Colorado Mountain Rail on track after Grand County resolution
Meg Soyars Van Hauen/Sky-Hi News
Amtrak’s Winter Park Ski Train, which connects the Front Range to Winter Park Resort, boomed in popularity for the 2024-25 ski season. With fares as low as $19 and more frequent stops, including Fraser, the service is growing in more ways than one.
According to Cody Hedges, the Colorado Department of Transportation’s senior rail and transit planner, ridership for the ski train’s 2025 season has been over 41,000, not counting April’s numbers.
CDOT is hoping to jump onboard and ride this trend with its new project – Colorado Mountain Rail.
On April 1, the board of Grand County commissioners unanimously passed a resolution aimed at backing the project.
The resolution, Support of Mountain Rail Stations in Local Jurisdictions Within Grand County, states that commissioners agree to the proposed local stations, and will coordinate with municipalities and CDOT to implement the rail.
In a March 25 meeting, the commissioners discussed the passenger rail with Hedges.
Passenger rail to Craig could be revived
Hedges began with a presentation on the passenger rail which would bring back a line between Denver and Craig. This rail line stopped serving commuters nearly 60 years ago.
The plan looks at reviving old stops in Grand County, as well as utilize existing ones. Currently, only coal trains run from Kremmling up to the Yampa Valley area, which includes Steamboat Springs and Craig.
Hedges explained that the idea gained steam due to the reduced coal traffic in the Yampa Valley.
He said the project’s objectives are: “improving reliability, multimodal mobility, connecting communities across that whole corridor – Craig, the Yampa Valley, Fraser Valley and Denver.”
Other objectives include “economic vitality, a just transition from coal-generated power and meeting greenhouse gas emissions goals.”
Ski train serves an example
Hedges feels that the success of Amtrak’s ski train bodes well for CDOT’s proposal, which would ultimately connect two of Alterra Mountain Co’s biggest resorts in Colorado – Steamboat Ski Resort and Winter Park Resort.
Amtrak’s California Zephyr also has three stops in Grand County, meaning some of CDOT’s legwork for mountain rail is already done.
The project has received funding from two Senate bills – SB24-230, an oil and gas fee, and SB24-184, a rental car fee. The American Car Rental Association filed a lawsuit against the rental car fee bill, but this hasn’t yet impacted the collection of fees.
Hedges presented different service options CDOT is considering, such as a line connecting Denver to Granby (just as the California Zephyr does), and a line through the Yampa Valley.
He added that a Denver to Granby line is “low hanging fruit to implement” for CDOT since there is “already a system built up.” It’s likely that this line will be Phase 1 for the project. CDOT would build head tracks in Granby so the train can return to Denver. There are already head tracks at the other stations which provide a separate track for the train to go back in the opposite direction.
CDOT’s next phase would likely be the Yampa Valley line centered around Steamboat Ski Resort.
“We have two distinct markets,” Hedges said, referring to both resorts. “We’re putting those already together, so why don’t you connect them? That’s where Hot Sulphur Springs and Kremmling come into play.”
Hedges has been in discussions with Hot Sulphur and Kremmling town staff to potentially receive a resolution in support of the rail. Winter Park, Fraser and Granby have all signed resolutions.
“We want to integrate ourselves in the community, not force ourselves into the community,” he said.
Moffat Tunnel is the doorway
The Moffat Tunnel was bored through the Continental Divide in the late 1920s so that trains could travel to the Western Slope from the Front Range. Winter Park Resort was built next to tunnel’s West Portal in the late 1930s. Union Pacific Railroad has had a lease for nearly 100 years to operate the tunnel.
Union Pacific has recently renewed its lease to continue operating the tunnel for the next 25 years. As part of the lease agreement, Union Pacific will be in charge of collection of all hazardous materials, spill mitigation and fire prevention, said Hedges.
Union Pacific’s operation of the tunnel hasn’t been without controversy, including a wastewater spill in July 2023 that impacted the Fraser River.
Hedges added that CDOT is working on a grant that would increase the amount of caches for hazardous material response equipment. Union Pacific is in support of this grant, stated Hedges.
After Hedges’ presentation, commissioners asked questions.
Could rail affect highway projects?
Commissioner Merrit Linke asked where the money for the project is coming from. If money set aside for highway maintenance and improvements is taken away to be used for rail, Linke stated he “would not be in support of this project.” He added that CDOT’s highways “need serious help.”
Hedges explained that rail funds are separate from highway funds and that his department “can’t dip our fingers in highway money.”
“Our maintenance and construction costs won’t come from that, because they can’t,” he said.
In addition to the two senate bills, the rail can apply for federal and state grants, and Colorado Department of Local Affairs funds. Even if there are federal funding decreases in the future, there are a variety of other funding streams available, Hedges explained.
How do we prevents delays?
Commissioner Randy George asked if the passenger train would have priority in respect to freight trains. Both these trains operate on the same rail that stretches all the way to California from Chicago and that can sometimes lead to delays.
Hedges responded that state transportation services are very different from transcontinental trains.
“Long distance Amtrak – as you’re familiar with the Zephyr – is often not on time,” he said. “Part of the reason is because it’s thousands of miles long in terms of the route, so something that happens in Nevada is going to affect Glenwood Springs and Granby.”
What will likely be the first phase of the project, a line connecting Winter Park Resort with Granby and Denver, covers only about 60 miles which would make it easier to keep everything on time, says Hedges.
“Because you have less potential for delay, you have less potential for cascading delay,” he said, adding that operators will be financially incentivized to be on time.
In addition, CDOT’s grant asks for additional rockfall mitigation to respond quickly to these instances.
Who will the operator be?
Commissioner Ed Raegner asked who the train operator will be, and how much say the operator will have in what stops should exist. Hedges said that the operator won’t have a say in the stops; that is CDOT’s decision. An operator hasn’t yet been chosen, but CDOT will put out a bid soon. There are already some interested parties, according to Hedges.
Similar to Amtrak’s operation of the ski train, CDOT’s operator would provide a subsidy to keep ticket prices down throughout the whole line, Hedges added.
“The governor’s actually been clear about this, in terms of being sure this is an affordable way to get around,” he said.
Is the rail for commuters or tourists?
Linke asked if CDOT’s first step is to create a schedule for the tourist market, as opposed to a commuter market.
“If somebody from Craig wants to ride the train to Denver for a doctor’s appointment, is it going to be on time and will they be able to ride back the same day?” he asked. “As opposed to the tourists that come to Steamboat for the weekend?”
Hedges said that CDOT first hopes to model the popular Winter Park ski train.
“Why don’t we expand that first, and go to Granby … Build on what you know is successful.”
After developing a schedule for tourist users, CDOT plans to build a second roundtrip for Grand County commuters. CDOT’s Bustang bus currently runs roundtrip service from Craig to Denver once a day, with stops in all towns for local commuters. Hedges plans to have Bustang and the train “complement each other, rather than compete with each other.”
For example, the Bustang route can be timed with the train schedule to allow commuters to make it to other locations like Parshall or Hot Sulphur Springs.
Now that the commissioners have signed a resolution in support of Colorado Passenger Rail, CDOT’s next step in Grand County is to possibly receive resolutions from Kremmling and Hot Sulphur Springs.
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