I reviewed the preliminary plans for this railroad in the early 1980's.Owners of a proposed railroad serving southeastern Montana's coal fields have applied to the federal government to build an 83-mile line carrying up to 20 million tons of fuel annually.
Tuesday's application to the Surface Transportation Board comes after a federal court said in December that prior approvals for the long-stalled Tongue River Railroad were outdated. It would stretch from Miles City south to Ashland, where Arch is seeking to mine a 1.5 billion ton coal reserve.
Construction of the line would take three years and cost $490 million. BNSF spokeswoman Suann Lundsberg says it is up to federal officials when work could begin.
I guess they're expecting more Trunks to get elected next month.
Landowners along the route vow to stop the project.