But Minot and other North Dakota cities as well as other states along the Empire Builder route could be without passenger train service as a result of a budget proposal from President Trump to cut federal funding for Amtrak.

The Empire Builder is among several Amtrak routes that appear to have been targeted in a proposal in Trump’s budget, Amtrak officials said. If Congress agrees with what the Trump Administration has indicated, there would be no service – no train.

The Empire Builder travels between Chicago and the West Coast. Besides stopping at Minot’s Amtrak passenger station at 400 1st Avenue SW in Minot, other North Dakota stops are in Devils Lake, Fargo, Grand Forks, Rugby, Stanley and Williston.

According to staff in Sen. John Hoeven’s office, President Trump’s full budget is expected to be released sometime in mid- to late May. Congress won’t be moving forward on the fiscal year 2018 budget and appropriations until it has the detailed funding request from the administration. For the remainder of fiscal year 2017’s funding, that will be addressed by Congress in the next couple of weeks, as the current Continuing Resolution ends on on Friday. However, the administration has not requested cuts to Amtrak for the remainder of fiscal year 2017.

Eloise Ogden/MDN This photo is by the Amtrak passenger station in Minot. Amtrak passenger train service in North Dakota could be in jeopardy in a budget proposal from President Trump to cut the Empire Builder and other Amtrak long-distance routes in the U.S.

When the administration released its initial budget last month, Wick Moorman, Amtrak president and CEO, said the proposal could impact many of the 500 communities the passenger train serves.

“Amtrak operates 15 long-distance trains across the nation and these routes offer the only Amtrak service in 23 of the 46 states we serve,” Moorman said. “These trains connect our major regions, provide vital transportation to residents in rural communities and generate connecting passengers and revenue for our Northeast Corridor and state-supported services. Amtrak is very focused on running efficiently – we covered 94 percent of our total network operating costs through ticket sales and other revenues in FY16 – but these services all require federal investment.”

He said as the budget process progresses, Amtrak officials look forward to working with President Trump, U.S. Secretary of Transportation Elaine Lan Chao and Congress “to ensure they understand the value of Amtrak’s long-distance trains and what these proposed cuts would mean to this important art of the nation’s transportation system.”

Eloise Ogden/MDN The map shows the Amtrak passenger train route in North Dakota. Amtrak uses BNSF tracks.