Montana Rail Link
The Montana Rail Link (MRL) is a US-based Class 2 - railway company in the states of Montana , Idaho and Washington . The company is based in Missoula (Montana). The company is part of The Washington Companies group of companies owned by Dennis R. Washington .
Operations began on November 1, 1987 as a spin-off from Burlington Northern Railroad . The company operates a route network of 1,461 km (including trackage rights ), owns 162 locomotives and 2,100 freight cars .
The company operates the former route of the Northern Pacific Railway (Burlington Northerns “Southern Route”) from Huntley (Montana) via Billings , Helena , the Mullan Pass (1691 m), Missoula to Sandpoint and has route usage rights over BNSF tracks to Spokane . It also operates branch lines to Twin Bridges, Spire Rocks, Darby, Polson and St. Regis (all Montana).
The main transport goods are agricultural and forestry products. BNSF trains also use the route. The Montana Rail Link has connections to the BNSF in Laurel, Montana, Helena, Montana, Spokane, Washington, and Garrison, Montana, and the Union Pacific Railroad in Sandpoint, Idaho. The company leases the locomotives that are not required for operation to other railway companies. In 2005 , Montana Rail Link became the first regional railway company to acquire brand new locomotives in a long time. They are EMD SD70ACe .
