By Shannon Lukens.

 

Routt County Commissioners held a combined meeting with Steamboat Springs City Council members Monday to hear about passenger rail and a train that would run from Denver to Steamboat Springs and on to Craig.

 

The executive director of the Colorado Department of Transportation, Shoshana Lew, was at the meeting. She said the possibility of it happening looks promising.

“The possibility of transforming this community through inter-city passenger rail could really have a number of complimentary benefits for the economy ranging from helping the tremendous growth that happens in a way that is oriented around transit that connects housing to jobs to tourism to recreation to businesses. Helping with the Just Transitioning communities like Craig and Hayden who are so enthusiastic about the possibility of passenger rail and really showing the country that rail is not just an urban conversation that one that can have incredible impact in rural communities and bringing the mountains together like they do in other countries where we’re some ways behind in this country.”

 

Lew said there is bipartisan support, and they’re hiring a Mountain Rail Project Manager. They have secured $5 million for a Passenger Rail Service Development Plan.

 

The Key Analysis Steps they are working on are Route, Service, Operations, Infrastructure, Fleet, Stations, and Finance.

 

Funding is available through private and public partnerships, grants and loans.

 

 

A Timeline was presented. Request for Proposals will be issued for the Service Development Plan once the Mountain Rail Project Manager is hired. 

 

Lew discussed Maintaining Momentum. Continued engagement is important, as are strong public and private partnerships and identifying Just Transition incentives. She said Alterra Mountain Company, which owns Steamboat Resort, has been active in the discussion as have local businesses. Routt County Commissioner Sonja Macys asked whether Steamboat Resort could consider a lift ticket tax for funding of the project.

 

Lew also said she has also been impressed on how proactive the communities of Hayden and Craig have been.

 

Routt County Commissioner Tim Corrigan said how he is really excited to have the conversation about future rail service in the community. 

Commissioners and Steamboat Springs City Council members also told Lew about the potential of Brown Ranch and a potential of more traffic on Hwy 40. They said there are 2,700 commuters from Craig to Steamboat Springs every day and it will increase over time.

They said another concern is a crosswalk from the Heritage Park neighborhood across Highway 40 so kids there can get to Sleeping Giant School. Commissioner Sonja Macys said, “Routt County is prioritizing it.”