DENVER — The Colorado Department of Transportation has scheduled a series of three open house events next week to discuss the proposed Mountain Rail project, which would launch passenger train service between Denver and Craig, Colo.
The meetings are part of the process of creating a “service development plan” for the route, which last saw passenger service in 1968. The state provided $5 million in funding to study the service last year [see “Colorado to fund study …,” Trains News Wire, Oct. 24, 2023].
Dates and locations for the open houses are:
— Sept. 10, Craig: Center of Craig, 601 Yampa Avenue.
— Sept. 11, Granby: East Grand Middle School, 251 W. Diamond Ave.
— Sept. 12, Arvada: Oberan Middle School, 7300 Quail St.
Each meeting is scheduled for 5:30-7:30 p.m.
“Planning for Mountain Rail between the Front Range, Grand, and Routt counties has the potential to transform communities, promote sustainable growth near economic engines like Winter Park and Steamboat Springs and support areas like Craig and Hayden in transitioning away from coal,” said CDOT Executive Director Shoshana Lew said in a press release. “By leveraging existing rail infrastructure, we can connect our mountain communities with urban centers and recreational destinations in a way that promotes economic development, reduces traffic congestion and enhances the quality of life for residents and visitors alike.”
More on the Mountain Rail project is available here.
Looks like a deal is brewing between the UP and their continued low cost use of the Moffat Tunnel in exchange for allowing commuter trains to interfere with their freight route… and if it is not now, then it will be before this ever happens…
A daily DMU train Glenwood Springs to Denver on a reverse schedule from the Zephyr (out in the morning, back at night) with a single unit split off at Bond for Steamboat would be more useful than a full trainset to Craig.
Having been to Craig a couple of times I can’t say I would want to live there, but things change. When I rode my motorcycle through the ski industry pretty much ends at Steamboat and in that part of Colorado the summer was pretty hot. There is a shuttle bus between Craig and Steamboat to help seasonal workers get back and forth.
Craig however is the “Elk hunting capital of the world”. I wonder if I can tie my catch to the front of the train back to Denver, horns and all? (just joking). I get trying to help a remote community economically, but is this the best way to spend it?
Now I want to see them tie a set of antlers to the headlight, just like on the trains of ye olden days. Lol…
“And support areas like Hayden and Craig transition away from coal”. I can’t imagine a single way that having a passenger train to Craig would do anything to help laid off coal miners.
Sounds to me that they are really stretching the (full of baloney) PR with that statement.
With limited money, and higher demand – without studying it – elsewhere, this is a waste of taxpayers’ money! Instead use the money to actual start something practical: Fort Collins to Pueblo service, first. Or you cannot afford that, at least, get the SW Chief rerouted through Pueblo.
This is one reason passenger rail is failing in America…. This route serves very little density along the way. While Craig, CO itself only has a population of ≈9,000..
I think maybe Denver-Colorado Springs-Pueblo may be a better corridor to focus on?
Colorado Springs is located in the state’s largest county by population.
Boulder is the site of the state university, and not too far away from Denver’s populated north suburbs.
The only reason any of us ever heard of Craig is that there was a passenger train there when we we old enough to read back issues of Trains Magazine.
Many years ago DRG&W also went to Aspen. Guess that is a service too long gone?
I think the rails to Aspen were removed many years ago, so presumably any restoration would take longer and be far more expensive.