Colorado Connector passenger rail is scheduled to begin linking Denver and Fort Collins in 2029 with three daily round trips, launching Colorado’s long-planned Front Range intercity rail network.

Colorado Connector passenger train concept in the Front Range
Conceptual rendering of a Colorado Connector passenger train travelling through Colorado’s Front Range. Photo: Front Range Passenger Rail District.

Colorado Connector passenger rail will serve eight stations

The Starter Service will run from Denver Union Station to Fort Collins, stopping at Westminster, Broomfield, Louisville, Boulder, Longmont and Loveland. Trains will use the RTD B Line corridor to Westminster and existing BNSF freight tracks farther north, with infrastructure upgraded for shared passenger and freight operations. 

Colorado and BNSF have approved a term sheet setting the main conditions for a 25-year track-access agreement. A binding agreement remains the next step. The official Colorado Connector delivery plan⁠ estimates the first phase at $332 million in capital costs and $30 million to $36 million annually for operations and maintenance. 

Funding commitments are expected from the Colorado Transportation Investment Office, the Clean Transit Enterprise and RTD. However, the commitments remain subject to final approvals by the relevant boards. Project leaders say the initial service can proceed without a new passenger-rail tax.

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Amtrak will operate Colorado Connector passenger rail

Amtrak is planned as the initial operator, providing train crews, reservations, ticketing, maintenance practices and federal safety compliance. The Front Range Passenger Rail District has not yet selected the final rolling stock, according to its train and equipment information⁠. 

The district is considering proven push-pull trains that can operate in both directions without turning. Diesel, onboard battery and overhead-electric options remain under review. Therefore, the images published in the official Colorado Connector media kit⁠ are conceptual renderings rather than confirmation of a specific fleet order.

Colorado Connector passenger train concept at Broomfield station
Conceptual rendering of a Colorado Connector train beside a platform marked for Broomfield. Photo: Front Range Passenger Rail District.

Colorado Connector passenger rail could reach Pueblo

A second phase would extend daily service south of Denver to Littleton, Sterling Ranch, Colorado Springs and Pueblo, completing a roughly 190-mile core corridor. The district aims to deliver this phase by 2032 if voters approve dedicated funding. 

The draft plan models a 0.333% sales and use tax that could appear on a November 2026 ballot in communities closest to permanent stations. It estimates Phase 2 construction at $1.7 billion and annual operating costs at $40 million to $51 million. 

Later expansion could raise service to ten daily round trips between Denver and Fort Collins and eight between Denver and Pueblo over a roughly 20-year horizon.

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