As CDOT touts 2026 goals for passenger rail, there is no timeline for Yampa Valley service

Steamboat Council member questioned the fate of the project after 2026, when Mountain Rail’s key catalyst — Colorado Gov. Jared Polis — leaves office.

An Amtrak train passes through the Moffat Tunnel. (Colorado Department of Transportation/Courtesy)

While touting their goal to begin new passenger rail service in Colorado’s mountains by the end of 2026, officials with the Colorado Department of Transportation said Tuesday that a Yampa Valley line doesn’t have a timeline for implementation.

In an update to Steamboat Springs City Council, CDOT’s rail leaders said they are viewing phase one of the Mountain Rail effort to be a Denver to Granby line, a corridor already served by Amtrak and the Winter Park Express ski train. This additional train service operated by the state hopes to start in the fourth quarter of 2026.

The route talked about in the Yampa Valley — a commuter line with four daily round trips between Oak Creek and Craig, one of those eventually extending to Denver — is currently being considered phase two, said Maux Sullivan, the agency’s assistant director of passenger rail.

“That phasing is still being finalized and so a lot of it will depend on how much is it going to cost to bring passenger rail, there’s going to be significant infrastructure investments that are going to be needed” Sullivan said. “We don’t have a specific timeline.”

Council members eventually supported a resolution on Tuesday that said the city supported rail stations in Steamboat and would help plan to design them. They also approved submittal of a grant application for station planning that would require a $100,000 match from the city if awarded. (Council members briefly discussed trying to split that sum with Routt County and Steamboat Ski & Resort Corp.)

The Mountain Rail effort — once thought to be more of a long-term vision then a feasible project — has taken significant strides in the last year, largely due to the strong backing for the project from Colorado Gov. Jared Polis. CDOT’s goal to start some level of service by the end of 2026 coincides with the end of Polis’ term as Governor.

“How strong is the support for this do you think when the Governor is gone?” Steamboat Springs City Council member Steve Muntean asked CDOT officials. “In terms of the legislature and what not, how strong is the support for Mountain Rail given the other possible priorities there may be?”

Cody Hedges, a senior rail and transit planner for CDOT, avoided mentioning the Governor in his response by pointing to legislation passed last year that created funding for passenger rail efforts. That funding, part of which is tied to a new fee on rental cars and not necessarily subject larger state budget woes, will allow them to implement initial Mountain Rail service, which will serve as a “proof of concept” to garner support, Hedges said.

They are already getting some of that proof, Hedges said. While the Winter Park Express ski train served about 16,000 riders last season, Hedges said they have surpassed 40,000 riders so far this season after expanding service and lowering fares. By comparison, Steamboat Springs Transit’s Regional Bus between Steamboat and Craig set a record in 2022 with more than 41,000 passengers.

“When you see a successful system, [that is] something that you can then support because it is successful,” Hedges said. “We can see a viable system through that example and that is what we expect to see as we expand it to Granby and on.”

Rick Ridder, who represents the Yampa Valley on Colorado’s Transportation Commission and lives in Oak Creek, said he would stay committed to supporting passenger rail regardless of who was in the Governor’s Office.

“Most importantly, we do have significant funding that is not reliant on who is in the White House either,” Ridder said.

Council member Amy Dickson posed a number of questions at the CDOT officials, adding that while she is excited about the prospects of passenger rail, she needs more specifics.

“We’re looking at a commuter train but we have no specificity on what that actually means,” said Council member Amy Dickson. “Hopefully my questions are helping you understand what I’m hearing from residents and where I’m struggling with the information.”

The proposed routes for Mountain Rail service would include a short pattern between Denver and Granby, a long pattern extending to Craig and a commuter line in the Yampa Valley. (Colorado Department of Transportation/Courtesy)

Some of those specifics could come in the Service Development Plan for Mountain Rail, a document that officials now say is expected sometime in June. Earlier statements contemplated having that plan as early as January of this year, but the plan is waiting on the completion of Moffat Tunnel negotiations between the state and Union Pacific Railroad.

The Service Development Plan will have estimated costs for the overall Mountain Rail project, but Sullivan said it won’t have estimates for how much of that will need to come from local coffers.

That plan is also expected to outline infrastructure and safety upgrades needed on tracks in the Yampa Valley to accommodate passenger service. From there, Sullivan said they can determine the costs to make those improvements and potential funding options. Funding from the federal government could come into play at that stage, but initial work has avoided using federal dollars.

The other ongoing efforts are largely about station planning. A Steamboat Resort area station is being contemplated near the wooden bridge over the Yampa River on Mt Werner Road while a downtown Steamboat station could be either at Stockbridge Transit Center or on a patch of land near the corner of 5th Street and Howelsen Parkway.

Stations are being contemplated in Oak Creek between Bell and Sharp avenues, in Craig near the railroad crossing on Yampa Avenue and in Hayden near the historic train depot.