The Colorado Connector, a proposed passenger rail service, is on track to start running between Denver and Fort Collins by 2029, based on a draft of a 75-page delivery plan released Monday by the Front Range Passenger Rail District.
Regional Transportation District directors and state entities approved initial funding of $332 million for the starter phase of the project in April, after the RTD board entered into a partnership last year with the Colorado Department of Transportation and the Front Range Passenger Rail District to help bring a train’s arrival.
Under a deal with Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway, the Colorado Connector will use existing freight tracks. Amtrak will operate the 700-foot passenger trains, according to the delivery plan, with the first phase calling for trains traveling up to 79 miles per hour on three daily round trips between Denver and Fort Collins. Between the two, the trains will stop in six other communities, including Boulder, Longmont and Louisville…