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
<!--Burlington and Missouri River Railroad in Nebraska?-->
{| class="wikitable sortable"
!Name
!Mark
!System
!From
!To
!Successor
!Notes
|-
|Big Blackfoot Railway
|
|MILW
|1910
|1916
|Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railway
|-
|Big Horn Railroad
|
|CB&Q
|1905<!--or later in Montana?-->
|1916
|Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad
|-
|Big Horn Southern Railroad
|
|CB&Q
|1888
|1897
|Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad
|-
|Billings and Central Montana Railway
|
|NP
|1912
|1921
|Northern Pacific Railway
|-
|Billings and Northern Railroad
|
|GN
|1902
|1907
|Great Northern Railway
|-
|Bozeman Street Railway
|
|MILW
|1892
|1909
|Gallatin Valley Electric Railway
|-
|Burlington Northern Inc.
|BN
|
|1970
|1981
|Burlington Northern Railroad
|-
|Burlington Northern Railroad
|BN
|
|1981
|1996
|Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway
|-
|Butte, Anaconda and Pacific Railway
|BA&P, BAP
|
|1892
|1985
|Rarus Railway
|-
|Butte, Wisdom and Pacific Railway
|
|
|1913
|1914<!--?-->
|Southern Montana Railway
|-
|Camp Creek Railway
|
|NP
|1911
|1914
|Northern Pacific Railway
|-
|Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad
|CB&Q
|CB&Q
|1894<!--leased the Big Horn Southern Railroad-->
|1970
|Burlington Northern Inc.
|-
|Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railway
|
|CB&Q
|1901
|1907
|N/A
|Leased the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad
|-
|Chicago, Milwaukee and Puget Sound Railway
|
|MILW
|1909
|1912
|Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railway
|-
|Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railway
|
|MILW
|1912
|1928
|Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad
|-
|Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railway of Montana
|
|MILW
|1905
|1908
|Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railway of Washington
|-
|Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railway of Washington
|
|MILW
|1908
|1909
|Chicago, Milwaukee and Puget Sound Railway
|-
|Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad
|MILW
|MILW
|1928
|1982
|Burlington Northern Railroad
|-
|Clearwater Short Line Railway
|
|NP
|1898
|1914
|Northern Pacific Railway
|-
|Coeur d'Alene Railway and Navigation Company
|
|NP
|1886
|1897
|Northern Pacific Railway
|-
|Drummond and Philipsburg Railroad
|
|NP
|1887
|1888
|Northern Pacific and Montana Railroad
|-
|Elliston and Southern Railroad
|
|
|1896
|<!--no idea-->
|N/A
|-
|Gallatin Valley Railway
|
|MILW
|1910
|1918
|Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railway
|-
|Gallatin Valley Electric Railway
|
|MILW
|1908
|1910
|Gallatin Valley Railway
|-
|Gaylord and Ruby Valley Railway
|
|NP
|1897
|1899
|Northern Pacific Railway
|-
|Gilmore and Pittsburgh Railroad
|
|NP
|1907<!--or later in Montana?-->
|1939
|N/A
|-
|Great Falls and Canada Railway
|
|GN
|1889
|1901
|Montana and Great Northern Railway
|-
|Great Falls Terminal Railway
|
|MILW
|1912
|1914
|Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railway
|-
|Great Falls and Teton County Railway
|
|GN
|1912
|1914
|Great Northern Railway
|-
|Great Northern Railway
|GN
|GN
|1890<!--leased the St. Paul, Minneapolis and Manitoba Railway-->
|1970
|Burlington Northern Inc.
|-
|Helena, Boulder Valley and Butte Railroad
|
|NP
|1886
|1888
|Northern Pacific and Montana Railroad
|-
|Helena and Jefferson County Railroad
|
|NP
|1883
|1898
|Northern Pacific Railway
|-
|Helena and Northern Railroad
|
|NP
|1886
|1888
|Northern Pacific and Montana Railroad
|-
|Helena and Red Mountain Railroad
|
|NP
|1886
|1899
|Northern Pacific Railway
|-
|Minneapolis, St. Paul and Sault Ste. Marie Railroad
|SOO
|CP
|1944
|1961
|Soo Line Railroad
|-
|Minneapolis, St. Paul and Sault Ste. Marie Railway
|SOO
|CP
|1913<!--this is when it opened to Whitetail; I have no idea when it was authorized-->
|1944
|Minneapolis, St. Paul and Sault Ste. Marie Railroad
|-
|Missoula and Bitter Root Valley Railroad
|
|NP
|1887
|1888
|Northern Pacific and Montana Railroad
|-
|Missoula and Hamilton Railway
|
|NP
|1911
|1916
|Northern Pacific Railway
|-
|Missouri River Railway
|
|NP
|1906<!--or later in Montana?-->
|1914
|Northern Pacific Railway
|-
|Montana Railroad
|
|MILW
|1894
|1910
|Chicago, Milwaukee and Puget Sound Railway
|-
|Montana Railway
|
|NP
|1881
|1898
|Northern Pacific Railway
|-
|Montana Central Railway
|
|GN
|1886
|1907
|Great Northern Railway
|-
|Montana Eastern Railway
|
|GN
|1912
|1928
|Great Northern Railway
|-
|Montana and Great Northern Railway
|
|GN
|1901
|1907
|Great Northern Railway, St. Paul, Minneapolis and Manitoba Railway
|-
|Montana Southern Railway
|
|
|1917
|1940<!--?-->
|N/A
|-
|Montana Southern Railway
|
|NP
|1893
|1897
|Gaylord and Ruby Valley Railway
|-
|Montana Union Railway
|
|NP
|1886
|1898
|Northern Pacific Railway
|-
|Montana Western Railway
|MWRR
|
|1986
|2003
|Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway
|-
|Montana Western Railway
|
|<!--GN??-->
|1909
|1970
|Burlington Northern Inc.
|-
|Montana, Wyoming and Southern Railroad
|MW&S, MWS
|
|1909
|1955<!--?-->
|N/A
|-
|Northern Pacific Railroad
|
|NP
|1864
|1896
|Northern Pacific Railway
|-
|Northern Pacific Railway
|NP
|NP
|1896
|1970
|Burlington Northern Inc.
|-
|Northern Pacific and Montana Railroad
|
|NP
|1888
|1898
|Northern Pacific Railway
|-
|Oregon Short Line Railroad
|
|UP
|1897
|1987
|Union Pacific Railroad
|-
|Oregon Short Line and Utah Northern Railway
|
|UP
|1889
|1897
|Oregon Short Line Railroad
|-
|Rarus Railway
|RARW
|
|1985
|2007
|Butte, Anaconda and Pacific Railway
|-
|Rocky Fork and Cooke City Railway
|
|NP
|1886
|1898
|Northern Pacific Railway
|-
|Rocky Mountain Railroad of Montana
|
|NP
|1881
|1898
|Northern Pacific Railway
|-
|St. Paul, Minneapolis and Manitoba Railway
|
|GN
|1879<!--or later in Montana?-->
|1907
|Great Northern Railway
|-
|Shields River Valley Railway
|
|NP
|1908
|1914
|Northern Pacific Railway
|-
|Soo Line Railroad
|SOO
|CP
|1961
|
|
|Still exists in Montana as a lessor of the Dakota, Missouri Valley and Western Railroad
|-
|Southern Montana Railway
|
|
|1914
|1917<!--?-->
|Montana Southern Railway
|-
|Utah and Northern Railway
|
|UP
|1878
|1889
|Oregon Short Line and Utah Northern Railway
|-
|White Sulphur Springs and Yellowstone Park Railway
|WSYP
|MILW
|1910
|1980<!--?-->
|N/A
|-
|Yellowstone Park Railroad
|
|
|1905
|1909
|Montana, Wyoming and Southern Railroad
|}
;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), . Retrieved May 11, 2005.