CoCo Front Range Passenger Rail - Issue 7A (Boulder Daily Camera)

Proponents of the Colorado Connector say the Fort Collins-to-Denver service is the ticket that northern Front Range residents have been waiting decades for.

A “yes” vote on 7A in November, they promise, will deliver up to 10 round trips to Denver every day, with service eventually reaching Trinidad.

Opponents are not on board, saying that we’ve ridden this train before.

This latest iteration of passenger rail is set to launch service in 2029.

Funding for the first phase of the project, which includes service from Denver to Fort Collins, has already been secured from the Regional Transportation District and Colorado Department of Transportation, according to an email from James Flattum, the director of outreach for Yes on 7A.

But whether the service, dubbed CoCo, moves beyond that initial stage is now up to voters in the Front Range Passenger Rail District. Ballot Issue 7A proposes a 0.333% sales and use tax to fund extending the rail service south to Pueblo and increasing the frequency of trips offered on the northern section, Flattum said.

If passed, the measure would be expected to generate $295 million a year across the district.

The FRPR District encompasses communities from Fort Collins to south of Trinidad, all of which will get a chance to weigh in on the sales and use tax increase this November. The district also includes Loveland, Longmont, Boulder, Superior, Louisville, Lafayette and Broomfield.

What is CoCo?

The “starter service” is scheduled to begin in 2029 with three daily round trips between Fort Collins and Denver, stopping in Loveland, Longmont, Boulder, Louisville, Broomfield and Westminster along the way, according to the FRPR District’s delivery plan for the service.

The $332 million price tag for the starter service would be covered by existing funding sources, including $156 million from RTD’s FasTracks Internal Savings Account, according to Flattum.

RTD’s contribution is intended to help fulfill its longstanding commitment to extend FasTracks commuter rail to Boulder County, where residents have paid an additional 0.4% sales tax since 2005 to help finance the still-unfinished service.

The remaining $176 million will come from the Colorado Transportation Investment Office. The funds come from a state law passed in 2024 that imposed a congestion impact fee on some motor vehicle rentals, Flattum said.

For the starter service, the FRPR District would provide required station infrastructure, including the platform, ticketing, lighting and ADA access, while local governments would be responsible for any additional amenities or improvements.

The district and the investment office are expected to help cover ongoing operating costs.

How long would a ride take?

Travel time estimates may change, but a trip on CoCo from Fort Collins to Denver’s Union Station could take roughly 1 hour 50 minutes, according to a document for an April 28 FRPR board meeting.

A trip from Fort Collins to Loveland is estimated at about 15 minutes, Loveland to Longmont at 20 minutes, Longmont to Boulder at 12 minutes, Boulder to Louisville at 12 minutes, Louisville to Broomfield at 8 minutes, Broomfield to Westminster at 11 minutes, and Westminster to Denver at 16 minutes.

Ticket prices have not yet been finalized, but the district states in its delivery plan that it is currently modeling fares at about 19 cents per mile, in line with other services such as Bustang and the Winter Park Express.

If ballot item 7A passes, the district plans to expand CoCo in stages, reaching Pueblo “within five years of receiving new dedicated funding,” according to the delivery plan.

The completed service calls for as many as 10 daily round trips between Fort Collins and Denver and eight between Denver and Pueblo. At that level of service, the district projects CoCo would carry more than 1 million one-way passenger trips annually, about 70% of them north of Denver, according to the delivery plan.

What happens if 7A passes?

Per the language that will appear on the ballot, if approved, Issue 7A would impose a sales and use tax equivalent to about 33 cents for every $100 spent. The tax would take effect in July 2027.

Gasoline, food for home consumption, residential electricity and natural gas, prescription drugs and medical supplies would be exempt from the tax.

The measure would also allow the FRPR District to issue up to $580 million in debt, with a maximum repayment cost of $785 million. A “yes” vote on 7A would further authorize a Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights override, allowing the district to collect, retain and spend all revenue generated by the tax rather than returning any amount over $295 million to taxpayers.

If 7A passes, the district has said, it plans to reinvest over $1.15 billion into 13 station communities over 25 years through what it calls its local return program. Annual payments are based approximately on community population, and the funds are intended for station-related projects, according to a news release from the FRPR District.

Local governments that voted to support station plans in their community qualify for a 10% increase in funding under the program, according to Flattum.

Using existing BNSF railways

Railways between Denver and Fort Collins are owned by BNSF, or Burlington Northern Santa Fe. The Colorado Connector is intended to utilize those railways to deliver service cheaper and quicker, according to the Colorado Connector’s website.

In an April 28 meeting, the RTD board’s discussion mentioned a non-binding “term sheet” about terms and conditions to allow the Colorado Transportation Investment Office to use BNSF’s railways. Some financial information about how that office would compensate BNSF is redacted on the term sheet document.

Prairie Mountain Media sent CDOT a records request Oct. 6 for an agreement between that office and BNSF, and has not received a record as of Friday evening.

In 2011, the RTD said FasTracks service to Boulder County would be delayed, after BNSF estimated it would take $1.4 billion for the passenger rail to reach Longmont. The RTD had estimated $894.4 million.

BNSF and the state “have agreed on key terms for a proposed initial service between Denver and Fort Collins,” a BNSF spokesperson said in an email Sept. 29. “The project will require engineering, design and construction of infrastructure improvements before passenger trains can begin operating.”

A spokesperson declined to answer further questions, including if a price for the rights of way have been finalized or how BNSF determines the price of securing those rights.

What CoCo means for Boulder

Coco will come through the Boulder Junction near Bluff Street just east of the S’PARK development in east Boulder. Coco’s arrival is seen as critical to the continued development of Boulder Junction as a mixed-use commercial and residential travel hub.

The city has been eyeing Boulder Junction as the spot to develop a hub since the 2000s and was first published in Transit Area Village Plan in 2007, and that plan highlights how a commuter rail underpins the vision of that area flourishing. Boulder Junction has a bus stop, as well.

Boulder could receive about $3.3 million annually for 25 years, or $82.5 million total, from the local return program, according to a news release from the FRPR District. Boulder officials could not confirm how much money city taxpayers would contribute through the 0.333% sales tax.

What CoCo means for Broomfield

In an Aug. 11 meeting, the Broomfield City Council agreed to support a station in the city, near the intersection of West 116th Avenue and Teller Street in southern Broomfield. The “preliminary capital estimate” for the initial station, set to be paid for by the FRPR District, is $5.62 million, the memo for the meeting says.

Broomfield could receive about $2.75 million annually for 25 years, or $68.75 million total, from the local return program, according to the August memo. The city was unable to confirm how much revenue the CoCo tax could generate in Broomfield.

What CoCo means for Longmont

Work on Longmont’s future transportation hub is moving ahead. A groundbreaking for the First and Main Transit Station took place Friday, south of First Avenue and west of Main Street.

The project includes a five-story facility with 10 bus bays, roughly 700 parking spaces and bicycle storage. Completion is expected in late 2027.

Longmont could receive about $3.3 million annually for 25 years, or $82.5 million total, from the local return program, according to a news release from the FRPR District.

If voters approve Ballot Issue 7A in November, the proposed 0.333% sales and use tax increase to fund CoCo is estimated to generate approximately $8.8 million annually from purchases made in Longmont. The estimate is based on the city’s roughly $2.63 billion in taxable sales in 2025. The revenue would go to the Front Range Passenger Rail District to help fund the project, rather than directly to the city’s budget.

What CoCo means for Louisville

A train bridge at South Street in Louisville on Thursday. A station for the Front Range Passenger Rail District Colorado Connector is proposed for the area. (Joel Solis/Staff Photographer)

A Louisville station could be located along the BNSF corridor between South and Short streets in the downtown area near existing public parking and RTD bus access. The station concept dates back to when the FasTracks vision identified downtown Louisville as a proposed station location.

The city recently adopted a Downtown Vision Plan that would bring additional pedestrian amenities to the station area, including an additional pedestrian underpass on South Street under Colorado 42, connecting the station to Lafayette and the Coal Creek Trail — a heavily used regional recreation path.

City officials do not have an estimate for potential revenues from the CoCo tax, and said any information on the planned station can be found in a June memo to the City Council.

Louisville could receive about $2.2 million annually for 25 years, or $55 million total, from the local return program, according to a news release from the FRPR District.

What CoCo means for Loveland

If Ballot Issue 7A passes, most purchases in Loveland would be subject to an additional 0.333% sales tax — equivalent to an 11% increase over the city’s existing 3.0% rate.

Loveland’s finance office does not have a formal projection of potential revenue from the CoCo tax but confirmed that $6.6 million to $6.8 million annually is a reasonable estimate based on a Reporter-Herald calculation using the city’s 2025 taxable sales data.

Officials with the FRPR District and Colorado Department of Transportation have identified property at Seventh Street and Railroad Avenue for Loveland’s station.

Planning for the final design is in the early stages, assisted by a $75,000 share of a $200,000 grant from the Colorado Department of Local Affairs awarded jointly to Loveland and Fort Collins.

To further help with the effort, the city has invited residents to give feedback on potential impacts to the area, as well as infrastructure needs, parking and connections to other transportation options, including COLT buses.

No cost estimate for station construction is available. However, if 7A is approved, Loveland will be a beneficiary of the district’s “local return” program, which would grant the cities with stops a portion of the tax revenue to enhance their stations. Through that program, Loveland could receive $2.75 million annually or a total of $68.75 million over 25 years.

The ‘entire region benefits’

Communities without stations that are within the FRPR District’s boundaries, such as Lafayette and Superior, will still weigh in on and potentially pay the 7A tax increase.

The district’s boundaries include places “most directly receiving service,” according to Flattum.

“Generally but not universally, a 3-5 mile radius was applied around each station,” he said, adding that the “entire region benefits when CoCo provides another option for getting cars off I-25.”

Based on 2025 numbers, Superior could contribute over $1.3 million to the FRPR District per year if 7A passes, according to a town spokesperson.

Residents in unincorporated Boulder County aren’t included in the FRPR District and won’t vote on the ballot measure. Purchases at businesses in unincorporated Boulder County, including Niwot and Hygiene, also won’t be taxed.

In Larimer County, only voters living within the city limits of Loveland and Fort Collins will see Issue 7A on their ballots, according to Elections Director Michelle Mihulka.

Though Berthoud and unincorporated parts of the county were included in the FRPR District in early planning for CoCo, those areas were excluded when the state legislature revised the boundaries in May through Senate Bill 26-172.

An estimated 800,000 voters in Adams, Arapahoe, Douglas and Weld counties were erroneously sent ballots that include Issue 7A, after the FRPR District did not adequately communicate changes to the district’s boundaries, according to a statement from the Colorado Secretary of State’s Office.

The Department of State and County Clerks Association are working to ensure only eligible votes will be counted and voters should vote the ballot they received, the Oct. 7 statement said.

Boulder County does not have this issue, and voters should receive the correct ballots, according to Mircalla Wozniak, a spokesperson for the county clerk and recorder.

The case for 7A

In the Colorado ballot information booklet, comments in favor say shifting some automobile trips to passenger rail would reduce fuel consumption and emissions, improve air quality and encourage more walkable development around stations. They also contend that expanding highways alone cannot meet the region’s long-term transportation needs.

Boulder Mayor Aaron Brockett said that, should CoCo come to Boulder at full scale, it would be “transformational for the region.”

“That means a lot fewer cars on the road, it means that people can travel without the congestion of the highways,” Brockett said. “It would make a huge difference for mobility throughout the region.”