CoPIRG: Colorado is Ready for High-Speed Rail

Posted for Danny Katz  (CoPIRG)

On June 17^th the Obama administration will release criteria for awarding the $8 billion provided by the Recovery Act for the construction of high-speed rail lines throughout the country.

Although the state is not slated for funding in initial Department of Transportation high speed rail corridor proposals, Colorado is ready for high-speed rail.  The state has for years been at the forefront of regional transit development.  Since the early 1990s, residents of the Denver area have come together and approved construction of one of the more comprehensive light rail systems in the country as well as expanding rapid bus lines through its FasTracks program. All of this will provide a feeder network so high-speed rail riders can get to and from rail stations without ever getting behind the wheel of a car.

In addition, many of the cities and counties along the I-25 and I-70 corridor have had the foresight to fund the Rocky Mountain Rail Authority, which is completing the necessary studies that will allow Colorado to request approval to become a designated high-speed rail corridor.

Coloradans need not feel too discouraged when they look at a map of the federal government's designated high-speed rail corridors and notice that none of them are in Colorado.  Most of the federal government's designations started in 1992, when the population of the Denver metro area was around 2 million.  Since then, the Denver metro area has grown 50 percent. With that growth came increased traffic congestion on metro roads and airports, as well as increased opportunities for ridership on future high-speed rail.  As America builds the transportation network for the 21st century, Colorado will be a prime candidate to climb on board high-speed rail.