During a Saturday morning community roundtable at the Penrose Library, roughly 25 people showed up to hear how the Front Range Rail District will build and pay for a planned commuter rail system. 

Called the Colorado Connector, or CoCo, the train is planned to connect Fort Collins, Boulder, Denver, Colorado Springs and Pueblo. Long-term visions of the project would extend the service into New Mexico and Wyoming. The Front Range Passenger Rail District is seeking a 0.333% sales and use tax levy — in other words, 33 cents collected on every $100 spent — within the district. The rail district estimates the tax will generate about $295 million in its first year. 

Proponents of the rail line argue it will better connect Colorado’s Front Range communities, offer an alternative to driving and spark tourism in the region. But there is concern over the proposed costs, with phase 2, which would connect Denver, Colorado Springs and Pueblo, estimated at $1.7 billion. The final phase’s capital costs could hit $2.7 billion.

Colorado Springs and Pueblo represent about 25% of anticipated travel on CoCo.

Here are some takeaways from the meeting: 

Concern over impact on highway congestion

Denver to Pueblo is expected to serve about 1,200 people daily, according to the CoCo build-out plan. The Denver to Colorado Springs connection is projected a bit higher at 2,000 daily riders, John Putnam, chair of the FRPR board, said during the meeting.

“It’s not going to solve all of I-25’s congestion problems,” he said. “Right now, if you’re looking to get to Denver, if you’re looking to get to Pueblo, your only choice is I-25 … It is a brittle, single point of failure.” 

Building out the CoCo network gives travelers more options and may help with congestion, he added. 

CoCo is better planned than FasTracks 

Planners learned a lot from FasTracks. FasTracks was a transit plan approved in 2005 that ultimately built out a light and commuter rail network in the Denver metro area. But one segment, connecting Denver to Boulder, has remained incomplete.

“FasTracks hasn’t been a complete mess, 80% roughly has been built and is providing service every day,” Putnam said. “We’re looking at reusing infrastructure, upgrading infrastructure, rather than building a whole new system.”

Colorado Connector is planned to be completed in multiyear phases. The first phase could be completed by 2029, connecting Denver, Boulder and Fort Collins. The second phase, envisioned to be complete by 2032, would connect Pueblo, Colorado Springs and Denver. The third phase, 2032 and beyond, will deepen existing service, the delivery plan said.

It will cost less than recent I-25 and I-70 expansions

Since 2018, the state has spent roughly $2.1 billion expanding I-25. This includes the I-25 South Gap Project, the Pueblo Interchange Project and the ongoing I-25 North Express Lane project. 

Work on Interstate 70 has totaled $2.2 billion and is ongoing, Putnam and James Flattum, the director of outreach for CoCo, said during the presentation. 

The first phase of CoCo is forecast to cost $332 million and is already paid for through a combination of money streams, including $156 million from RTD and $176 million from the Colorado Transportation Investment Office.

The second phase is projected to cost $1.7 billion. It would be paid for mainly through the sales tax revenues, should voters approve the increase. The first two phases are not seeking federal money.

“We don’t see a massive appetite in the federal government to (fund) infrastructure in Colorado right now,” said Flattum. The door may open down the line for phases 3—5, however, as things in Washington, D.C., do change and evolve, Putnam added.