CDOT, Rail Commission wants to know what you think about rail along Front Range

PUBLIC INPUT SOUGHT FOR RAIL SERVICE SERVING COLORADO’S FRONT RANGE

Front Range Passenger Rail project designing railroad line from Fort Collins to Pueblo

It’s back.

And they want to know what you think.

Colorado residents along the Front Range are invited to give their input on a plan to develop passenger rail service along a 173-mile corridor from Fort Collins to Pueblo.

This online “meeting” is being via frontrangepassengerrailmeeting.com which launched Monday, running through the end of July. Front Range residents will be able to weigh in on important questions such as how they might use the rail service and whether they would want trains to go faster or have more stops. The website features the design options for the rail service, such as potential routes.

The online meeting is being put on by the Front Range Passenger Rail project, which is drawing up plans for the rail service. No funding source to build and operate passenger service has yet been identified and could include a variety of options.

The project is being overseen by the Southwest Chief and Front Range Passenger Rail Commission, the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) and a team of consultants. The project’s mission is “to provide a safe, efficient, and reliable transportation option for travel between major population centers and destinations along the Front Range and create a backbone for connecting and expanding rail and transit options in the state and region.”

It’s estimated that by year 2050, an additional 3 million people will be living and commuting along the Front Range, where four-fifths of Colorado’s population already lives. The Front Range Passenger Rail project is intended to provide sustainable and reliable travel options to meet the rapidly growing needs of the state while supporting multiple transportation, economic and environmental goals.

Though there have been previous studies of developing Front Range rail, the current project team is working to create an actual, tangible plan to bring the Front Range Passenger Rail to life. The online meeting expands on that work, including the evaluation of potential routes and operations.

Once the team evaluates service needs and wants, it can move on to more specific environmental and engineering planning. At a later point, with a better understanding of costs, funding streams could be identified for the project.

The Front Range Passenger Rail team is committed to a transparent and fully collaborative approach with the public, interest groups, and local jurisdictions. This effort is aimed at moving Front Range Passenger Rail from vision to implementation in support of sustainable, alternative mobility options for the growing Front Range.

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