DENVER — Four Democrats and two Republicans have introduced a bill in the Colorado Senate to establish the Front Range Passenger Rail District, extending across the state from the Wyoming state line to the New Mexico line, to plan, build, operate and maintain passenger service connecting the major cities along the east side of the Rockies as well as providing a connection to the Southwest Chief and California Zephyr.
The Colorado Springs Gazette reports Senate President Leroy Garcia (D-Pueblo), one of the sponsors, said in a statement that “Front Range rail has been a top priority of mine since coming to the legislature. … For two long Colorado’s transportation system has been underfunded and overburdened, leading to crumbling roads and horrible traffic congestion.” State Sen. Cleve Simpson (R-Alamosa), another sponsor, said in a statement, “The potential operation of new passenger rail service within the district would be a monumental benefit to Colorado generally and to southern Colorado in particular.”
The bill calls for cooperation with the Denver-area Regional Transportation District, which has a long-delayed line from Denver to Longmont, Colo., among its plans, and says that, “if deemed appropriate” by the two agencies, they could share capital costs on that portion of the road. The legislation also requires members of the district’s board to be appointed by April 1, 2022, with the first meeting the next month. The complete bill is available here.
In calling for a connection to the Southwest Chief, the plan differs from Amtrak’s recently released map of potential new routes to be added by 2035 [see “Amtrak unveils ‘Connect US’ map …,” Trains News Wire, March 31, 2021]. That map shows a line from Cheyenne, Wyo., to Pueblo.
