Colorado’s Front Range is set to see a new passenger rail line launch in the next three years, but voters along the corridor will decide exactly what its future holds through Ballot Issue 7A on the November ballot.
The recently established Front Range Passenger Rail District is already moving ahead with a train, called the Colorado Connector, or CoCo, that will run three daily trips between Denver and Fort Collins starting in 2029. It’ll have stops in Westminster, Broomfield, Louisville, Boulder, Longmont and Loveland.
That service will be paid for by a combination of Regional Transportation District and Colorado Department of Transportation funds, fulfilling the long-promised FasTracks northwest line to Boulder and Longmont as part of the northern route, which includes a track-sharing agreement with a freight railroad.
If voters approve Issue 7A, the rail district will use the tax revenue to extend the line south from Denver’s Union Station, and district officials have said they will also add a fourth trip north to Fort Collins.
Voters in communities within the service area will decide the ballot question, and it needs a simple majority to pass.
What would Ballot Issue 7A do if passed?
This measure would add a sales tax throughout the rail district to fund the construction and operation of a daily passenger train between Pueblo and Fort Collins.
It would extend service south of Denver’s Union Station by adding or upgrading stations in Littleton, Sterling Ranch in Douglas County, Colorado Springs and Pueblo.
What would it cost?
Issue 7A is a permanent 0.333% sales tax increase for communities in the rail district, which equals 3.3 cents on a $10 purchase, or 33 cents per $100 dollars.
If passed, it will generate $295 million every year to build, maintain and run the rail line. It will also allow the rail district to take out $580 million in debt to build the line, with a total repayment cost of $785 million.
Who is voting on it and paying the tax?
The tax will only apply to voters in the rail district, which includes Arvada, Boulder, Bow Mar, Broomfield, Centennial, Cherry Hills Village, Colorado Springs, Columbine Valley, Denver, Edgewater, Englewood, Federal Heights, Fort Collins, Glendale, Greenwood Village, Lafayette, Lakeside, Lakewood, Littleton, Longmont, Louisville, Loveland, Manitou Springs, Mountain View, Pueblo, Sheridan, Starkville, Superior, Trinidad, Westminster, Wheat Ridge and the Sterling Ranch Colorado Metropolitan District Nos. 1‑7.
What do supporters say?
Advocates say the Front Range Passenger Rail will be a reliable alternative to an increasingly congested Interstate 25, both for people who want to avoid traffic and parking headaches and those who cannot or choose not to drive.
District officials say if the measure is approved, the rail line south of Denver will launch within five years with three daily trips from Union Station to Pueblo, along with a fourth daily trip north. The line has capacity for up to 10 daily trips if demand increases.
More people traveling by train will mean less pollution and better air quality, and proponents say the service will be the same as removing 29,000 vehicles from the road while making the Front Range more connected.
Advocates also say the line will have special event stops at the planned Denver Broncos and Summit FC stadiums in Burnham Yard and near Broadway and I-25 to make it easier for fans to get to games.
The rail district has pledged to return some of the revenue to local governments for infrastructure, affordable housing and other transportation projects.
What do opponents say?
Opponents say Issue 7A will cost people money regardless of whether they ride the train and will disproportionately affect lower-income households, which spend a bigger chunk of their paychecks buying items that will be taxed.
Voters are being asked to approve a permanent tax without knowing the final costs, train fares, schedules and other details, critics argue. A starter service with three daily trips between Denver and Fort Collins, set to launch in 2029, can move forward without additional taxpayer funding to see if people actually ride the train before approving a new tax.
Opponents also argue the measure echoes previous transportation tax initiatives that are still partially unfulfilled, such as RTD’s 2004 FasTracks measure.
The Front Range Passenger Rail line will not provide the same door-to-door access and timing flexibility of cars and will duplicate services like buses or shuttles, opponents say. Investing in existing systems like roads, buses and airport access could be a bigger benefit at lower cost.
