Front Range passenger rail officials outline 2029 "start-up" plan and fast-track joint service talks

The Denver Regional Council of Governments Board of Directors heard an update Oct. 15 on regional plans to restore passenger rail service along Colorado’s Front Range and a separate, state-led "joint service" starter that officials say could begin service between Denver and Fort Collins by 2029.

The briefing, led by Jacob Reger, DRCOG’s Transportation Planning and Operations director, included presentations by Chris Nevitt, chair of the Front Range Passenger Rail District Board, and Lisa Kaufman, senior strategic adviser to Gov. Jared Polis. They described a phased approach that uses existing freight corridors and conventional rail equipment to deliver initial, lower-cost service now while preserving a long-term buildout that would extend from Fort Collins to Trinidad.

Why it matters: presenters said the Front Range lacks intercity rail options and that adding relatively fast conventional rail (up to 80 mph on existing freight lines) could give commuters and travelers an alternative to driving, reduce congestion and spur local development. The speakers emphasized the plan’s focus on using existing freight corridors, limited initial infrastructure and a staged ramp-up in frequency.

What presenters told the board - Chris Nevitt, chair of the Front Range Passenger Rail District Board, said the district was created by the legislature in 2021 and is empowered to plan, finance, construct and operate passenger rail and — importantly — to ask voters to approve a tax measure. Nevitt said the district’s near-term goal is to deliver rail “not to your grandchildren, but to you,” by using existing freight lines and conventional rail technology rather than pursuing high-speed rail.

- Nevitt said the district envisions an eventual corridor from Fort Collins to Pueblo with initial phases focused on service…