Amtrak runs strong in Montana

We're glad to see ridership numbers were up last year for Amtrak's Empire Builder.

The passenger rail service has struggled financially for years, relying on federal infusions of money to make ends meet. There's no guarantee that Congress will continue its benevolence toward Amtrak; that's why it's especially important to show strong ridership in rural areas such as Montana. Congress needs to get the message loud and clear that passenger rail service is vital to Montana's economic well-being.

Statewide, Amtrak had 9 percent more passengers in 2004 than it did the previous year. The Glacier Park stop at East Glacier had an 18 percent increase in ridership, while the passenger service's busiest Montana stop, Whitefish, increased 9.8 percent.

Kudos are in order for this area's tourism promoters, who say their efforts to publicize Amtrak at regional trade shows is starting to pay off. Amtrak also has done a better job at promotion and making the Empire Builder a train people want to use. The company spent millions refurbishing 60 Empire Builder cars over the past couple of years.

With more than a half-million riders a year, the Empire Builder seems to finally have come into its own. It's a train that deserves to stay on track.

ALL EYES are on Big Mountain as its operator, Winter Sports Inc., shapes a new master plan for the ski resort.

The latest version of the plan shows dramatic changes for the village area, including a new retail and lodging plaza at the bottom of Chair 1. Moving service-based facilities closer to the skiers is a good idea if it can be done without creating undue congestion.

Instead of building one monster hotel, Winter Sports Inc. has decided to break up its proposed lodges into 10 buildings that would sprawl across the upper-level parking lots. This, too, seems to make sense, since roof lines would be lower and the overall visual would be one of a smaller scale.

Many skiers and local residents still lament the mammoth size of Morning Eagle Lodge, built when the international resort corporation Hines was a partner with Winter Sports. Hines is gone now, and Winter Sports President and CEO Fred Jones seems to have taken to heart the public's desire to preserve the character of Big Mountain as a small ski resort.

More public meetings on the master plan will be held before the company submits a completed plan to the Whitefish City-County Planning Board this spring. There's still time to get involved.