Connecting Colorado: Front Range Passenger Rail Legislation Clears Committee!

Legislation outlines plans to create a district tasked with constructing a passenger rail line from the New Mexico to Wyoming border

DENVER, CO - Today, a bipartisan bill establishing the Front Range Passenger Rail District passed the Senate Transportation and Energy Committee on a vote of 6-1. Sponsored by Senate President Leroy Garcia and Senator Rachel Zenzinger, chair of the Transportation and Energy Committee, SB21-238 lays the groundwork for an interconnected, high-speed passenger system along the Front Range corridor.

“I have worked on transportation and transit issues for nearly twenty years, and I am incredibly proud to see our bill to create the Front Range Passenger Rail District make it through committee. With the White House proposing historic investments in the expansion of passenger rail, the timing of SB21-238 couldn’t be better,” said Senator Rachel Zenzinger, D-Arvada. “Front Range Rail is a smart solution that helps lower emissions and improves the transit experience for the hundreds of thousands of Coloradans that travel along the Front Range. It is also a good economic investment.”

“Front Range Passenger Rail is a crucial opportunity for us to prioritize the long-term economic health of Southern Colorado,” said President Leroy Garcia, D-Pueblo. “A high-speed train will connect Coloradans with new communities, and facilitate stronger investments in communities that have been overlooked. Now that SB21-238 cleared its first committee, we are one step closer to having a public transit system that addresses our growing population needs and increases mobility throughout the Front Range.”

The bill proposes creating a Front Range Passenger Rail Board to research, develop, construct, operate, and maintain the rail system and instructs them to work collaboratively with RTD as well as Amtrak to ensure interconnectedness and compatibility with existing services and projects. SB21-238 also outlines different modes of funding including sales and use tax increases for rail districts (subject to voter approval) as well as federal investment.

SB21-238 will now head to the Senate Appropriations Committee. Track the progress of the bill here.