A “Joint Service” plan is being developed that would bring passenger rail service from Denver north to Fort Collins by 2029.

The passenger trains would be paid for with existing funds from the Denver Regional Transportation District (RTD) and other Colorado agencies that are working to institute passenger train service in Colorado.

No voter-approved tax increase would be required to finance the proposed Denver to Fort Collins train. That removes what could have been a major stumbling block to approval of this proposal.

The funds needed to pay for the service will come from the Denver RTD and fees from car rentals and oil and gas extractions that are already being collected. 

Between Denver and Fort Collins, the train will stop in Westminster, Broomfield, Louisville, Boulder, Longmont and Loveland.

If Colorado does what other nearby states, including New Mexico, have done, only one diesel locomotive and one group of passenger cars will be required to start this train service.

That one set of passenger train equipment will make three round trips from Fort Collins to Denver and back each day. The trip will take about 80 minutes each way.

The first train will leave Fort Collins at about 6:30 a.m. and roll to Denver Union Station. After a brief stop in Union Station, the locomotive and passenger cars will reverse direction and head back to Fort Collins.

At midday, the same passenger train will make a second round trip from Fort Collins to Denver and return.

Then, late in the afternoon, the locomotive and passenger cars will make the third round trip of the day, departing Fort Collins for Denver and then returning to Fort Collins at about 10:30 p.m.

This Joint Service will require a second diesel engine and passenger cars to fill in in case of a delayed train, an accident, or servicing requirements for the original locomotive and passenger cars.

This scheduling of passenger train service from Denver to Fort Collins could have implications for Colorado Springs.

If the Denver-Fort Collins service is a success and attracts a large number of train riders, there will be political and economic pressure to lengthen the passenger train service south from Denver to Castle Rock, Colorado Springs, and Pueblo.

That will be particularly true if new industries coming into Colorado choose to select their new site along the operating Denver to Fort Collins passenger rail line.

There are many ways in which this new arrangement involving Denver’s Regional Transportation District (RTD) saves money.

RTD already operates passenger trains north of Denver to suburban Westminster.

From that point northward, the Joint Service has recently announced an agreement from which the BNSF railroad will provide the railroad tracks onward from Westminster through Boulder, Longmont, and Loveland to Fort Collins.

Track improvements and other costs to install passenger service from Westminster to Fort Collins will be $333 million.

Because one set of a diesel locomotive and passenger cars will be making all three round trips a day, there will be no need for additional sidetracks – places where passenger trains going in opposite directions can pass each other. That will save money.

Train stations will be minimal in the early going, but some station platforms and small shelters where patrons can wait for the passenger train will be constructed.

The new passenger train will also take advantage of existing car parking lots at the edge of the railroad. An example would be the existing parking structure at Boulder Junction.

The Denver-to-Fort Collins passenger train service will require new trackside railroad signals. The new signals will provide Positive Train Control (PTC), which automatically stops trains when problems occur.

Most passenger train railroads in the United States have PTC. It helps to prevent passenger train accidents, such as head-on collisions and other instances of trains running into each other.

Sharp curves on the existing railroad tracks will be made less sharp. That will permit train speeds up to 79 mph.

The target date for all this work to be done and the train to be operating between Denver and Fort Collins is January 2029.

There has been skepticism as to whether passenger trains would ever operate along the Front Range. The major characteristic of this Joint Service plan is that it is believable.

Japan, China, France and Switzerland have impressive passenger train systems. The United States is a notably automobile-oriented country, yet efficient passenger train systems would make economic and environmental sense

The Denver RTD, which already operates passenger trains in the Denver metropolitan area, will be a major participant. No vote by the tax paying public will be required. Money is available to pay for this new passenger rail service.

And an agreement has been made with the BNSF railroad to prepare a portion of the tracks to handle passenger service.

Stay tuned. Do not expect a Front Range passenger train service soon. And do not expect it to be the type of fast trains enjoyed in Japan and China. But some forward motion is currently in the works.

Tom Cronin and Bob Loevy are news columnists who write about Colorado and national politics.