Last week, Boulder Chamber Transportation Connections added our voice of support during a special meeting of the Regional Transportation District (RTD) Board of Directors, encouraging them to support the Joint Service Intergovernmental Agreement that will move Northwest Rail starter service one step closer to reality.
As reported by the Governor’s office, RTD was one of five agencies that voted to move the agreement forward. On Friday, June 27, a final unanimous vote concluded ten days of Board votes by RTD, the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT), Colorado Transportation Investment Office (CTIO), Clean Transit Enterprise (CTE), and the Front Range Passenger Rail District (FRPRD) agreeing, together with the Governor, to adopt and execute a first of its kind interagency agreement. The agreement (the “IGA”) authorizes the agencies to jointly pursue an access agreement with BNSF for passenger rail service on the northern Front Range from Denver to Fort Collins. This is a major step in delivering passenger rail service, and a crucial agreement to coordinate this effort across multiple agencies and the state.
“This historic agreement sets the stage for Colorado to begin delivering on the promise of passenger rail service from Denver to Boulder and Longmont that voters approved in 2004 and extending it on to Fort Collins connecting some of our fastest growing communities. I am focused on bringing this service to market as fast and cost effectively as possible through collaboration across transit agencies. No one agency can begin train service in the near term but together we believe we can start service by January 2029. I am grateful for the thoughtful leadership of CDOT, the FRPRD, and RTD in forging this new partnership and I am excited to see Colorado take another step towards delivering passenger rail service that will save us time, money, and reduce pollution,” said Governor Jared Polis.
The Colorado Transportation Commission, Colorado Transportation Investment Office, Clean Transit Enterprise, and RTD have all unanimously voted to adopt this agreement.