DENVER — Colorado’s Front Range Passenger District will wait until 2026 to ask voters to approve sales-tax funding for the rail project in the district’s 13 counties, the district board decided on Friday (May 31).
The decision by the full 20-member board to pursue further planning and service modeling for the planned Fort Collins-Pueblo passenger service confirms the view expressed earlier by the board’s executive committee [see “Colorado voters unlikely to be asked to fund Front Range rail project this year,” Trains News Wire, May 22, 2024].
“Poll results show that a majority of voters in Colorado support a sales tax to fund intercity rail service connecting Front Range communities,” Andy Karsian, Front Range Passenger Rail District general manager, said in a press release. “We believe voter support will grow as we continue to demonstrate the strength and rigor of the financial plan, collaborate with local governments for the nine station locations and engage with stakeholders. Going to the ballot in 2026 allows for the necessary time needed to accomplish this.”
In the interim, the district will complete a Service Development Plan, addressing specifics of route, station locations, operating frequency, costs, and financing. Completion of that plan is required to pursue some forms of federal funding.
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