Press Releases

DENVER—Today, U.S. Representative Brittany Pettersen announced the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) and the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) will include the Front Range Passenger Rail Project in the Corridor Identification Development (Corridor ID) Plan, a program authorized by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to facilitate the development of intercity passenger rail corridors. The FRA has also awarded the Front Range Passenger Rail Project with an initial $500,000 in federal funding to kick-start development efforts.

This announcement follows efforts led by Pettersen and other Colorado leaders requesting the inclusion of the Front Range Passenger Rail Project in the Corridor ID program. Earlier this year, Pettersen penned a letter to the DOT highlighting the importance of the project to local communities and the need to reduce pressure and congestion on Colorado’s roads.

“Everyone who has traveled on I-25 knows how congestion and delays can affect your ability to get to work, school, or to visit loved ones. Clogged roadways also lead to more accidents and unsafe conditions,” said Pettersen. “By heeding our call to include the Front Range Passenger Rail Project in the Corridor ID Program, Colorado will finally be able to fully realize our vision of a high-quality passenger rail system to connect communities along the Front Range. This will help us meet the needs of a growing population and advance our environmental, economic, and equity goals.”

The Front Range Passenger Rail Project would connect cities from Fort Collins to Pueblo, with intermediate stops at Boulder, Denver, Colorado Springs and more. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law contained $66 billion in funding for passenger rail developments. The Corridor Identification Development Plan is the first step in identifying projects for this unprecedented transformation of America’s passenger rail network.