DENVER–The Front Range Passenger Rail District is leaning heavily towards a tax measure on Colorado’s 2026 ballot to fund a passenger rail line running between Fort Collins and Pueblo, a project put on the drawing board back in 2021.
The special taxing district was created to plan, finance, construct, oversee, and eventually operate passenger rail along the I-25 corridor. The district encompasses 13 counties along the Front Range, all of which would see the 0.5% sales tax hike should it be referred to voters this year.
During a Transportation and Energy Committee hearing last week, Sal Pace, general manager of the taxing district–also a former state representative from Pueblo–laid out a three phase plan for lawmakers. Phase one, which ensures technical and financial readiness, will be completed at the end of April, while phase two focuses on public engagement and feedback, wrapping up at the end of July. Phase three deals with project development.
Pace says completing these phases on time is the determining factor for referring a ballot measure for the November 2026 election.
“[I was hired] with the direction to aim for a 2026 ballot measure, fully recognizing that if we don’t reach it then we will punt for a future year to explore a future ballot measure but getting us prepared puts us in the strongest position,” Pace said during the hearing.
Randal O’Toole, transportation policy center director at Independence Institute,* a free market think tank in Denver, says this rail line will almost certainly cost more than promised.
“It will add to tax burdens, probably increase congestion at grade crossings by more than any congestion reductions from cars taken off the road, and — based on RTD’s FasTracks record — will almost certainly cost more and carry fewer riders than their current estimates,” O’Toole told Complete Colorado.
O’Toole published an analysis of the passenger rail plan in 2019, calling the project a “terrible idea” due to its price tag and likely lack of use, noting at the time that CDOT estimated the project would cost between $5-$15 billion.
The same remains true today, says O’Toole: “The fundamental problem is that trains can only go where there are tracks. Colorado has nearly 90,000 miles of roads and streets but less than 2,700 miles of railroads, so most people will never be served by a train that doesn’t go where they want to go.”
The development plan is nearly complete, while operating and station plans are expected to be drafted soon. In the meantime, district leadership told legislators that they are planning to request a bill during the 2026 session to redefine the district’s route alignment.
The district plans to launch an online platform to get public feedback and is planning to host 30 town hall meetings between now and April.
* Independence Institute is publisher of Complete Colorado.
