The federal government will give Colorado $66 million to upgrade part of a freight rail line between Denver and Longmont that state officials hope will someday soon hold passengers as well.
The grant, along with a state match of $27 million, will pay for a new side track and signal upgrades over a 10-mile stretch between Westminster and Broomfield. The funding package will also be used to improve five “high priority” crossings in Berthoud, Longmont and other spots in Boulder County.
The track is owned by BNSF Railway. But state officials say the upgrades will make it capable of hosting passenger trains, too. They want to use it for the long-planned Front Range Passenger Rail project, which would connect Pueblo, Colorado Springs, Denver, Boulder, Fort Collins and other communities via rail.
The upgrades will help “accelerate the timeline” for the Front Range rail project, Gov. Jared Polis said at a press conference Tuesday morning held near the track in Westminster. Polis, however, did not say exactly what the project’s timeline is right now.
“We are going to do it as fast as we can,” said Polis, who was flanked by rail advocates and high-profile elected officials from Colorado’s federal delegation, including Sen. Michael Bennet, Rep. Brittany Pettersen, and Rep. Joe Neguse.
“This particular grant, which I believe will help turbocharge [the Front Range Passenger Rail] effort into the future, couldn't come at a better time,” Neguse said.
The passenger rail project has many more hurdles to clear before service can begin, including the completion of a detailed plan that will solidify construction costs. More infrastructure upgrades will be needed along the corridor, too.
But state officials on Tuesday said this initial infrastructure grant is a “momentous down payment” toward future pieces of the project.
“This grant shows once again that our partners at the U.S. Department of Transportation see the promise and importance of this rail corridor,” said Colorado Department of Transportation Executive Director Shoshana Lew, alluding to other signs of support from the feds.
The Federal Rail Administration also announced on Tuesday three other grants totaling $129 million for Colorado, including $12 million to Colorado State University Pueblo to study hydrogen and gas-powered rail vehicles.
The $66 million grant is also a public sign that things are still progressing on the Front Range Passenger Rail project, which has hit some recent hiccups.
The Front Range Passenger Rail District, an independent entity the legislature created to plan, fund and operate the rail line, decided earlier this year not to place a funding measure on the 2024 ballot. Its leader and another key staffer are also leaving the district soon as it faces a funding shortfall.
CDOT has taken the lead on the project’s planning work, including the critical service development plan and pursuing federal grants like the one announced Tuesday.
Asked by CPR News whether the state is taking over ownership of the entire project, Polis did not directly answer the question but stressed the importance of partnerships between state and regional transportation entities.
Polis also appears to be turning a leaf on his relationship with the Regional Transportation District, which he has publicly pressured to remain committed to its long-delayed Northwest Rail line between Denver, Boulder and Longmont that could also boost the larger Front Range rail project.
“Like many Coloradans and those who are part of the RTD district, the time for complaining about FasTracks not being in place is over,” Polis said. “It's now time for us to deliver on Front Range passenger rail, especially meeting the RTD commitment in the northern corridor and then of course the entire Pueblo to Fort Collins corridor.”
Erik Davidson, the chair of the RTD board, touted recent planning work done by the transit agency that will be used in the Front Range rail planning process too.
“It’s certainly obvious to me that we need multiple partners and funding partners to come together if we are to successfully deliver passenger rail service,” he told reporters.
Boulder Mayor Aaron Brockett said he’s feeling “very optimistic” about the prospect of passenger rail finally reaching his city, two decades after voters started paying taxes for it.
“I can taste the future of Front Range passenger rail as we stand out here today,” he said in an interview.
Advocacy groups, including Greater Denver Transit and ColoRail, cheered the grant announcement, too. ColoRail had recently published an editorial by one of its board members saying he was disappointed and alarmed over the “slow pace” of CDOT’s work on the service development plan.
But on Tuesday, ColoRail President Jack Wheeler issued a statement praising the state agency for its “complex, meticulous and amazing work” that helped it land the federal grant.
