Click the link to read the article on The Denver Post website (Nick Coltrain). Here’s an excerpt:
December 23, 2024
Colorado state officials and the Union Pacific Railroad reached a tentative agreement on the future of the 100-year-old Moffat Tunnel — and, in the process, set the stage to expand passenger rail service in the mountains between Denver and Craig, officials announced Monday. Barring any major hiccups between now and the formal signing in May, the state will extend the 99-year lease allowing Union Pacific to use the tunnel for another 25 years. In exchange, the state will receive expanded access to Union Pacific’s railroad tracks for passenger trains from Denver to northern Colorado over that time frame. The final technical details still need to be finalized, but the state’s key negotiators were confident Monday that this agreement would set the stage for final approval. If all proceeds smoothly, regular daily passenger train service between Denver and Grand County — a portion of the full corridor — could begin in time for the start of the ski season in late 2026. For several years, Amtrak has run the revived Winter Park Express ski train along that route seasonally, but only around weekends — including from Thursdays through Mondays this season. The mountain rail expansion could eventually lead to up to three roundtrip services per day between Denver and Craig, with several stops, including Winter Park and Steamboat Springs, along the way…The deal announced Monday will also settle the use of the Moffat Tunnel, with the expiration of the 99-year lease just weeks away. The state owns the tunnel and leases the tracks that run through it to Union Pacific, which other train operators can then pay to use.
The 6.2-mile Moffat Tunnel is the only rail tunnel in the state that spans the Continental Divide. It connects Gilpin and Grand counties west of Denver. At more than 9,200 feet in elevation, it is the highest point in Amtrak’s national rail network, according to Sky-Hi News. The tunnel serves as a crucial rail connection between the Front Range and the Western Slope, as well as the grander American West.
While everyone seems excited for this new agreement it does nothing to correct the problems this train route cause along it’s path communities. For almost a decade Union Pacific has blocked Arvada, CO. from building a busy major Avenue’s underpass to eliminate all kinds of transportation systems tie ups this major rail route causes for local Coloradians. This is for all transportation modes as this rail line bisects many City of Arvada local roads and paths without concern from Union Pasfic or the Statefor local needs. This is just for alleviating the I-70 single bottle neck issue into our mountains for the metro Denver area. All this lease does is add more train traffic to this busy train line without fixing this barrier for all that have to cross the tracks daily. When will new methods of transportation for all get the same impotance and rights as the old style rail roads and highways?
When I started at my current employer I was jokingly told that the pecking order was railroads, ditch companies, God.
Thanks for commenting.
John Orr
http://coyotegulch.blog/