DENVER — Following approval by its board of directors on July 31, the Front Range Passenger Rail District has presented a detailed justification for what Executive Director Sal Pace characterized as a “pragmatic approach” designed to create a Fort Collins-to-Pueblo intercity corridor. If the plan is followed and eventually funded, Pace predicts 10 full-route round trips per day can be running by 2045 “for this generation, not just for future generations.”
During a webinar on Tuesday, Aug. 19 — the organization’s 51st public outreach session — Pace and James Flattum, FRPR’s associate director of strategic initiatives and communication, provided additional insight and details regarding the long-term strategy first outlined in the draft delivery plan released last month [see “Delivery plan says Amtrak will operate …,” Trains.com, July 20, 2026].
The Front Range Passenger Rail District’s plan summary provides the following timeline for expansion:
- Phase 1: A “starter service” of three daily Denver-Fort Collins round trips to begin by 2029. This initial segment was announced last spring [see “Colorado-BNSF negotiations resulted …,” April 13, 2026]. It is not contingent on any new revenue sources. Funding will come from existing, regionally focused Regional Transit District sales taxes, collected since a route expansion referendum passed in 2004, along with rental car and environmental fees established by the state for non-highway projects.
- Phase 2: “Full service” along the entire Fort Collins-Pueblo corridor by 2032. A new revenue stream is required to meet its requirements to build five new stations, acquire more trainsets to provide more frequent departures north of Denver and two Denver-Pueblo round trips, and pay for significant — but yet to be negotiated — capacity improvements on the Union Pacific-BNSF Railway “Joint Line” south of Denver.
- Phases 3-5: “Full buildout” by 2045, targeting 10 Denver-Fort Collins round trips with eight continuing south to Pueblo. This assumes the building-block approach generates growing public acceptance to support the necessary capital and operating funding.
Pace emphasized that while the plans are compliant with Federal Railroad Administration standards in the event that grants may become available in the future, establishing the service is not dependent on federal funding approval for construction or operation. The guiding principle, he says, “uses the infrastructure we have and only what we need” in “building the groundwork with a credible project.” Flattum added the intention is to “bite off pieces of the apple we can actually chew.”
Referendum decision looms
The Front Range District’s extensive outreach campaign has included a contest to brand the service [see “Logos, other branding elements unveiled …,” July 12, 2026]. It is especially attempting to engage residents in areas where stops are planned. Under the proposal, every community would be involved in the station location and development process, including eligibility to receive monetary grants…