Montana RailLink

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Montana RailLink

Reporting marks	MRL
Locale	Idaho, Montana, Washington
Dates of operation	1987 – present
Track gauge	4 ft 8½ in (1435 mm) (standard gauge)
Headquarters	Missoula, Montana

Montana RailLink (AAR reporting marks MRL) is a privately held Class II railroad in the United States.

The railroad runs between Billings, Montana and Sandpoint, Idaho 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 Laurel while a smaller 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. Workers are represented by the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers.

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.^[1]