Wednesday, 18 August 2021

Pacific Northwest Rail Forum

2:45 PM Mountain Time

Venue Information

Big Sky Resort 50 Big Sky Resort Road Big Sky Montana 59716 (800) 548-4486

Pacific Northwest Rail Forum, Big Sky, MT (DRAFT)
2021 Annual Summit of the Pacific Northwest Economic Region

2:45 Mountain Time: Rail Across the Region

  • Bruce Agnew, moderator
  • Ross Lane, VP of Corporate Relations at Montana Rail Link
  • Matthew Jones, Executive Director of Public Affairs, BNSF
  • UP (invited)
  • WATCO (invited)
  • Curtis Shuck, Executive Director, Great Northern Corridor Coalition (invited)
  • Peter Armstrong, Rocky Mountaineer (invited)

3:15 MT: Passenger Rail’s Economic, Environmental, and Equity Benefits for Northwest Communities

  • Economic benefits 
    • Abe Zumwalt, Board Member, All Aboard Washington
  • Environmental benefits
    • Tim Gould, Sierra Club of Washington State
  • Equity for underserved people and rural communities 
    • Anna Zivarts, Disability Mobility Initiative, Disability Rights Washington
    • Martin Charlo, Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes
    • Charles Hamilton, Co-Executive Director, All Aboard Washington 

3:45 MT: US Federal Rail Infrastructure Initiatives

  • Update on passenger rail and capital investments
    • Congressional representatives (invited)
    • Rail Passengers Association (NARP) staff (invited)
    • Federal Railroad Administration staff (invited)

4:00 MT: National Legislative Opportunities

4:25 MT: Regional Service Restoration Efforts

  • Reviving a Rail Revolution:: Cascades update and expansion goals
    • Patrick Carnahan, AAWA & AORTA
    • Gary Wirt, Vice-President, All Aboard Washington
  • Idaho & Oregon restoration and expansion
    • Elaine Clegg, President, Boise (ID) City Council 
    • Jon Nuxoll, Immediate Past President, AORTA
  • Big Sky Passenger Rail Authority briefing
    • David Strohmaier, County Commissioner, Missoula County, MT

4:55 MT: Washington and Oregon Legislative Rail Caucuses

  • Washington State Legislative Rail Caucus
    • Rep. Andrew Barkis, Washington Legislature
    • Luis Moscoso, Government Affairs Director, All Aboard Washington
  • Oregon State Legislative Rail Caucus
    • Sen. Chris Gorsek, Oregon Legislature

5:15 MT: Wrap-Up

6:00 MT: Reception

Registration