Letter: World-class trail over passenger rail

The Colorado Department of Transportation, Gov. Jared Polis, and Denver special interest groups are reportedly looking at passenger rail between Glenwood Springs and Leadville using the inactive Tennessee Pass line. While Glenwood to Dowd Junction may make sense, the section from Minturn to Leadville does not. Passenger rail over Tennessee Pass is at best a misguided use of taxpayer funds and at worst a red herring by freight haulers looking to ship waxy crude. The headwaters of the Eagle and Arkansas, through Camp Hale National Monument, and in the backyards of Eagle and Lake County residents are at stake.

Estimates ranging from a quarter to half a billion dollars just to renovate and rehabilitate the tracks mean that any passenger service from Leadville to Dowd Junction would be a pricey ticket, way beyond the pocket of “Leadville 500” commuters. There is an existing and improving Core Transit bus service that’s faster, cheaper and more frequent, with plans to integrate all-electric buses. It doesn’t make sense for ski traffic either — the line continues through Browns and Royal Gorge Canyons down into Pueblo instead of originating at DIA or a Front Range park-and-ride.

A better alternative is to revive the 1996 Tennessee Pass Rail to Trail Study led by the state, which gained enough traction that then-Gov. Roy Romer and the chairman of Union Pacific signed a memorandum of understanding to make it happen. Converting this corridor from Minturn to Leadville into a path would create a world-class connection between mountain towns on par with rails-to-trail projects in the Alps such as the Alpe Adria trail that leads from Salzburg to the Sea. It would cost one tenth as much as rail service and generate millions in economic benefits for actual Coloradans.

CDOT, through 1997’s Senate Bill 37, can use the state’s general fund to acquire a railroad right of way for freight, passenger, recreation and other uses. The right move is to take this invaluable route back as its current lease expires for Colorado’s benefit and let local communities have a hand in deciding the best use for the different segments. The time is perfect; the state has Union Pacific forced to the negotiating table for the 100-year Moffat Tunnel lease renewal. Polis, CDOT Director Shoshana Lew, and local officials shouldn’t let the out-of-state railroads dangle a shiny object to distract you from their true intentions.

Brian Rodine
Minturn