Northwest Colorado friends, the train is nearing the station. Over the last several months, the Colorado Department of Transportation has been working closely with local communities and stakeholders across the Yampa Valley to solidify details on what passenger rail service will look like for our community. Our existing rail infrastructure, which currently moves only freight, could quickly be returned to a passenger and freight line through the Colorado Mountain Rail project.  

In addition to providing safer travel options for locals and visitors, this new rail service will give residents in Routt and Moffat counties more transportation options to commute directly between towns such as Craig, Hayden, Steamboat Springs and Oak Creek. It brings a valuable transportation alternative for those living in the Yampa Valley to connect to job centers, education, health care and cultural opportunities across the corridor in a safe, convenient and efficient manner. 

The Mountain Rail Project also adds to our efforts to make U.S. Highway 40 safer. It provides a functional alternative for visitors who (in some cases) shouldn’t be driving in adverse winter conditions in a rental car. In addition, a reduction of cars on the road will bring some congestion relief and safer driving conditions to locals, who often live in one town but commute to work in another.  

As someone who worked closely with our state legislators on the vision for this project, I want to remind all of us that the state has already taken important steps to make this vision become reality. This includes an initial $5 million allocation from the Transportation Commission in 2023, along with several key bills adopted by the legislature last session that dedicate revenue toward the Mountain Rail Project.

For example, SB24-184 is expected to generate nearly $60 million a year through the Congestion Impact Fee (fees on rental cars) toward rail projects in Colorado. And SB24-230 places a production fee on oil and gas that is then split between transit, rail and parks and wildlife. These revenues are already making an impact in Winter Park where passenger rail service days of operation have expanded, thanks to these funds, and a stop has been added in Fraser, opening additional opportunity for Grand County commuters.

Importantly, the state and CDOT have invested in developing a Service Development Plan for the Mountain Rail Project that will identify stations, service plans, costs and the type of trains that will be used on the tracks. In developing the SDP, CDOT hosted two rounds of public open houses in various communities across the rail corridor and has worked closely with community leaders and officials to gather input and feedback.

It’s crucial for those of us who live and work in the Yampa Valley to provide input on this important transportation alternative that impacts our region for the better. Let’s be sure our collective voice in the Yampa Valley is heard. I look forward to seeing such a transformative transportation project become a reality for our community.

Sonja Macys, Routt County Commissioner, District 3