Colorado is making progress on a Front Range railway. Here's what it will take to make it happen. [View all]

The idea sounds enticing: Instead of battling Interstate 25 congestion, travelers hopscotching between cities along the Front Range could board a gleaming, speedy train and wave goodbye to the traffic.

But while a recent modeling study suggested there’s healthy demand for such a service — forecasting nearly 3 million riders a year along a 191-mile route from Fort Collins to Pueblo — don’t start holding your breath just yet. This railway, if it happens, is likely a decade or so away from welcoming its first passenger.

“In order for us to have a transit system that works in Colorado, this is a key element,” said state Sen. Leroy Garcia of Pueblo, the Senate president and a longtime booster of the idea. “It’s not going to be built overnight. We have to be innovative.”

The Front Range corridor is home to more than 80% of Colorado’s population, and it’s projected to absorb most of the state’s growth in coming decades. Backers point to an intercity train as a climate- and commuter-friendly solution that would make the state more competitive in attracting employers.

Read more: https://www.denverpost.com/2020/09/06/colorado-rail-front-range-denver/