Advantages of CoCo (Gazette)

Many of us in Colorado have faced a familiar problem: getting stuck at Denver International Airport waiting to transfer to a connecting flight to Colorado Springs or Pueblo. Some may prefer to drive down, but many sit and wait. The drive can take 2-3 hours on a bad day, or we can be stuck with the highly unpredictable weather that dominates the Front Range regardless of the season.

The solution staring at us is supporting the expansion of Colorado Connector south to Colorado Springs and Pueblo. Both Pueblo and Colorado Springs are too far to fly and too arduous to drive. The potential it unlocks as an affordable connection: frequent RTD A-line service would connect airport travelers via a transfer at Union Station.

A trip to the local CoCo station would eliminate the need to fight traffic up to Denver International Airport or take an expensive, cramped, fuel-hungry connecting flight for Pueblo or Colorado Springs. Trains would travel at or above average driving speeds on Interstate 25 at 79 mph and offer easy onboard amenities with a short walk, rather than fighting traffic on the drive through or getting any real comfort on the shortest flights. Many regions in the United States and abroad successfully use intercity rail to connect major cities and airports.

The Northeast Corridor, for example, links cities like Baltimore, New York, Philadelphia and Newark, while airports such as San Francisco and Orlando offer direct rail connections. These models demonstrate the benefits and feasibility of expanding rail service for Colorado. Supporting this project aligns Colorado’s Front Range with proven transportation solutions that have succeeded across the country and around the world. A no vote would be fundamentally catastrophic for further integration of the Front Range, forcing residents into the near-endless slog of traffic we deal with today.

Erik Gustafson, Colorado Springs