is a privately-held
Class II Railroad in the
United States .
The railroad runs between
Billings, Montana and
Spokane, Washington and the main line passes through the towns of
Livingston ,
Bozeman ,
Helena , and
Missoula, Montana , and
Sandpoint, Idaho . Montana RailLink connects with the
BNSF ,
Montana Western and
Union Pacific railroads. The railroad has over 900 miles of track, serves 100 stations, and employs approximately 1000. The main
Yard is in Missoula.
Montana RailLink's present status and main line date back to
1987 , when MRL under Missoula businessman Dennis Washington purchased
Burlington Northern 's southern Montana main line between Sandpoint, Idaho and
Huntley, Montana . This spin-off was controversial as it happened during contract negotiations between Burlington Northern and the
United Transportation Union .
Montana RailLink is notable as one of the few railroads still using
Cabooses , which are used to carry remote control switching equipment.
MRL is a unit of the Washington Group of Companies headquartered in Missoula, Montana.
On
September 8 2005 , Montana RailLink took delivery of locomotive number 4300, the first of 16 new
EMD SD70ACe locomotives. This is the first locomotive that the railroad has ordered new from a manufacturer, and it and the rest of the class are intended to replace aging
SD40 and
SD45 class locomotives on trains crossing the
Rocky Mountains .
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