Passenger rail service in Wyoming is edging toward a “back to the future” scenario as interest grows in a high-speed railroad corridor down Interstate 25.
The line would run from Casper to Cheyenne, down Colorado’s Front Range, all the way to Albuquerque, N.M.
Bob Briggs, president of Front Range Commuter Rail, envisions high-speed rail lines running up and down the I-25 corridor, from Albuquerque to Casper and beyond, and possibly over to Yellowstone National Park. Another section of his proposed Ranger Express line would run along Interstate 70 from Grand Junction to the Denver International Airport.
“We’re raising money for a feasibility study,” said Briggs, a former board member of Denver’s Regional Transportation District who’s been ramrodding the high-speed passenger service idea for the past two years. He wants to knit together a system of more than 1,000 miles of track, with the Denver Fas-Tracks system which plans to build a $4.7 billion, 119-mile light rail system by 2016.
Briggs has just about lined up $1.5 million from Colorado. He needs $400,000 from Wyoming and $600,000 from New Mexico to reach a $2.5 million regional goal before he seeks $2.5 million from the federal government in matching funds.
"The right to have access to every building in the city by private motorcar in an age when everyone possesses such a vehicle is actually the right to destroy the city."
Lewis Mumford, The Highway and the City, 1963
Welcome to Rocky Mountain Rail Authority, Rangerxpress, and the Colorado Rail Association
Rocky Mountain Rail Authority and Front Range Commuter Rail are working on running high-speed commuter trains from Casper, Wyoming along the Colorado Front Range to Albuquerque, New Mexico. Additional service is planned from Denver International Airport (DIA) along the I-70 Mountain Corridor to mountain communities and ski areas. Please see the information on this web site to learn more
By JOHN MORGAN
Star-Tribune staff writer
with staff reports Monday, January 08, 2007
A high-speed railway line connecting Casper with the rest of the Rocky Mountain region could speed closer to reality if the Casper City Council decides to fund a feasibility study at its work session today.
The $4.4 million study would look at connecting Casper and Cheyenne to a special rail line extending through Denver along Colorado's Front Range all the way to Albuquerque, N.M.
Casper's share of the study would be $50,000. Cheyenne is also being asked to contribute $50,000.
A timeline for the study calls for funding by July 2009. If everything goes according to plan, the rail line could be completed by 2016, according to information from the Rocky Mountain Rail Authority.
By JOHN MORGAN
Star-Tribune staff writer Saturday, February 24, 2007
The Wyoming Legislature got on board a $4.4 million, three-state study on Friday when it pledged $260,000 towards a high-speed passenger railway system.
"I'm very pleased with these results," said Rep. Pete Illoway, R-Cheyenne. "I hope it proves that we could get a rail line from Casper to Albuquerque."
Albuquerque, N.M., has taken the lead in the rail project. The New Mexico Rail Runner train already has nine stops and planners are hoping to connect the city's metropolitan area population of 800,000 to Santa Fe, located about 60 miles away.
The study will look at the feasibility of building a train system along the Colorado Front Range connecting Denver and surrounding cities to New Mexico, as well as possibly adding a northern line connecting Cheyenne and Casper to the system.
Sandy Elliott of Gallup, N.M., sent an e-mail to the Star-Tribune about train service there. She said the state's Rail Runner line recently celebrated its 300,000th rider.
"We take the train to Albuquerque when we want to fly and not leave a car parked at the airport," Elliott said. "People needing to get into the city, including university students, hospital workers and Christmas shoppers, were relieved to be able to take a train rather than fight traffic and pay for gasoline. Bus lines are offering connections to the train stations and the opportunities are expanding for everyone."
RangerXpress High-speed Rail up and down Rocky Mountain / Colorado Front range and west to Colorado mountain communities & ski areas from Denver International Airport sounds great. Â
One support website http://www.trainsnotlanes.info/
  It makes an interesting argument for commuter rail in the I-70 Mountain Corridor.  It looks at car-center plans vs balance transportation.  The balance transportation approach gives the traveler a choice between going by highway or high-speed rail to their favorite mountain communities & ski areas. For those that choose to drive or ride the bus, the road will be less crowed or congested and more enjoyable. In part, the rail will “offload” some traffic from the highway.
Of course riding the rail will be more fun. Also makes more sense to ride the rail instead of bus from the Denver airport.
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This slide presentation: http://trainsnotlanes.info/Documents/DRCOG16web.pdf
  It makes a case for Transit First, solution using elevated rail lines, to solve the  I-70 corridor congestion problem.
These arguments could be used for less populated wide open plains state like Nebraska. .
High-speed transit proposal rules out line to Winter Park
Kevin Flynn
The Rocky Mountain Rail Authority's push to develop a high-speed intercity train network across Colorado will study spurs to Aspen, Steamboat Springs and Breckenridge but has eliminated a branch to Winter Park as too costly.
The authority has outlined about 600 miles of basic routes, potential stations and types of trains it will study, based on meetings with officials and planners from along the routes, chairman Harry Dale said Tuesday.
The authority is doing a $1.5 million feasibility study to determine whether a train system capable of traveling as fast as 125 mph can be financed and operated along the major east-west and north-south travel corridors of the state.
The skeleton map of the system shows a line going between Denver International Airport and Grand Junction, paralleling Interstate 70, and another stretching between Trinidad and Cheyenne, parallel to Interstate 25.
There are 17 major stations to be studied, with 27 secondary stations. Five potential spur lines emanate from the I-70 corridor to reach Aspen, Craig, Leadville, Breckenridge and Central City-Black Hawk
Sounds like progress is being made on the RangerXpress High-speed Railroad mentioned in my post above.
 WOW. Thanks for posting that Uffda!
