There is renewed interest in expanding rail services in Colorado's mountain communities following the passage of key bills in this year's legislative session.
In addition to state legislation, the 2021 federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill included significant investments in roads, bridges, and rail infrastructure across the country.
Sen. Dylan Roberts, who co-sponsored one of the Colorado bills, says the federal funding can help the state pursue expanded rail services.
“Colorado should take advantage of that opportunity,” said Roberts. “We should get our fair share of dollars from the federal government to do this. And the reason why we've zoned in on Northwest Colorado, in particular, is because we already have the infrastructure. We have the rail line here. It exists. We don't have to build a new rail line like other states have had to contemplate.”
Roberts and some of his colleagues, including Rep. Meghan Lukens and Julie McCluskie, asked CDOT to create a service development plan for passenger rail in northwest Colorado to determine the feasibility, costs, and timeline for such a project.
He added that the passage of two key pieces of legislation in Colorado helped attract federal investment for a passenger rail service on the Northwest Colorado line and the Front Range Passenger Rail.
“We also wanted to pass legislation to show the federal government that we were serious about putting up our stake in this so that we could attract as much federal dollars as possible,” explained Roberts.
SB24-184 will help the state generate an independent source of revenue for passenger rail, including Front Range Passenger Rail and Mountain Rail, by assessing a fee on rental cars.
“So essentially, this fee is paid almost entirely by out-of-state visitors who come to Colorado and rent a car, but it will generate up to over 50 million a year. That can be used to finance passenger rail for capital improvements and by soliciting bonds and other investment from private industry to maximize the use of those funds and attract matching dollars from the federal government” Roberts explained.
The funds will be split between the Front Range plan, which would build a passenger service from Fort Collins to Pueblo with stops in Boulder, Denver, and Colorado Springs, and the service from Denver to Craig with stops in Gilpin County, Winter Park, western Grand County, Routt County, and Moffat County.
Another measure, SB24-190, co-sponsored by Roberts, would provide up to $10 million a year in tax credits to businesses that relocate to northwest Colorado and use the rail line to transport freight in and out of the region.
“We're looking to attract manufacturing companies to the region where they will be eligible for these tax credits, basically direct savings to their businesses if they choose to locate here and use the rail line,” Roberts said. “It could also go to existing companies that decide to incorporate rail transportation into their operations.”
Currently, the majority of freight traffic in this region is coal. Roberts contends that as coal plants face closure by the end of the decade or sooner, there needs to be a replacement for that freight traffic.
“That's also a huge win for the communities in Northwest Colorado that are going through an economic transition right now, as the coal plants have to shut down,” Roberts said. “And so we're hoping to attract employers to the community to help with that economic transition. What's exciting about this bill is that it's a win-win bill because it will make passenger rail and commuter rail more feasible in the region, but it's also going to be a huge economic benefit to the communities by attracting new businesses and creating new jobs.”
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This story was shared via Rocky Mountain Community Radio, a network of public media stations in Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, and New Mexico including Aspen Public Radio.