Amtrak investments roll into Grand Forks

Amtrak officials traveled to Grand Forks today (Tuesday) to show off some $4 million dollars in improvements to the local train station.

The upgrades included a new ADA compliant concrete platform…a new passenger drop-off area…automatic door openers…plus modifications to the lobby… bathrooms…and ticket window area.

Amtrak’s Marc Magliari says COVID-19 cut into passenger numbers last year but ridership is coming back – and is about 60-70% of pre-pandemic levels.

Passenger rail service is slated to receive $66 billion dollars as part of the federal infrastructure bill.  Magliari says that will allow replacement of cars and locomotives on the Empire Builder route.  “Already there are folks in Montana trying to restore service lost in 1979 when we had a train that went from Fargo across to Billings and Bozeman.  There’s funding in that bill for the federal government to study what it would take to bring that service back.”

Ridership at the Grand Forks station dropped from 12,807 pre-pandemic to 5,618 during the 2021 fiscal year.