pleased
> with that, rather than always so negative.


Yeah, but Amtrak crews are very quick on kicking anyone who's raising hell off, including drunks!

That may be the schedule but they're required to connect with the trains so their actual departure times may many hours later. Pity the people who figure this out by trial and error.

andersonb109 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I have never ridden Greyhound. And never will. But
> have ridden Amtrak thruway busses. From what I've
> read about the Dog, Amtrak busses are an entirely
> different and much better experience.


I have ridden both, many times, although not the Greyhound in the last few years. Forty+ years ago, Greyhound wasn't so bad, although it still it's share of drunks and a**holes. I rode from Springfield, MO to San Jose, CA on Greyhound in 1968. I probably would have taken the train had The Frisco not discontinued passenger service a year before, so it was inconvenient to make connections from Greyhound to a train, or at least it seemed so to a 18 year old at the time. I was travelling by myself, so being on the same bus all the way to LA, then to another bus to San Jose seemed easier.

I have been on Amtrak California buses several times over the past 15 years. By and large, they have been cleaner, roomier, generally more comfortable, and an overall better experience than just about any Greyhound ride I have ever taken. Most of the Amtrak rides have been either the LA - Bakersfield run or Stockton - San Jose route, neither of which would be considered a particularly long distance ride (both take 1 1/2 to 2 hours). The buses serve a purpose and are better than nothing. That said, a train and a bus are not comparable. One is undeniably inferior to the other.

A couple of more press releases on the Whitefish - Missoula service

http://missoulian.com/news/state-and-regional/bus-service-between-missoula-whitefish-other-cities-to-begin/article_5902e470-61fe-11e3-88a8-0019bb2963f4.html

http://www.dailyinterlake.com/news/local_montana/article_d068b63e-612c-11e3-8d06-0019bb2963f4.html