The Front Range Passenger Rail District will host a community town hall in Denver next week to update residents on plans for an intercity train along the I-25 corridor and collect public input.

The session will be noon to 1:30 p.m. Thursday at the Blair-Caldwell African American Research Library, 2401 Welton St. Attendees can hear overviews, ask questions and share feedback. Register at https://www.mobilize.us/ridethefrontrange/. The event is part of a whistle-stop tour following stops in Colorado Springs and Pueblo.

It aligns with the “Name the Train” campaign, open through March 23 at ridethefrontrange.com/namethetrain. Voters can choose among Colorado Connector (“CoCo”), Colorado Ranger, Front Range Express Destinations (“FRED”) and RangeLink, with a chance to win inaugural ride tickets.

So far, more than 18,000 residents have voted, with “CoCo” leading the pack with a slim margin.

“I love trains! We’re bringing passenger rail to the Front Range, and now Coloradans get to name it,” Gov. Jared Polis said in a March 2026 Facebook post.

Created by Senate Bill 21-238 in 2021, the district plans high-speed express service from Fort Collins to Pueblo on existing Burlington Northern Santa Fe and Union Pacific freight tracks, with an end-to-end travel time of around three hours.

Supporters say rail will ease worsening I-25 congestion as the Front Range population grows from 4.9 million in 2020 to 6.6 million by 2045. Polling shows roughly 70% support for the overall project and a possible 0.5% sales tax.

A starter phase targets 2029 on the Denver-to-Longmont corridor with three daily round trips. Funding would come from federal grants and taxpayer revenues through a variety of fees, plus Regional Transportation District revenues from the approval of RTD’s TABOR bypass vote, using current funds without new taxes.

The starter phase’s three round-trips offer limited capacity — about 200 seats per train, per the Colorado Department of Transportation’s Joint Service fact sheet — and are constrained by shared freight tracks where railroads hold priority.

“This historic agreement sets the stage for Colorado to begin delivering on the promise of passenger rail service … connecting some of our fastest growing communities,” Polis said in a June 2025 statement. “I am excited to see Colorado take another step towards delivering passenger rail service that will save us time, money, and reduce pollution.”

Critics call it a boondoggle that diverts resources from roads.

“Colorado does not need — and cannot afford — a Front Range passenger rail system,” said Rep. Anthony Hartsook, R-Parker, in a release. “I oppose placing an additional tax burden on hardworking Coloradans to fund an expensive rail project that fails to meet their daily transportation needs or help them achieve their goals.”

The district covers 13 counties and may seek voter approval for funding in November 2026.

“As I continue to hear from leaders and constituents across Douglas County, it’s clear there are serious concerns with the Front Range Passenger Rail proposal that will harm our community’s quality of life and cost hundreds of millions in state and federal funds,” said U.S. Rep. Boebert in an April, 2025 release.

California’s high-speed rail project, approved in 2008, has laid about 119 miles of track since 2015, but none of it is in passenger service as of 2026 despite expenditures of about $15 billion to $18 billion, according to state audits and reports.

Official estimates for the full Front Range Passenger Rail project range from $3 billion to $3.5 billion for a basic build-out, though critics and earlier studies cite $7 billion to $14 billion or more for high-frequency service by 2035 to 2045 or later, according to the district’s Service Development Plan.

“Everybody who’s a commuter makes two trips a day,” transportation analyst Randal O’Toole told The Denver Gazette in 2021. “There’s probably a million commuters in the region. So that’s 2 million trips a day. This is a drop in the bucket. It’s not going to do anything really. It’s just another excuse for spending money.”

More details at ridethefrontrange.com.