Colorado Springs

[Rasputin]

I have tried to check out a hypothetical trip to Colorado Springs involving Amtrak (either Nos. 5 and 6 or 3 and 4) but it doesn't seem to be especially workable.

The Amtrak site will allow me to book Chicago to Colorado Springs and shows the thruway bus connection which I assume is guaranteed. It will allow me to book Colorado Springs to Chicago but shows an early thruway bus from Colorado Springs to Denver which involves a long wait in Denver. The later bus shown in the Amtrak schedule does appear in the booking from what I have seen.

Amtrak will not allow me to book Grand Junction to Colorado Springs although the Amtrak schedule for No. 6 appears to show that it is doable.

I believe there has been a recent discussion that there is no longer a thruway bus with a connection from No. 4 at Raton for Colorado Springs.

I do not see any car rental agencies in Raton, Trinidad or La Junta.

Maybe, unless I go Southwest Airlines, I don't want to go to Colorado Springs after all.

 

[MARC Rider]

If you're going to rent a car anyway, why not just rent it in Denver? That way you don't have to deal with the connecting buses, or lack thereof.

Also, there's the Bustang South Line, which has 4 departures a day on weekdays and 2 departures a day weekends from Union Station. They apparently don't do through ticketing with Amtrak, but they leave from Union Station, and it's not big deal to buy the extra ticket.

South Line Schedule | Bustang (ridebustang.com)

There's also a bus between Lamar and Colorado Springs (Lamar Pueblo Schedule | Bustang (ridebustang.com) ) Only one run each way and only on weekdays. Not sure how well it connects to the Southwest Chief.

 

[jebr]

If you're going to rent a car anyway, why not just rent it in Denver? That way you don't have to deal with the connecting buses, or lack thereof.

Also, there's the Bustang South Line, which has 4 departures a day on weekdays and 2 departures a day weekends from Union Station. They apparently don't do through ticketing with Amtrak, but they leave from Union Station, and it's not big deal to buy the extra ticket.

South Line Schedule | Bustang (ridebustang.com)

There's also a bus between Lamar and Colorado Springs (Lamar Pueblo Schedule | Bustang (ridebustang.com) ) Only one run each way and only on weekdays. Not sure how well it connects to the Southwest Chief.

All of this is good advice. Having taken the Bustang a few times, I'd do that over Greyhound any day of the week, guaranteed connection or not. Tickets can be purchased with cash if desired on board (and thus you don't have to worry about whether you get a ticket for the "right" bus and have flexibility.) Take the elevator down to the bus bays and then go to the relevant gate (I forget the exact gate number, but it's well-advertised down there.) There's also an airport shuttle from the Denver airport to Colorado Springs, although the cost is $50, plus you'll need to add on the $10.50 for the train to the airport.

If you're not wanting to rent a car, Denver makes far more sense than Colorado Springs as a starting point - there's currently no transit access at all to the COS airport, and even the proposed local bus route to there only runs a couple times a day (and isn't well-timed.) The only reason why I'm flying into there on my next trip is because I have family that can pick me up, otherwise I'd just take the Bustang from Denver down. If you're renting a car, I'd still probably compare both cities - rental car availability is limited lately, and while Denver offers quite a few more options it also has quite a bit more demand.

 

[Rasputin]

Thanks very much for all of the helpful advice. When I was on No. 4 a couple of years ago I recall seeing the thruway bus at Raton which connected with No. 4 and served Colorado Springs. I wonder if this service is likely to be restored.

 

[PVD]

I have gone to Colorado Springs a number of times from Denver. It was always very easy to get a rental car and it isn't a bad drive. The first few times I went to pick it up nearby, the last 2 times, they came and got me..

 

[dlagrua]

IIRC, the drive from Denver to Colorado Springs was only 1:15 and quite easy. Coloradao Springs is a nice town to visit but neighboring Manitou is fabulous, with the Pikes Peak RR, Cave of the Winds, Manitou Cliff Dwellings, Miramount Castle and the Garden of the Gods.

 

[PVD]

The complete rebuild of the Pikes Peak RR should be done soon...they were shooting for a May reopening

 

[Willbridge]

Thanks very much for all of the helpful advice. When I was on No. 4 a couple of years ago I recall seeing the thruway bus at Raton which connected with No. 4 and served Colorado Springs. I wonder if this service is likely to be restored.

One of the reasons that the Denver<> Colorado Springs Thruway link is so thin is the pandemic. Greyhound, the operator, is down to one bus a day between Denver and Albuquerque and one bus a day between Denver and Dallas. The DEN<>RAT bus to Train 3 and from Train 4 is discontinued indefinitely.

When considering Bustang (CDOT) keep in mind that as a commuter-oriented service its weekend schedules are pretty thin. I assigned the intercity services to Gates B3 and B4 before I retired and they've worked out pretty well. They're close to the historic station building where Amtrak ticketing and baggage services are located and to the elevators for the A-Line for DIA.