sttom
OBS Chief
- Joined
- Jan 23, 2019
- Messages
- 824
Pity their vision doesn't extend to a connection with the SW Chief.![]()
I’ve mentioned this a couple times on various threads, but I’ve talked to my partner who is a Colorado native about this and watched one of CDOT’s town halls about it. Because of Colorado’s constitutional weirdness about taxes and spending, they will need to create a special tax district to fund the line after the federal money runs out. And his cynical opinion is that a district between Fort Collins and Pueblo is more likely to pass a tax to fund the line long term than trying to extend it somewhere else like to La Junta or Albuquerque. Either would make sense, but would require a larger district that could make the campaign to pass it into existence harder or the state legislature having to shake out its couch cushions for a few million extra dollars. Either way CDOT’s private opinion is likely to have a route that will exist long term and be useful vs trying to pass something us train fans would like that would be a harder sell to voters who might be having buyers remorse over FasTracks. Or at least use RTD’s failures as a reason to kill this line or a more extensive one. Either way local politics is going to rule this because of the 750 mile rule and the fleeting nature of federal funding.
I’m guessing the Cheyenne part is wishful thinking on Amtrak’s part. Hoping that Wyoming will pay for service north of Fort Collins. I know for sure Colorado won’t pay for it. They’d pay for a La Junta extension far before a Cheyenne one.