C.R.S.
Section 32-22-103
Front range passenger rail district
- creation
- purpose
- boundaries
(1)
The front range passenger rail district is hereby created as a body politic and corporate and a political subdivision of the state. The district is not an agency of state government and is not subject to administrative direction by any department, commission, board, bureau, or agency of the state.(2)
The purpose of the district is to research, develop, construct, operate, and maintain an interconnected passenger rail system within the front range that is competitive in terms of travel time for comparable trips with other modes of surface transportation. In addition to a main North-South passenger rail line, the district shall, as specified in this article 22:(a)
Collaborate with the regional transportation district to ensure interconnectivity with any passenger rail system operated by or for the regional transportation district;(b)
If deemed appropriate by the board and by the board of the regional transportation district, share capital costs associated with shared use of rail line infrastructure in the northwest rail line corridor for passenger train service;(c)
Collaborate with Amtrak on interconnectivity with Amtrak’s Southwest Chief, California Zephyr, and Winter Park Express trains, including but not limited to rerouting of the Amtrak Southwest Chief passenger train;(d)
Coordinate with the department of transportation to ensure that any district front range passenger rail system is well-integrated into the state’s multimodal transportation system and does not impair the efficiency or safety of or otherwise adversely affect existing transportation infrastructure or operations and hold at least one joint meeting annually of the board and the transportation commission created in section 43-1-106 (1);(e)
Hold at least one joint meeting annually of the board and the board of directors of the I-70 coalition, or a successor entity of the coalition, to ensure that any district front range passenger rail system interconnects with any passenger rail system that serves the interstate highway 70 mountain corridor; and(f)
Hold at least one joint meeting annually of the board and the board of directors of the regional transportation district to discuss and resolve operational and interconnectivity issues.(3)
Subject to the environmental review process required by the “National Environmental Policy Act of 1969”, 42 U.S.C. sec. 4321 et seq., and a complete alternatives analysis, the preferred alignment for the northern segment of the main North-South passenger rail line is through the northwest rail corridor. The district shall prioritize the initiation of construction and completion of that corridor.(4)
The area that comprises the district extends from Wyoming to New Mexico and includes:(a)
The entirety of the city and county of Broomfield and the city and county of Denver;(b)
All areas within Adams, Arapahoe, Boulder, Douglas, El Paso, Huerfano, Jefferson, Larimer, Las Animas, Pueblo, and Weld counties that are located within the territory of a metropolitan planning organization;(c)
All areas within Huerfano, Las Animas, and Pueblo counties that are not located within the territory of a metropolitan planning organization and are located within a county precinct, as defined in section 1-1-104 (30), that is located wholly or partly within five miles of the public right-of-way of interstate highway 25; and(d)
All areas within Larimer and Weld counties that are not located within the territory of a metropolitan planning organization and are located within a county precinct, as defined in section 1-1-104 (30), that is north of the city of Fort Collins and is located wholly or partly within five miles of the public right-of-way of interstate highway 25.
Source:
Section 32-22-103 — Front range passenger rail district - creation - purpose - boundaries, https://leg.colorado.gov/sites/default/files/images/olls/crs2023-title-32.pdf (accessed Oct. 20, 2023).
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