The district’s Executive Committee unanimously voted to send Resolution 2026-26 to the full FRPR board with a recommendation for approval when it meets to consider the proposal July 31. 

Called the Colorado Connector, or “CoCo,” the program is divided into three major phases spanning roughly 190 miles between termini. Initial service would launch in 2029 with three daily round trips over the 72-mile segment between Denver Union Station and Fort Collins.

A second phase, estimated at approximately $1.7 billion, would extend the line about 75 miles south to Colorado Springs and another 44 miles to Pueblo within five years after securing dedicated funding. Longer-term expansion over roughly 20 years would bring total capital investment to about $4.7 billion.

Rather than constructing new track, the Colorado Connector would rely primarily on existing freight corridors. Construction would focus on increased capacity, such as new and extended passing sidings, track and roadbed upgrades, crossovers, signal and communications improvements, stations and maintenance facilities to accommodate passenger service while preserving freight operations.

North of Denver, trains would operate over Regional Transportation District infrastructure (RTD) before joining BNSF Railway’s Front Range Subdivision. Later phases would extend south over the BNSF-Union Pacific Joint Line and Consolidated Main Line.

The proposed Colorado Connector (CoCo) would span roughly 190 miles from Fort Collins to Pueblo. The phased plan calls for starter service between Denver and Fort Collins beginning in 2029, with later expansion south to Colorado Springs and Pueblo pending dedicated funding.

Map courtesy of Front Range Passenger Rail District

Project planners told committee members that the second phase would add additional infrastructure needed to increase service north of Denver from three to four daily round trips while also supporting operations south to Pueblo.

The work would include station sidings that allow trains to leave the main line, additional capacity for passenger-train meets and changes needed to preserve railroad maintenance windows. Those improvements also would support later service expansion.

The proposed $332-million starter phase would be financed through existing commitments from the Colorado Transportation Investment Office and RTD, with Amtrak serving as the initial operator.

The district says the first phase would require no new taxes or additional federal funding. Expansion south of Denver would depend on voter approval of a proposed regional sales tax that could appear on the ballot this November.

The district is preparing a detailed financing plan for committee review in August ahead of the board considering whether to refer the sales tax measure to voters. District officials said the board may vote on ballot language at its Aug. 28 meeting in Pueblo.

District officials say the proposal builds on four years of planning and coordination with the Colorado Dept. of Transportation, RTD, BNSF, Union Pacific, Amtrak and the Federal Railroad Administration.

The delivery plan cites a term sheet establishing key terms for a 25-year BNSF access agreement between Denver and Fort Collins and the project’s advancement into the FRA’s Corridor Identification and Development Program as milestones supporting implementation.

Committee Chair John Putnam said the plan translates complex technical issues into language the public can understand while remaining “backed up by really solid technical information.”

If approved by the full district board, the plan would guide engineering, environmental review, railroad negotiations and procurement for Colorado’s first modern intercity passenger rail corridor connecting Front Range population centers.