Colorado Gov. Polis signs Front Range passenger-rail law

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis last week signed a bill that creates a taxing district to oversee the formation of the Front Range passenger-rail corridor that could lead to new Amtrak service.

The Front Range Passenger Rail District, which will take shape early next year, will cover all or parts of 13 counties near Interstate 25 between the Wyoming and New Mexico state lines, including the Denver area, The Denver Post reported.

The district and its appointed board will begin making formal plans for the first stretch of railway, which is likely to include a route north of Denver that goes through Boulder, with the district potentially connecting with the Regional Transportation District (RTD) to share costs between the railway and the RTD's unfinished northwest line.

In May, Amtrak, Colorado and Wyoming officials held a virtual roundtable discussion about the possibilities for the new corridor, which would stretch between Pueblo, Colorado, and Cheyenne, Wyoming. Front Range is one example of the up to 160 communities in more than 25 states that Amtrak envisions being able to serve over the next 15 years under its proposed expansion dubbed "Amtrak Connects US."