It's a question Coloradans have been asking for decades: Will there ever be a train connecting Denver's Union Station to Fort Collins?
There’s no shortage of interest from potential passengers.
"You have traffic for hours on I-25," said William Barton.
"I think a lot of tourists would use it, commuters for school would use it," said Gayle Orman.
Now, the Regional Transportation District (RTD) Board of Directors is joining the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) and the Front Range Passenger Rail District (FRPRD) to explore the feasibility of the project.
On Tuesday, the RTD Board of Directors voted unanimously to approve an intergovernmental agreement between RTD, CDOT, and FRPRD to develop a plan for Front Range Passenger Rail from Denver's Union Station, through Westminster, Broomfield, Louisville, Boulder, Longmont, Loveland and Fort Collins. The vote was first reported by our partners at The Denver Post.
Julien Bouquet, chair of the RTD Board of Directors, said the goal is to determine whether the project makes financial sense.
"This really allows us to take the first step into investigating, is it a feasible project or not?" said Bouquet.
Denver7 asked Bouquet about how much the project could cost and how it would be funded. The chairman said he hopes the board will have a better idea of the cost by early 2026.
- Read the full agreement below
Jack Wheeler, president of the Colorado Rail Passenger Association (ColoRail), believes RTD's cooperation signals that the plan for Front Range Passenger Rail could be in motion sooner rather than later.
"They are the cog in this wheel that needs to be in place for it to advance," he told Denver7.
While RTD wouldn’t comment on a specific timeline or cost, Wheeler hopes the rail line could be operational by 2029.
"An alternative to I-25, US 36, that is what the public is really wanting and voicing their opinions for," said Wheeler.
According to Front Range Passenger Rail's website, the estimated cost for the project ranges from $3 billion to $3.5 billion. Potential funding sources could include fees on rental cars.
Bouquet has not ruled out asking voters for additional financial support.
"We might have to have a conversation, go back to the voters and say, 'Hey, if we want to continue to expand our transit system, we're going to have to be looking at healthier funding models,'" he said.
Read our previous coverage on the project below
- RTD-Front Range Passenger Rail partnership could get train service from Denver to Boulder back on track
- New federal grant money may put the elusive Denver to Boulder passenger rail project back on track
- Boebert seeks Musk’s help cutting federal money for a Colorado project planning to use state funds
As work is done to figure out if the line is feasible, riders told Denver7 they hope transit officials can come up with a plan to get trains on track.
"That's just the hard part, voters realizing what their tax dollars are going to," said Orman.
"I think it'll pay for itself over time," Barton said.
The Front Range Passenger Rail District is set to meet on Friday to discuss the intergovernmental agreement and vote on whether to join.
