BOISE, Idaho — The Boise Metro Chamber hosted its annual Legislative Forum Thursday, focused on the future of rail in the state of Idaho. Many Treasure Valley leaders hope to bring passenger trains back to the area.
Several Idaho leaders wrote a letter to the Federal Rail Administration in 2022 expressing interest in restoring Amtrak service between Boise and Salt Lake City. Legislators from every district attended Thursday's event to hear about what a rail service could offer.
Idaho has a few options on the table. The first would be to apply to a fully-funded federal grant study to explore what upgrades are needed to bring daily passenger trains back to southern Idaho. The results of that study could be completed in a year or a year and a half. Then, legislators and local leaders would know how much of an investment would be needed.
The other option, in addition to the federal study, would be for leaders to request the federal government look into restoring the Amtrak rail service. Amtrak has not served the Boise area since 1997. The old Amtrak Pioneer Line carried passengers from Portland to Salt Lake City.
It is unclear when we could see passenger trains in Southern Idaho.
Applications for the federal grant study are due in March.
