Last month, Boulder Chamber Transportation Connections hosted Colorado Senator Katie Wallace for a special briefing on the Colorado Rail Joint Service approach that is on track to bring passenger rail to Boulder by the end of the decade. During that briefing, participants asked several questions for which Senator Wallace and Joint Service staff in the Governor’s office did additional research to answer. Read those questions and the provided answers below.
Q: What will the run time be between stations? There are points on the mountain trains that are quite slow. Can you please share if this will be a similar pace or different train cars that might make faster travel possible?
A: Right now, the estimated run time is forecasted to be about 45-50 minutes from Denver to Longmont & vice versa, making the Joint Service passenger rail car-competitive. However, once test runs formally begin, that final time may fluctuate.
Q: Please share more in-depth finances. One attendee mentioned a figure of $885 million pre-service. Is that correct? Please share the forecast on ridership and any economic impact statements that are available.
A: The Colorado General Assembly passed SB24-184, and one of the prongs of the bill required financial modeling of three and five daily roundtrips. The State released a report on March 1, 2025 with an initial cost study that came in around $885M. However, that is an estimate and does not reflect a cost that would be negotiated with BNSF. There are many characteristics of service, namely the schedule, that can increase or decrease the cost of the project due to the capital projects needed to support the number of roundtrips and schedule. Following the IGA being adopted for the purpose of negotiating an access agreement and providing an overall governance to the project, the State, RTD, and FRPRD are in negotiations with BNSF to get a true cost estimate, a cost Denver and northwest communities have never come close to. We do not have ridership numbers at this time due to the ongoing negotiations.
Q: Are there figures on how many cars might be offset with each trip? Or other ways to justify the cost for ridership? What are the up-to-date peak-hour ridership estimates? (Another way of asking how many Single-Occupancy Vehicle commutes might be shifted to the train.)
A: As with the questions above, this will be based in part on upcoming ridership studies. Folks might also take a look at the Colorado Transportation Vision: 2035 (an overview is at this link), a comprehensive vision which builds upon the work of the state to fund new transportation projects, enhance transit opportunities, limit emissions to protect clean air, and build a world-class intercity passenger rail line. This vision bolsters the State’s previous work to create new intercity long-distance bus services, Bustang and Snowstang, and annual investments in transit and rail services. In short, to meet our state’s climate goals, we need to dramatically increase all modes of transit.
Q: How many people will be able to ride on each train, each trip?
A: This will depend on both the type of trains purchased for the fleet and the operator of Joint Service, both of which will be determined after the access agreement has been reached.
As one example, estimates of Amtrak trains have each departure carrying roughly 300–320 passengers.
Q: Will there be an N line or any other stops near Rocky Flats?
A: There are no planned stops in the Rocky Flats or Superior areas at this time, but there will be one in Louisville.
Q: What do we know or expect about how people will link BRT/local bus service to the train?
A: Significant time had been invested in conversations with local communities in the Northern Front Range to ensure they have the information necessary to plan for their Joint Service platform/station. Once negotiations have concluded, one of the many dozens of workstreams to support implementation will include liaising with necessary regional transit partners to adjust transit routes to support maximal ridership opportunities.
Q: To whom should people write letters of support? Who are the five specific RTD Board members whom we should work to persuade to support Joint Service?
A: Coloradans should reach out to all RTD Board Directors urging them to advance the project following the conclusions of the negotiations and the access agreement being reached. RTD co-partnering and co-investing along with the State to finish the longest, unfinished corridor of the originally contemplated FasTracks Expansion Plan is how the State, the Denver metro region, and other communities can begin to advance other transportation-related measures. Future transportation investments and projects are inhibited by unfulfilled plans. Contact RTD Board members individually or all together at RTD.Directors@rtd-denver.com.