Colorado’s Front Range is one of the most obvious “should have a train” corridors in the United States, yet the Denver to Boulder to Fort Collins connection has stalled for decades. We dig into what’s changing and why a new Front Range passenger rail push is suddenly picking up real momentum, including the practical realities that have blocked progress before: freight railroad ownership, dispatching priorities, and the price of buying access to the BNSF corridor.

We walk through the current proposal for the Colorado Connector “CoCo,” focusing on the most likely phase one starter service between Denver and Fort Collins with intermediate stops like Boulder, Longmont, and Loveland. We get specific on the numbers, the plan to launch with just three daily round trips, and the pros and cons of treating rail as a pilot service. Is limited frequency a smart way to control costs and prove demand, or does it make the train too hard to use compared to a 40-minute drive?

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