State and local entities will contribute $137,000 to match a $548,000 federal grant that Colorado recently received to develop a plan for a Front Range passenger rail corridor.

The Southwest Chief and Front Range Passenger Rail Commission, Pueblo County, city of Trinidad and the Colorado Chapter of the Rail Passengers Association will provide the matching dollars for the project to advance the corridor toward a federal planning and approval process.

“This funding will ensure that the Front Range Passenger Rail Project can move forward into detailed stages that will help determine specific engineering and operational challenges as well as give us a far better understanding of potential benefits and costs,” said Randy Grauberger, project director for the commission.

The grant is part of the $2.5 million Colorado received from the Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements program.

As part of the plan development, various entities will determine the types of equipment, technology and infrastructure the corridor will need to operate. The process will develop revenue projections, suggest service frequencies and estimate the benefits of enhanced rail service. Part of the task will be to recommend a governance structure for the rail operator, such as through a Regional Transportation District-style board of directors.

BNSF Railway, the Union Pacific Railroad, and RTD are among the participants in the discussion.