Front Range Passenger Rail gets funds from feds

LAFAYETTE – The federal government will provide seed money to help kick-start construction of Colorado’s Front Range Passenger Rail project between Fort Collins and Pueblo, making millions more in future funding likely.

According to a press release issued Wednesday from the office of U.S. Rep. Joe Neguse, D-Colo., who lives in Lafayette, the U.S. Department of Transportation and the Federal Railroad Administration will include the Front Range Passenger Rail Project in the Corridor Identification Development Plan, a program authorized by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to facilitate the development of intercity passenger rail corridors. The FRA has also awarded the Front Range Passenger Rail Project with an initial $500,000 in federal funding to kick-start development efforts.

Front Range Passenger Rail would connect cities from Fort Collins to Pueblo, with intermediate stops including Loveland, Longmont, Boulder, Denver, Colorado Springs and more.

“I am excited to announce that the Department of Transportation and Federal Railroad Administration will heed our call to include the Front Range Passenger Rail Project in the Corridor ID program,” said Neguse in a prepared statement. “This corridor stretches across more than 160 miles, connecting 13 of the most populous counties across the state and acting as a transportation ‘spine’ for the Front Range. I am excited to see this project become a reality for our growing communities.” 

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law contained $66 billion in funding for passenger rail developments. The Corridor Identification Development Plan is the first step in identifying projects.

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