Boise City Council Hopes to Restore Amtrak Service at Depot

It's iconic when it comes to the Boise skyline--the Boise Depot. The tall white tower and rustic building sits atop a hill that overlooks our downtown Boise streets. For many, it may have been where you had a high school dance or a school field trip. For even more, it may have been where you arrived or departed the city. Yes, up until the late 90's the Boise Depot was ACTUALLY just that: a functioning train depot.

You may recall that just about two months ago, we shared with you the news that Amtrak was discussing some route expansions. When Amtrak released that map of the expanded and existing coverage areas, there was a HUGE gap around Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming--if you didn't know any better, you would think that nobody lives here.  Well, sorry Amtrak but Boise is one of the fastest growing cities in the nation!

Now, after being "snubbed" by Amtrak, if you will, city leaders here in Boise are working on a plan to bring service back to the Treasure Valley. Having taken plenty of Amtrak rides myself while living in Washington, I'm all for it!

Once known as the "Pioneer Line", Boise was connected to Salt Lake City, Portland and even Pocatello by Amtrak service. A resolution put together by all 6-members of Boise's City Council aims to bring this service back and the first steps are to ask Congress in Washington D.C. for study groups to examine these routes.

At this time, the cost for the project if it were to come to fruition is unknown.