The Front Range Passenger Rail project team is inviting all Coloradans living along the Front Range to provide their input in an ‘online meeting’ that is running through the end of July. Through this effort, residents will be able to provide feedback relating to their priorities for the service. This is an important part of participatory planning, and a great opportunity to engage in the process and share your voice!
The proposed Front Range Passenger Rail would run along the 173 mile Front Range corridor between Fort Collins and Pueblo. The Front Range is home to over four fifths of Colorado’s residents, and is projected to grow by more than 3 million people by the year 2050. While there have been previous Front Range Passenger Rail conceptual studies, the current project team is working on the development of an actionable plan to bring rail to life as quickly as possible. Once a service and route plan is designed (following the collection and evaluation of community feedback – through the online meeting), specific environmental and engineering planning will take place. Following that, funding opportunities can be identified.
The project is led by the Front Range Passenger Rail Project, which is overseen by the Southwest Chief & Front Range Passenger Rail Commission, CDOT, and a consultant team. 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 to create a backbone for connecting and expanding transit options in the region. According to CDOT, the “team is committed to a transparent and collaborative approach which engages the public, interest groups, and local government. This effort is aimed at moving Front Range Passenger Rail from vision to implementation.”