DENVER — Traffic along Interstate 70 can turn a dream ski day into a nightmare, and more mountain-goers are opting to skip the drive and take the train instead.
This season, the Winter Park Express train from Denver’s Union Station to the Winter Park Resort saw ridership more than double this ski season, according to the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT).
“You feel better when you get to your destination,” said Jack Wheeler, president of the Colorado Rail Passenger Association (ColoRail). “You're not stressed. Maybe you use the time to be productive. Maybe you enjoyed yourself, looked at the scenery, socialized. It offers a world that many people don't understand exists.”
This season, the “ski train” also had discounted tickets: one-way trips started at $19, with children ages 2 to 12 eligible for 50% off base fares. The service also expanded in January from three to five days a week.
Wheeler points out that the discounts were subsidized by funds collected by a new congestion impact fee on Colorado’s rental cars, made possible by Senate Bill 24-184 passed last year.
Mountain rail service is slated to expand even more in 2026, with three daily trips from Denver to Granby, year-round. There is hope to extend that service to Steamboat Springs and Craig.
“We are at a nexus,” said Wheeler. “Never before has there been so much support and momentum to introduce trains.”
The state and Union Pacific railroad agreed to a deal to share the tracks through the Moffat Tunnel, allowing for more passenger rail. That was made official last week.
“In some really congested urban environments, it becomes very difficult for us to do passenger in combination with freight,” Union Pacific president Beth Whited said in a press conference with Governor Jared Polis last week. “But here [through the Moffat Tunnel], it’s a place that it looks like it’s gonna work out.”
There’s also a push to use Colorado’s existing tracks to revive passenger rail up and down the Front Range, as an alternative to the drive on Interstate 25.
Wheeler said the funds from Senate Bill 24-184 are earmarked to get service rolling from Fort Collins to Denver, but the full project will need Regional Transportation District (RTD) board approval and a future ballot initiative approved by voters.
“It will be about $40 million a year in operating debt and maintenance,” Wheeler said of the full project from Fort Collins to Pueblo. “That's the current projection, and that's being fine-tuned because they're finding new opportunities for more innovative collaborations that are reducing the cost.”
Wheeler thinks the plan, with the initial phase planned for completion in 2029, will keep saying forward progress.
“To think that it's been over 50 years since people have been able to travel up and down the Front Range on passenger trains is a sad statement,” he said. “There really is a thirst and a desire for this kind of service, and that makes this point really special, and we need to take advantage of that.”
CDOT is holding telephone town halls throughout the state to discuss its statewide transportation plan and gather input. All discussions will begin at 6:30 p.m. and end at 7:30 p.m.
A full schedule can be found below. If you would like to call in to the town hall that covers your area of the state, you can dial 855-962-1493 for English or 833-305-1688 for Spanish.
| Counties | Date | Streaming & Presentation Link |
|---|---|---|
| El Paso, Fremont, Park, & Teller- Completed | April 29, 2025 | 4/29 YouTube Recording 4/29 Presentation 4/29 Presentation in Spanish |
| Baca, Bent, Crowley, Custer, Huerfano, Kiowa, Las Animas, Otero, Prowers & Pueblo- Completed | May 1, 2025 | 5/1 YouTube Recording 5/1 Presentation 5/1 Presentation in Spanish |
| Larimer, Weld, Morgan- Completed | May 6, 2025 | 5/6 YouTube Recording 5/6 Presentation 5/6 Presentation in Spanish |
| Clear Creek, Gilpin, Grand, Jackson, Moffat, Routt, Rio Blanco- Completed | May 12, 2025 | 5/12 YouTube Recording 5/12 Presentation 5/12 Presentation in Spanish |
| Adams, Boulder, Broomfield, and Jefferson | May 21, 2025 | 5/21 Livestream on YouTube 5/21 Presentation |
| Cheyenne, Elbert, Kit Carson, Lincoln, Logan, Phillips, Sedgwick, Washington, & Yuma | May 29, 2025 | 5/29 Livestream on YouTube 5/29 Presentation |
| Chaffee, Delta, Eagle, Garfield, Gunnison, Lake, Mesa, Montrose, Ouray, Pitkin & Summit | June 3, 2025 | 6/3 Livestream on YouTube 6/3 Presentation |
| Alamosa, Archuleta, Conejos, Costilla, Dolores, Hinsdale, La Plata, Mineral, Montezuma, Rio Grande, Saguache, San Miguel, & San Juan | June 5, 2025 | 6/5 Livestream on YouTube 6/5 Presentation |
| Denver, Arapahoe and Douglas | June 12, 2025 | 6/12 Livestream on YouTube 6/12 Presentation |
