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If Yampa Valley wants a commuter rail line, paying for much of it could be ‘on us’

Dylan Anderson

Commuter line would benefit from infrastructure upgrades to support regional rail to Denver, but local operations likely need local funding.

Paying for the operations of a commuter rail line operating within the Yampa Valley is likely going to fall on local sources, Steamboat Springs City Council member Michael Buccino, who sits on the Mountain Rail Coalition, said last week.


A service development plan outlining the first estimates of what it would cost to start Mountain Rail Service between Craig and Denver is expected early next year. Buccino said that document would also include details about what a shorter commuter line between Craig and Oak Creek would cost, including startup costs like purchasing trains and constructing stations, as well as what it may cost to operate.


While a commuter line will undoubtedly benefit from upgrades made to get a larger, regional line up and running, much of the operating and even some capital costs will likely need to be covered from local coffers.


“The commuter rail is the one thing that is really on us,” Buccino said. “When we start talking about having to buy the commuter train, that’s our region and so it doesn’t seem like we’ll get a lot of funding for the actual commuter train on the tracks.”


At an open house in Hayden last month, Colorado’s top rail official said they are aiming to establish rail service by the end of 2026, a goal fueled by “political attention.” The first mountain rail service will likely start on a corridor between Denver and Granby, an area that already has train service with Amtrak’s California Zephyr line.


Rail officials with the Colorado Department of Transportation will join local partners for another open house in Steamboat Springs on Dec. 9 at Bud Werner Memorial Library. This is part of the third and final round of open houses in communities along the proposed rail service route before the service development plan is published.


Buccino said he expects the service development plan to be specific about costs, which so far have not been estimated with precision. Not only will this plan have costs for operations, but Buccino said he expects it to break down the costs of acquiring various types of trains, building different size platforms and various levels of service.

Even when the costs associated with a commuter rail line is known, how much of the costs will be paid locally is still an unknown.


“The next question is, are we going to take care of 10% of that or are we going to take care of 100% of that?” Buccino said.


The state almost certainly wouldn’t be the one running a local commuter train, rather that would likely fall to an organization like a regional transportation authority. Voters could see ballot language forming an RTA in the Yampa Valley next fall, though how specific that question will be remains to be seen.


Buccino said one option could be to simply ask voters to form an RTA next year and come back in later years with detailed service proposals and requests for funding. Other communities have opted to form an RTA with voters before asking them to commit funding for service.


“We still want to decide what the funding mechanism is and the percentages across the valley, and, again, how much money is needed for the bus system versus a bus and rail system?” Buccino said. “We don’t want to jeopardize an RTA, just for the sake that we are going to have to pay for the commuter rail.”


“We know we want an RTA with buses on the roads,” he continued. “We know that we could potentially have a commuter rail, and we are seeing a lot of things positive about it, but it’s hard to ask for a what if, if it never happens.”


The Public Open House about Mountain Rail in Steamboat Springs is from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 9, at the Bud Werner Memorial Library.


Top Photo Caption: Rail lines in the Yampa Valley could see a commuter line from Oak Creek to Craig, if local sources are willing to pay for it. (Dylan Anderson/The Yampa Valley Bugle)


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