CHEYENNE, Wyo. — Cheyenne’s newly formed Passenger Rail Commission held its first meeting Friday, with Front Range Passenger Rail District General Manager Andy Karsian offering a presentation on the efforts to launch a new passenger route in Colorado that could eventually be extended into Wyoming.
Cheyenne Mayor Patrick Collins announced creation of the 10-member commission — comprised of city, county, and state officials, along with one citizen member — earlier this week [see “City of Cheyenne creates group …,” Trains News Wire, Dec. 12, 2023]. It seeks to restore passenger service to a city last served by Amtrak in 1997.
The Wyoming Eagle Tribune reports Karsian outlined current work on the Front Range district’s Service Development Plan, the first step toward new service for those routes recently selected for the Federal Railroad Adminstration’s Corridor Identification and Development program [see “Full list of passenger routes …,” News Wire, Dec. 8, 2023] Since that plan will only cover service between Fort Collins and Pueblo, Colo., the Cheyenne commission left Friday’s meeting with the goal of creating its own Service Development plan to bridge the 45 miles between Fort Collins and Cheyenne. Wyoming and Cheyenne may end up with the financial responsibility for developing that portion of the route.
Karsian said the discussion was worthwhile because there are “serious federal dollars available” for rail projects, but also injected a note of caution: the future of the Front Range project likely hinges on a 2024 vote by Colorado residents on a tax increase to support the rail program.
“I’m not here to tell you that the future is all rosy,” Karsian said, according to the Eagle Tribune. “The future is gray at best.”
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