Thank you, Routt County residents, for trusting me to serve as your newest Routt County Commissioner. Although it has been a year since I was sworn in, it feels like just yesterday that I was on the campaign trail speaking with you about your hopes and dreams for Routt County’s future. I am continually inspired and motivated by your feedback, both good and bad, and about how we can realize our shared vision for our community’s future.

Such is the story of the train. I will never forget the day that my husband pulled me aside, about three quarters of the way through the campaign, and ever so kindly said, “You may want to stop taking about the train. People might think that you’re crazy.”

My response? “Absolutely not. If people think I am crazy, that is fine, but we are going to get that train.”

As I told voters in 2022, all of the stars were aligned to revive Northwest Colorado passenger rail. If you have used rail systems in other countries, or even just on the east coast of the Unites States, I am sure you appreciate its convenience and safety.

For better or for worse, back in 2022, the coal-fired power plants were slated for closure, ending a good run of solid cash flow for Union Pacific on Northwest Colorado’s existing rail lines. The Biden administration pledged billions of dollars to revitalize transit nationwide, including significant investments in rail.

For the first time since I moved to Routt County nearly two decades ago, the holy grail of transportation, passenger rail, sat squarely in reach. But what I never anticipated was just how quickly we would move the needle on rail, thanks to the “Polis Push.”

In 2023, our coalition of local governments and Steamboat Resort, chambers of commerce and community foundations continued to tackle regional transportation solutions. We explored short-term fixes like safety improvements to U.S. Highway 40, increased commuter bus service and greater multi-modal connectivity by vetting the concept of a regional transportation authority, or RTA. All the while, we continued to keep our eyes on the big prize, passenger rail. Union Pacific’s 100-year lease on the Moffat Tunnel, the pivotal 6.2-mile difference between accessing the west, or not, was expiring in 2025. A combination of opportunity, leverage and community dedication came together.

But it wasn’t until in late summer that local efforts turned into a statewide priority, thanks to the interest of our state Rep. Meghan Lukens, state Sen. Dylan Roberts and Gov. Jared Polis. Polis’s dedication to passenger rail statewide has created such force around our project that we are barreling down the tracks. And it is a lot of fun.

Routt County and its municipalities are exploring the opportunity of rail spurs, sites along the tracks where one can board or debark the train. One might pick up those last needed items for dinner on the way home or enjoy a hot coffee while checking emails waiting for the train. Investment in these hubs are a near-term opportunity for regional transit spots or park-and-rides, infrastructure that is woefully scarce across Routt County. And these sites hold incredible promise for economic development.

What else is happening? CDOT has issued a request for ideas regarding what type of stock could run on our already well-established lines. A job has been created for the next great leader to work at CDOT and coordinate our mountain rail efforts. And Colorado’s Transportation Commission has authorized a $5 million dollar spend for a Service Development Plan, or SDP, on Northwest Colorado Passenger Rail. It’s getting pretty real, folks.

At this point, we still have more questions than answers. How many trains? What kind? How much will it cost each rider? How much will it cost investors? Who will maintain the lines? These questions will all be answered through the SDP, slated for completion in 2024.

What we do know is that our investment in this effort promises to be an incredible opportunity for Routt and Moffat counties’ commuters. With 2,700 people a day commuting on Highway 40 from Craig to Steamboat Springs, 850 people from Hayden to Steamboat Springs, and another 800 people from South Routt, we have an opportunity to give these commuters their lives back through better transportation solutions while also alleviating traffic and curtailing greenhouse gas emissions.

Your local mountain rail coalition has been advocating, from day one, for stops that serve South Routt, Hayden and Craig, in addition to connecting Denver and Steamboat Springs.

I am writing to bring you up to speed on where we are today and how quickly we’ve moved on this once-in-a lifetime confluence of opportunities. There is still so much more to be done, but for now we celebrate the fact that a small group of committed local individuals brought this issue to the forefront.

Our state representatives, Lukens and Roberts, answered our call, advancing the SDP and helping us secure funding for this transformational step in our growth as a county. And we offer many thanks to the team of brilliant individuals at the state level that are helping bridge the gap between concept and reality, thanks in large part to our Governor and his unwavering dedication to entrepreneurship for the benefit of Coloradans (The Polis Push). I hope you will join me and get on board. Choo Choo.

Sonja Macys is the Routt County Commissioner who represents District III.