List of Montana railroads
Wikimedia list article

The following railroads operate in the U.S. state of Montana.
Common freight carriers
BNSF Railway (BNSF)
Butte, Anaconda and Pacific Railway (BAP)
Central Montana Rail, Inc. (CM)
Dakota, Missouri Valley and Western Railroad (DMVW)
Mission Mountain Railroad (MMT)
Montana Rail Link (MRL)
Union Pacific Railroad (UP)
Yellowstone Valley Railroad (YSVR)
Private freight carriers
Global Rail Group
Lincoln County Port Authority (LCPA)
Montana Limestone Company (MLC)
Port of Montana (POM)
Transco
Passenger carriers
Amtrak (AMTK)
Defunct railroads
Electric
Amador Railway
Anaconda Copper Mining Company (Electric Light and Railway Department)
Bozeman Street Railway
Butte, Anaconda and Pacific Railway (BA&P, BAP)
Butte Consolidated Railway
Butte Electric Railway
Gallatin Light, Power and Railway Company
Gallatin Valley Railway
Gallatin Valley Electric Railway
Great Falls Street Railway
Helena Light and Railway Company
Helena Light and Traction Company
Not completed
Montana Railway
North and South Railway
Notes
References
Association of American Railroads (2003), "Railroad Service in Montana" (PDF).. Retrieved May 11, 2005.
Hilton, George W. (1990). American Narrow Gauge Railroads. Stanford, California: Stanford University Press. ISBN 0-8047-2369-9.
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