Malta, MT (MAL)

51 South 1st Street East
Malta, MT 59538-1732

Station Hours

Annual Ticket Revenue (FY 2023): $597,926
Annual Station Ridership (FY 2023): 4,278

• Ownerships
• Routes Served
• Contact
• Local Community Links

• Facility Ownership: BNSF Railway
• Parking Lot Ownership: BNSF Railway
• Platform Ownership: BNSF Railway
• Track Ownership: BNSF Railway

• Empire Builder

Alex Khalfin
Regional Contact
governmentaffairssea@amtrak.com
For information about Amtrak fares and schedules, please visit Amtrak.com or call 1-800-USA-RAIL (1-800-872-7245).

• City of Malta

Malta, named for a Mediterranean island, is located 20 miles east of the Fort Belknap reservation, which is homeland to the Gros Ventre (Aaniiih) and the Assiniboine (Nakoda) tribes. The area around Malta is said to have inspired the work of famous western artist Charles Russell.

The depot, built by the Great Northern Railway (GN) in the early 20th century, resembles a Swiss chalet. For early regional boosters, this romantic architecture seemed appropriate to the Rocky Mountains, sometimes referred to as the “American Alps”; the style would influence the design of lodges and other buildings in the region’s national parks. The depot features horizontal wood siding on the lower half of the walls and the appearance of half-timbering on the upper portion. The roof, which has clipped gables, includes a large overhang supported by carved brackets that protects waiting passengers from inclement weather. Its design is quite similar to the old GN depots in Cut Bank and Libby. In addition to a waiting room, a portion of the building is also used by BNSF Railway crews that maintain the railroad.

The GN is considered to have been America’s premier northern trans-continental railroad, running from St. Paul, Minn. to Seattle. It was formed in 1889 by James J. Hill, who orchestrated the merger of the St. Paul and Pacific Railroad with the St. Paul, Minneapolis, and Manitoba Railway. Hill holds a special place in railroad history and lore, and is known as the “Empire Builder.” Whereas most transcontinental lines were built with federal assistance in the form of federal land grants, the GN did not utilize this method.

Hill’s business acumen guided the planning and construction of the GN. Much of the upper Midwest and West was sparsely settled, so instead of racing across the continent, the GN developed the regions through which it traveled as it steadily moved toward the Pacific. This action helped settle the land and created a customer base. Hill the businessman actively sought to establish trade links with Asia, and the railroad is credited with putting sleepy Seattle on the map and transforming it into an important and powerful Pacific Ocean port after the railroad reached the West Coast in 1893.

Station Building (with waiting room)