This collection is a subgroup under the Montana Department of Transportations records, RS 492. The Rail, Transit, and Planning Division (formerly named Planning Division) oversaw the Rail Planning Unit, which is now defunct. To see the other Department of Transportation records, visit the primary finding aid, RS 492.

This collection has been split into five series. Series I documents the activities of the Department of Highways, Planning and Statistics Bureau and includes: subject files on economic growth centers, needs studies, and rest area policy and procedures, local road mileage, road life tables, urban transportation plans and records for Billings, Blackfeet Indian Reservation, Bozeman, Butte, Fort Peck, Great Falls, Helena, Kalispell, Lewistown, and Missoula. Also represented in this first series are records of the cooperation between MDT and the Department of Commerce Transportation Division in the 1980s, including special projects such as the Maritime Project "Feasibility of Stimulating Montana Exports through Transportation Innovation" to develop overseas markets, the Bulk Freight Grain Transportation System Study, the Shelby Intermodal Exchange Facility Study, the Butte Grain Sub-Terminal, and other projects.

Of special interest are county profiles for the majority of Montana counties that contain statistical data on vital statistics and health, education, housing, employment, income, government finances, social insurance and welfare, agriculture, and business enterprise, trade and service. The records also include miscellaneous maps, needs studies (1988-1994), and sufficiency reports (1944-1982).

Series II documents the activities of the Department of Highways Planning and Statistics Bureau after it became the Department of Transportation, Planning and Programming Division. Documents in this series were collected by Deputy Director Robert Champion (Box 20/1 – 20/21) and Engineer Steve Kologi (Box 20/22 – 22/13).

Series III contains records of the Division after the department changed to the Transportation Planning Division. This series documents activities similar to those in Series II.

Series IV, Urban Planning, is comprised of finalized Urban Planning Reports for major Montana cities.

Series V, Multi-modal planning, documents alternative transportation modes—rail and public transit—for some Montana cities. This series also contains Case Files related to the Union Pacific Merger.

Due to the continual restructuring of the department, some series may document similar functions of the department.