Back when the North Coast Hiawatha last ran, it ran through Deer Lodge and Butte between Missoula and Bozeman. Since then, however, a part of that route (between Butte and Spire Rock) has gone dormant and would currently require extensive rehabilitation to reactivate for any kind of train service, freight or passenger. Hence, virtually all current proposals for Amtrak service on this segment (whether it involves reviving the NCH or just instituting new localized service in southern Montana) call for trains to run through Helena instead.
While I understand the reasoning behind routing service through Helena instead of Butte based on current track conditions, I’ve been wondering: if by some chance the Butte-Spire Rock segment is indeed rehabilitated and reactivated for train service, would that mean that the Helena line would once again be marginalized in favor of the Butte line, or could service on both lines coexist in some form?
While I understand the reasoning behind routing service through Helena instead of Butte based on current track conditions, I’ve been wondering: if by some chance the Butte-Spire Rock segment is indeed rehabilitated and reactivated for train service, would that mean that the Helena line would once again be marginalized in favor of the Butte line, or could service on both lines coexist in some form?