Thanks to federal funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, new passenger rail services are set to launch in Colorado.
As part of this expansion, Governor Polis, Senate President Steve Fenberg, state legislators, and community leaders rode a demonstration train from Denver to Longmont on Thursday 7 March.
This journey is part of the proposed Front Range Passenger Rail service from Pueblo to Fort Collins which will use the same tracks as the unfinished FasTracks route.
The proposed route has been selected for the Federal Railroad Administration’s competitive new Corridor Identification programme. Through this new train service, Coloradans will gain more reliable and convenient transit while helping to reduce emissions and minimise traffic from car travel.
“I’m excited to take the first demo train for front range passenger rail, which we are building out to improve our quality of life and reduce traffic. Historic federal funding for passenger rail is giving our state the opportunity of a lifetime to provide Coloradans with easy, convenient, and safe travel by train. Expanding passenger rail opens the door for more housing opportunities that Coloradans can afford, including transit-planned communities, saving Coloradans money, reducing traffic and pollution, and protecting Colorado’s quality of life for future generations.”
Improving passenger rail links is part of the Governor’s goal to ensure Colorado offers affordable housing with job and transit options.
His Roadmap to a Future Colorado 2026 thus prioritises transit-oriented communities to help lower the cost of housing, reduce traffic and protect Colorado’s air quality.
“For years Coloradans have been waiting for the promise of a fast, efficient passenger rail system that makes it easy, safe, and affordable to travel all across our great state. Now, with the availability of critical federal funds through President Biden’s Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, we have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to deliver on that promise and secure more efficient transit options while cutting emissions, reducing traffic, and connecting communities across Colorado.”
