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The North Coast Hiawatha was a streamlined passenger train operated by Amtrak between Chicago, Illinois, and Seattle, Washington, in the United States. It operated from 1971 to 1979. The train was a successor to the Northern Pacific Railway's North Coast Limited and Mainstreeter, although it used the route of the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad ("Milwaukee Road") east of Minneapolis–Saint Paul. The train's name combined the North Coast Limited with the Milwaukee Road's famed Hiawathas. Created at the behest of the United States Congress, the North Coast Hiawatha enjoyed an uncertain existence before being discontinued in 1979. Since then there have been several attempts to restore the service, without success.

North Coast Hiawatha

An EMD F3 leads the North Coast Hiawatha into Yakima, Washington in August, 1971.
Overview
Service type	Inter-city rail
Status	Discontinued
Locale	Western United States
Predecessor	North Coast Limited/Mainstreeter
First service	June 5, 1971
Last service	October 6, 1979
Successor	None
Former operator(s)	Amtrak
Route
Termini	Chicago, Illinois Seattle, Washington
Stops	37
Distance travelled	2,228 miles (3,586 km)
Average journey time	46 hours, 40 minutes
Service frequency	Tri-weekly
Train number(s)	17/18
On-board services
Sleeping arrangements	Sleeping cars
Catering facilities	Full dining car On-board lounge
Observation facilities	Dome lounge
Baggage facilities	Baggage car
Route map Legend Dist. Station 0 mi Chicago 17 mi 27 km Glenview IL WI 85 mi 137 km Milwaukee 150 mi 241 km Columbus 178 mi 286 km Portage 195 mi 314 km Wisconsin Dells 245 mi 394 km Tomah 281 mi 452 km La Crosse WI MN 307 mi 494 km Winona 371 mi 597 km Red Wing 421 mi 678 km Saint Paul–Midway Empire Builder 486 mi 782 km St. Cloud 551 mi 887 km Staples 613 mi 987 km Detroit Lakes MN ND Empire Builder 663 mi 1067 km Fargo Empire Builder 720 mi 1159 km Valley City 754 mi 1213 km Jamestown 856 mi 1378 km Bismarck 862 mi 1387 km Mandan 962 mi 1548 km Dickinson ND MT 1067 mi 1717 km Glendive 1146 mi 1844 km Miles City 1191 mi 1917 km Forsyth 1292 mi 2079 km Billings 1408 mi 2266 km Livingston 1433 mi 2306 km Bozeman 1528 mi 2459 km Butte 1568 mi 2523 km Deer Lodge 1647 mi 2651 km Missoula 1718 mi 2765 km Paradise MT ID Empire Builder 1838 mi 2958 km Sandpoint ID WA 1902 mi 3061 km Spokane Pre-1973 route 2022 mi 3254 km Ephrata 2074 mi 3338 km Wenatchee 2195 mi 3533 km Everett 2211 mi 3558 km Edmonds 2048 mi 3296 km Pasco 2138 mi 3441 km Yakima 2175 mi 3500 km Ellensburg 2275 mi 3661 km East Auburn 2228 mi 3586 km Seattle This diagram: view talk edit

History

Background

The flagship train on the Northern Pacific Railway ("NP") main line was the North Coast Limited, which had begun running in 1900. Its running mate since 1952 was the Mainstreeter, which operated on a slower schedule with fewer amenities. The Northern Pacific main line mirrored that of its great rival, the Great Northern Railway ("GN"), running through northern Montana and North Dakota.

From the 1920s onward, however, the NP, GN, and Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy Railroad ("CB&Q") shared closer relations, culminating in their 1970 merger as the Burlington Northern Railroad. After the merger, service continued on both the ex-Northern Pacific and ex-Great Northern. When passenger service was transferred to Amtrak, the new provider chose the Empire Builder, the former flagship train of the Great Northern, as its Chicago–Pacific Northwest route. Amtrak based this decision on several factors, including the overall higher speed of the ex-Great Northern route and better availability of alternative transportation options along the ex-Northern Pacific.[1]

Operation

Amtrak's decision to discontinue the ex-NP trains caused consternation in Montana. Mike Mansfield (D-Montana), then Senate Majority Leader, pointed out that the Empire Builder bypassed Montana's major population centers, and had no difficulty in making his displeasure felt. He demanded that Amtrak find a way to serve Montana's larger cities. The new company reacted to the pressure and announced a resumption of service over the ex-Northern Pacific line, to begin on June 14. This service took the form of an unnamed section of the Empire Builder which split in Minneapolis en route to Spokane, Washington.[2] Mansfield's intervention earned the train the nickname "Mike Mansfield Limited".[3] The Northern Pacific route, which included the Yellowstone River, Homestake Pass and Bitterroot Mountains, was praised for its scenery.[4] Amtrak considered the route one of the company's six most beautiful.[5] The train also provided a convenient connection to Yellowstone National Park at Livingston, Montana.[6]

On November 14, 1971, Amtrak formally named this service the North Coast Hiawatha, For four days a week, it ran independently of the Empire Builder from the Twin Cities to Spokane. On the other three days of the week, it combined with the Empire Builder in Spokane for the trip to Seattle.[7][8] Amtrak initially named the Minneapolis train Hiawatha, but adopted the Twin Cities Hiawatha name on January 16, 1972. Amtrak reverted to Hiawatha on October 29, and this name remained until the North Coast Hiawatha went daily for the first time on May 19, 1974.[9]

This joint operation ended on June 11, 1973, when Amtrak extended the North Coast Hiawatha to Seattle over the Great Northern's route, which included Stevens Pass and Cascade Tunnel. This new routing served the northern Washington communities of Wenatchee and Everett, which had previously been without service. The train remained on a tri-weekly schedule west of Minneapolis.[7] For the summer of 1974 Amtrak added a second train, the Expo '74 (named for the "Expo '74" then being held in Spokane), to the Seattle–Spokane segment.[10]

The schedule fluctuated over the next three years, with the train operating daily between Chicago and Seattle in the summers and reverting to tri-weekly west of Minneapolis the rest of the year. Amtrak would also run a daily service during the holiday season (as in 1975, when the train operated daily December 12 – January 12), but the train never operated a daily schedule for a full calendar year.[7][11] In early 1976 the North Coast Hiawatha was threatened with discontinuance, along with the Pacific International and the three daily Portland, Oregon—Seattle trains, after the Ford Administration proposed budget cuts. Several members of Congress protested the proposed cuts, including Representative Max Baucus (D-Montana), and Senators Warren Magnuson (D-Washington) and Bob Packwood (R-Oregon). In the end Congress approved a budget for Amtrak $62 million above the administration's request, saving all three services.[12][13][14]

Amtrak announced in October 1976 that the North Coast Hiawatha would be the second train, after the Empire Builder, to receive the new bi-level Superliner coaches, then on order from Pullman Standard.[15] In the end the train was cancelled before the Superliners entered long-distance service. In the spring of 1977 Amtrak added seven hours to the schedule, increasing it to 52 hours 30 minutes. The change was prompted by new speed restrictions on Amtrak trains after a rash of derailments involving the new EMD SDP40F diesel locomotives.[7][16] In September Amtrak eliminated the off-day Chicago—St. Paul service, leaving the North Coast Hiawatha with three trips a week. Amtrak reduced the Empire Builder to quad-weekly service as well.[17] The Twin Cities Hiawatha returned as a daytime service between Chicago and Minneapolis.[18]

In November Amtrak reduced the running time to 46 hours 40 minutes, after the replacement of the SDP40Fs permitted an easing of speed restrictions.[19] Even as this improved service began, the train was threatened with cancellation. Facing a budget deficit of $60 million, Amtrak identified a half dozen routes which it considered "financially troubled." Amtrak proposed merging the North Coast Hiawatha and the Empire Builder, or even cancelling both.[20] Throughout 1978 no decision was taken, and the two trains continued to provide between them daily service between Chicago and Seattle.[21]

Discontinuance

In January 1979 Secretary of Transportation Brock Adams announced plans to cut 12,000 miles (19,000 km) from Amtrak's network. The North Coast Hiawatha was one of many routes scheduled for elimination.[23] The train had faced cancellation before, but after eight years of federal subsidies members of Congress favored retrenchment.[24][25] Once-vocal supporters such as Senator Magnuson expressed regret but made no public commitment.[26] Adams noted that the service recovered only $6 million against expenses of $24 million, and that the per-passenger cost was $178.[22]

In July an attempt by Representative (and future Vice President) Al Gore (D-Tennessee) to impose a one-year moratorium on the proposed system-wide cuts failed 214–197.[27] In the end the Senate approved a smaller cutback, citing a 24% spike in Amtrak ridership after an oil shock during the summer, but the North Coast Hiawatha remained on the chopping block.[28] In late September the Railway Labor Executives' Association, along with Senator John Melcher (D-Montana) and Representative Pat Williams (D-Montana), sued the U.S. Department of Transportation to prevent the discontinuance of the service, then scheduled for October 1.[29] A federal judge temporarily restrained Amtrak from ending the service,[30] but the last North Coast Hiawathas ran on October 6, 1979, arriving in Chicago on the 7th and Seattle on the 8th.[31]

Proposed return

The end of the North Coast Hiawatha severed much of the populated portion of Montana from the national rail network, and also spelled the end of intercity rail service in southern North Dakota.[32] Over the years there have been periodic attempts to restore service in these areas. A proposed plan from 1982 to 1983 would have involved North Dakota and Montana paying 45% of costs in the first year and 65% thereafter of a new section of the Empire Builder operating tri-weekly between Fargo and Sandpoint. This proposal went nowhere when neither state approved the needed subsidy. Another proposal mooted in 1991 would have required an additional yearly federal appropriation of $12–15 million plus new equipment. In this scenario, the Portland section would operate over the old route. Again, nothing came of it.[33]

In 2008 Congress directed Amtrak to study resumption of service, which rekindled hope of restoration.[34] Amtrak published a feasibility study in October 2009, which proposed restoring the North Coast Hiawatha to its 1979 route where, possible with a daily schedule, Amtrak projected a yearly ridership of 359,800, some of whom would be drawn from the Empire Builder. Amtrak estimated that $1 billion in funds would be necessary to relaunch the service, including over $300 million for new locomotives and rolling stock. The corporation estimated it would take four to five years to reintroduce the service if a decision was made to move forward.[35]

Efforts in the 2020s

In 2020, local rail advocates started an informal Greater Northwest Passenger Rail Working Group focused on restarting the North Coast Hiawatha, Pioneer, and other routes in the Northwestern United States.[36][37] This approach is modeled on the Gulf Coast Working Group and Southern Rail Commission, which are on track to restore Amtrak service between New Orleans and Mobile in 2022.[38]

In December 2020, twelve Montana counties formed the Big Sky Passenger Rail Authority (BSPRA), the first entity to have railway authority powers under Montana state law. The BSPRA's focus is restoring passenger rail in southern Montana along the former route of the North Coast Hiawatha.[39][40][41] The authority held its first annual conference in August 2021.[42] As of August 2022^[update], the number of member counties participating in the BSPRA has grown to eighteen, covering the great majority of the proposed route.[43][44] Amtrak, BNSF Railway, the Montana Department of Transportation, and three federally recognized tribes are ex officio members.[45][46][47] Amtrak is the presumed operator of the service, while BNSF would host the train on its southern Montana line once it takes control back from Montana Rail Link in 2022.[48]

In September 2021, the Rail Passengers Association assessed restoration of the full North Coast Hiawatha as proposed by the Big Sky Passenger Rail Authority. On an annual basis, they forecast ridership of 426,000, economic benefit of $270.6 million, operating cost of $68 million, revenue of $41 million, and a vehicle-miles traveled reduction of 45.9 million.[49]

In June 2021, Senator Jon Tester (D-Montana) added an amendment to the Surface Transportation Investment Act of 2021 which requires the Department of Transportation (not Amtrak itself) to evaluate the restoration of discontinued long-distance routes including the North Coast Hiawatha.[50][51] The bill passed the Senate Commerce Committee with bipartisan support,[52][53] and was later rolled into President Biden's Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which was passed into law in November 2021.[54] The report must be delivered to Congress within two years.[55] The law also provides $2.4 billion in new funds to Amtrak's long-distance route network.[56]

In October 2022, North Dakota Department of Transportation submitted a note to FRA's Establishment of the Corridor Identification and Development Program in support of comments submitted by the Big Sky Passenger Rail Authority and the Dickinson Convention and Visitor's Bureau regarding interest in exploring a restored North Coast Hiawatha route through Fargo, Bismarck and Dickinson, ND. [57]

On October 28, 2022, the Amtrak Daily Long-Distance Service Study was announced by the Federal Railroad Administration. Its purpose is to evaluate the restoration and addition of discontinued and new long-distance passenger services, as well as the upgrading of tri-weekly long-distance services (the Sunset Limited and the Cardinal) to daily operation. The criteria for either restoring or creating new long-distance routes are that they connect large and small communities as part of a "regional rail network", provide economic and social well-being for rural areas, provide "enhanced connectivity" for the existing long-distance passenger trains, and reflect the support and engagement of the locals and region for restored long-distance passenger service.[58] These criteria include the North Coast Hiawatha, among other trains. The study will take place through 2023, and will engage with stakeholders, the rail companies, and communities as it "evaluates how to better connect people with long-distance rail services".[59]

Equipment

The North Coast Hiawatha saw a variety of motive power and rolling stock during its eight years, as Amtrak disposed of its inherited equipment as best it could and gradually replaced the older equipment with its own stock. In the early 1970s a typical train might feature as many as four dome cars pulled by ex-Milwaukee Road EMD E9s. In the summer of 1972 the train maxed out at 18 cars, including five dome coaches, an ex-California Zephyr dome lounge, and a dome-sleeper-lounge. The 1970 Burlington/Great Northern merger notwithstanding, cars carried both the "Big Sky Blue" livery characteristic of late Great Northern passenger trains and the "Cascade Green" of the Burlington Northern Railroad.[60]

The train was one of many routes to receive the new EMD SDP40F, which worked the route between 1974 and 1977, although older EMD E8 and EMD E9s continued to be used.[61] A series of derailments involving the SDP40F prompted their replacement, and by late 1977 Amtrak had introduced the EMD F40PH. These sometimes ran with an E9 "B" unit as well.[62] In late 1976 a typical North Coast Hiawatha departed Seattle with two SDP40Fs, a baggage car, two 44-seat long-distance coaches, a Budd dome coach, one of the dormitory-coffee shop cars formerly used on California Zephyr, an ex-North Coast Limited dining car, and a single Pacific series sleeping car. Two more baggage cars were added at Minneapolis for mail and express service.[63]

See also

• Pioneer (train)
• Desert Wind

Notes

References

External links

• 1979 timetable
• 1976 route brochure
• Amtrak: North Coast Hiawatha Study Plan

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