Some worry southern Colorado is being left behind in Front Range Passenger Rail project
COLORADO (KRDO) -- Some southern Coloradans are raising concerns that the lower half of the state is being left behind in plans to build a passenger rail from Pueblo to Fort Collins.
The concerns stem from a bill just introduced into the Colorado legislature to generate funding for the project or at least part of it.
The bill proposes that state rental car fees be raised by two to three dollars a day depending on the rental car type. That money would then be used as a match to get federal grant funding for projects like the Front Range Passenger Rail
State Senate President Steve Fenberg, of Boulder, is the prime sponsor of the bill. He says the goal is to raise funding which can be matched by federal infrastructure grants to really improve transportation resources in the state.
He says prior legislation outlines that the northern part of the railway must be finished first, before work on portions in the southern part of the state.
"We have a small window to bring in these federal funds. We need to do everything we can as a state to ensure a good partnership, and everybody is playing well with each other in the sandbox so that we can show the federal government that we're a good investment," said Fenberg.
However, some, like Jill Gaebler, a member of the Front Range Passenger Rail Board, feel like Southern Colorado is being left behind in the plans.
"I would have liked us to be working together, linking arms, going to the ballot as one line, in advance of trying to find funds for one portion of the line that kind of separates the line and its vision," said Gaebler.
Gaebler said she understands that the northern portion will be built first, but she believes a plan for the railway should include guidance for every part of the line.
She said she wants to see a ballot measure in November so voters can decide for themselves how to allocate money toward the railway, and she doesn't want Southern Colorado to be an afterthought.
KRDO13 reached out to the Governor's Office for comment on the bill:
“The Governor is championing getting train service from Fort Collins to Pueblo and Trinidad and is not supportive of any plan that doesn’t include the entire front range. The state law that created the Front Range Passenger Rail District mandated that the project start with the unfinished NW Rail FasTrack segment that was supposed to be completed in 2017. Governor Polis is committed to working with local, state, and federal partners to secure Colorado’s fair share of historic federal funding to make passenger rail a reality for Colorado, and applauds the work of President Fenberg and the sponsors for their work on legislation to help make that happen.”
Spokesperson for Governor Jared Polis
