Dormant Colorado rail line could see revival as ambitious Amtrak plan moves forward
Last week, Amtrak issued a statement and a map detailing its plans for new routes as part of the Biden administration’s American Jobs Plan, including a new Front Range passenger rail route from Cheyenne to Pueblo.
Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) officials have for years prioritized both a Front Range passenger rail corridor paralleling Interstate 25 and a connection between Pueblo and La Junta for the Southwest Chief Amtrak route that cuts through remote southeastern Colorado.
Such a connection would then link that route to Denver and Amtrak’s California Zephyr passenger route between Chicago and California’s Bay Area via Utah and Nevada. The Southwest Chief travels from Chicago to Los Angeles via New Mexico and Arizona.
Should Amtrak and CDOT succeed in linking the Southwest Chief to Pueblo and starting new Front Range service in Colorado, it would connect both ends of the dormant Tennessee Pass Line to passenger service at both Dotsero in western Eagle County and Pueblo on the Front Range.
CDOT has prioritized maintaining the potential for passenger and freight service on the Tennessee Pass Line as an alternative to the existing Moffat Tunnel Line, and fairly recently suggested the state should purchase the dormant 220-mile line, which is owned by Union Pacific, if it ever becomes available.
A fast-tracked lease proposal between Union Pacific and Colorado Midland & Pacific to explore passenger and freight service on the Tennessee Pass Line was recently denied by the U.S. Surface Transportation Board, meaning proposals to revive the line will have to undergo lengthy federal scrutiny.
Rival Colorado Pacific Railroad has been trying to acquire the Tennessee Pass Line to transport grain from southeastern Colorado and southwestern Kansas to ports on the West Coast. That company has offered to pay for passenger service from Pueblo to Minturn and possibly on to the Eagle County Regional Airport in Gypsum.
Recent developments on Amtrak funding and national rail infrastructure investment would seem to make full abandonment of the Tennessee Pass Line unlikely, especially in light of the state’s interest in increased passenger and freight surface to take pressure off Colorado’s chronically underfunded and deteriorating highway system.
Besides the soon-to-be-daily-again Zephyr and Chief routes, Amtrak also operates the weekend Winter Park Express ski train between Denver and Winter Park Ski Area in neighboring Grand County. That line was mothballed this winter due to the COVID-19 pandemic but is expected to resume next ski season.
Here’s Amtrak’s statement from March 31 on the Biden administration’s American Jobs Plan proposal:
This afternoon, President Biden released his American Jobs Plan, including plans for infrastructure investment, economic recovery, climate change, and social equity, and $80 billion designated specifically for rail.
Amtrak’s vision to grow rail service and connect new city pairs across America rises to the urgent challenges of our time, and will provide new and improved train service to millions of additional passengers. Additionally, the Northeast Corridor (NEC), a critical transportation link for the Northeast’s major metropolitan economies, has dozens of bridges, stations and tunnels that are beyond their design life and in need of immediate replacement or rehabilitation.
If Congress provides the funding proposed in the President’s plan, Amtrak would be able to bring the NEC to a state of good repair and improve trip times, and would also expand Amtrak to underserved communities across the nation. This would create jobs, improve the quality of life, reduce carbon emissions and generate economic growth.
From Amtrak CEO Bill Flynn: “President Biden’s infrastructure plan is what this nation has been waiting for. Amtrak must rebuild and improve the Northeast Corridor and our National Network and expand our service to more of America. The NEC’s many major tunnels and bridges – most of which are over a century old – must be replaced and upgraded to avoid devastating consequences for our transportation network and the country. In addition, Amtrak has a bold vision to bring energy-efficient, world-class intercity rail service to up to 160 new communities across the nation, as we also invest in our fleet and stations across the U.S. With this federal investment, Amtrak will create jobs and improve equity across cities, regions, and the entire country – and we are ready to deliver. America needs a rail network that offers frequent, reliable, sustainable and equitable train service. Now is our time, let’s make rail the solution.”
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