BOZEMAN - It has been nearly 30 years since the last North Coast Hiawatha passenger train rumbled from Glendive to Missoula and west. And it has been nearly three decades of aborted efforts to bring that rail service back.

Suddenly the stars seem aligned for its possible rebirth. With high gas prices, congressional support and stimulus funding, now seems as good a time as any.

"It is really so feasible to do this," said Dorothy Bradley, former legislator and gubernatorial candidate. "The fact that we haven't still startles me."

Bradley was one of more than 200 people who showed up in Bozeman on Tuesday afternoon in support of restoring the rail line through southern Montana. If enthusiasm could build railroads, the North Coast Hiawatha would be back on track soon. But what stymied earlier efforts? And why does longtime Livingston railroader Warren McGee, 94, believe chances for success are "110 percent" this time?

Lack of money, lack of leadership and lack of believers could be blamed for the stops, starts and ultimate failures of previous attempts to revive the North Coast Hiawatha, which made its final run on Oct. 1, 1979. At Tuesday's meeting, organized by U.S. Sen. Jon Tester, there was little new data presented either in support or opposition to restoring the line. But the data is coming.

"It really makes sense to put all our options on the table," Tester said. "As with everything, restoring the Hiawatha comes with a cost. This study will put a price tag on restoring the Hiawatha."

In fact, there are two studies addressing the prospect.

Jim Lynch, director of Montana's Department of Transportation, said the department is updating Montana's last rail study, completed in 2000. He said there has been a shift in attitudes toward transportation recently. The competitive atmosphere of the past, when highways dominated, is being replaced with an emphasis toward an interconnected, multimodal system. And that can only be good news for aficionados of passenger rail service.

The MDT study is evaluating several options, including passenger service from Billings to Missoula, either through Helena or Butte. Another alternative is a longer passenger route that would traverse southern Montana but connect to the Empire Builder at Williston, N.D., on the east and at Sandpoint, Idaho, on the west.

Lynch said the draft version of the MDT study is expected to be ready for public comment by June 17.

Meanwhile, Amtrak is conducting its own study, which was authorized last fall under the Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act. Montana's southern rail line is one of a number of rail systems across the nation hoping to garner congressional favor and stimulus money. The studies should be finalized by October, after which Congress will determine where funding is awarded.

Ray Lang, senior director of government affairs for Amtrak, said the study will assess the current infrastructure, the potential for ridership and revenue projections for a southern rail line across Montana. It will even go so far as to pencil out a tentative schedule for trip times and equipment needs.

Not only has $8 billion in stimulus money been targeted toward high-speed rail but another $1.3 billion has been earmarked for "fixing" Amtrak. That includes money for restoring mothballed train cars and bringing 200 rail stations into ADA compliance.

Lang also cited last fall's passenger rail legislation for effecting a change that will prove crucial to Amtrak.

"The last authorization removed the 'profitability' requirement (in place since 1997)," he said. "More than anything else, that's the important thing that that bill did. It said that Amtrak is worthy of government investment."

But will the most "perfect storm" in three decades fizzle for lack of cohesion? The crowd of mostly older residents seemed united in support for a southern rail line, but opinions differed over how and where.

Jim Green of Billings, president of Montana's Association of Railroad Passengers, advocates focusing first on restoring rail service between Billings and Missoula.

"Let's walk before we run," he said.

But Bradley, who promoted passenger rail service as a legislator in the 1980s and again during her gubernatorial campaign in the 1990s, sees success only through a broader approach.

"If we go forward with this, we must go with a vengeance," she said, citing the need for intense leadership. "If we go in little pieces, it won't work."

Tester, who was instrumental in including the study of Montana's southern route in the Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act, awaits the study's outcome. If restoring the route is deemed feasible, that is when a grass-roots effort will prove critical, he said.

McGee listened to the speakers, making an occasional comment under his breath. For 30 years the career conductor has watched hopes rise and fall as successive attempts to revive the North Coast Hiawatha have sputtered.

"I don't know if we're moving forward or backward," he said. "But we're going to give it another try."