What will it take to make passenger rail a reality in Boulder? On Thursday, December 9, Colorado Senator Katie Wallace convened a group of 12 Boulder Chamber members to answer that question and more.
Senator Wallace updated the group on the status of the Colorado Rail Project Joint Service approach: an innovative, collaborative plan to start passenger rail service between Denver and Fort Collins by January 2029. Joint Service uses existing revenue streams, requiring no new taxes. Two specific revenue streams are being tapped for Joint Service: the Congestion Impact Fee (SB24-184) and Oil and Gas Production Fees as specified in SB24-230.
This fall, the signatories to the Joint Service agreement – RTD, the Front Range Passenger Rail District, the Colorado Department of Transportation, the Colorado Transportation Investment Office, the Clean Transit Enterprise, and the Governor’s Office – began negotiating with the host railroad, BNSF, to create a cost-efficient plan for three daily round trips during commuting hours serving eight stations between Denver Union Station and Fort Collins, including Boulder and Longmont.
The next essential step to advancing Joint Service is demonstrating public support through outreach to the RTD governing board and other key stakeholders. During the special briefing at the Boulder Chamber, Senator Wallace and BCTC Executive Director Darcy Kitching collected questions from attendees. BCTC will report answers to those questions in the form of a Joint Service FAQ webpage in early 2026, along with guidelines for how to contact decision makers.
Click on the file below to read or download the Joint Service slide deck presented by Senator Wallace at the meeting.