Proposed Stations for a High-Speed Train along I-

25Compiled by John McGough

Route along I-25

Cheyenne, WYFort Collins, COBoulder, CODenver, COColorado Springs, COPueblo, COSanta Fe, NMAlbuquerque, NM

Cheyenne, Wyoming The legislative capital of

Wyoming as well as the largest center of population, making it an essential economic hub for the state.

A high speed rail could help bring new businesses to Cheyenne as well as connect Wyoming businesses to other markets in Denver and New Mexico.

Cheyenne is already a major railway intersection in the United States connecting the Burlington Northern and Union Pacific Railroads at the BNSF rail yard . Cheyenne could become an intersection for high-speed lines in the future as they extend north to Montana, East to Nebraska and West toward Salt Lake.

BNSF rail yard beside the historic Union Depot in downtown Cheyenne.

Fort Collins Home of Colorado State University

with a student population of 26,500. Many students have close ties with family in Denver and Colorado Springs or would use a High-Speed rail to reach the airport.

Fort Collins is home to many major beer companies: New Belgium, Odell’s, Anheuser-Busch. Colorado is renown for its quality micro-beers and people come from all over to try new brews.

Fort Collins is a growing community and major population center that relies on Denver for arts and entertainment, and also hosts many of its own cultural events within its old town.

New Belgium Brewery

Odell’s Brewery

Boulder, CO Many Coloradans prefer to live in

Boulder rather than Denver because it is a beautiful town but then have to commute to Denver for work and would likely support construction of a high-speed line to relieve the commute time.

It is home of the University of Colorado with a student population of 30,196 from all over the country and many more from Denver and Colorado Springs. CU also has a second campus in Colorado Springs. A High-Speed rail would more easily connect these two campuses together.

Boulder is considered to be an important community for the arts and entertainment, drawing artists from all over the state.

University of Colorado, Boulder

Denver Union Station in downtown

Denver is under construction to become a national transportation headquarters. It will be the central station for all public buses and the RTD light rail systems in Denver. It could also become the main station for a high speed rail along the Front Range.

With Union station as the center of Colorado transportation, future High-Speed rail travelers could easily connect with the surrounding suburbs and airport.

Denver is the business center for Front Range states, with many national businesses using Denver’s central location as a business travel advantage.

Union Station in Downtown Denver

Denver Continued Denver, which has a

population of 3,110,000 people supports a large consumer economy. Businesses on the Front Range would be able to access Denver more easily with a High-Speed rail.

Tourists would be able to travel to Denver, it’s airport, and the mountains more easily.

Attractions within the city include Elitch gardens amusement park, the Denver Art Museum, Invesco Field, Coors Field, and the Pepsi Center.

Central Business District

D.I.A.

Colorado Springs Colorado Springs is the second

largest city in Colorado and is home to many businesses that rely heavily on Denver

It lies about an hour and a half from DIA, which would make a high speed rail very convenient for passengers looking to get to the airport quickly.

It is also the headquarters of the United States Air Force Academy which draws military personnel from all over the country.

Colorado Spring is also well known for being the headquarters of many Christian organizations like the Navigators, Younglife and others, who’s ministries travel frequently and would most likely rely on a High-Speed rail.

Downtown Colorado Springs

Pueblo and Trinidad Pueblo and Trinidad are both

smaller, mostly agriculturally based cities that could experience great benefits from a potential High-Speed rail system.

It would encourage businesses to spread to these areas and spark potential growth.

Amtrak rails already exist between Trinidad and Albuquerque that can be improved to go faster and work more efficiently alongside future High-Speed lines.

The Historic Union Depot in Downtown Pueblo

Santa Fe Santa Fe receives many tourists

throughout the year because it is nestled up against the mountains.

It is also an historic Spanish city that has a rich artistic culture. A high speed rail would be able to connect artists in this town to other artists in the North, strengthening the culture between these cities.

A diesel train line currently operating along I-25 between Santa Fe and Albuquerque has provided a way for citizens of each city to travel with ease. It is a fairly inexpensive operation, but it makes enough money to continue moving customers between the two cities.

Rail Runner Station in Santa Fe

Albuquerque The largest city in New Mexico,

and also the largest economy in the state, with most of New Mexico’s businesses working out of this city.

Albuquerque has a quickly growing metropolitan area. A high speed rail would help to continue to develop this area and could one day become another possible High-Speed rail intersection, which would connect trains from Texas and California to the Front Range.

This is where I have decided the line along I-25. It is also feasible to continue the line all the way down to Las Cruces, NM and El Paso.

The Railroad Depot in downtown Albuquerque

Shared CommunitiesEach of these communities along the front range

are very interconnected. Each city’s economy relies heavily on the economies of the other cities to the north or south.

I-25 is the primary form of transportation connecting these cities together.

Also, each city relies on Denver either through shared economies or through access to DIA. With a High-Speed rail, Denver would have the ability to connect cities like Albuquerque or Cheyenne to the rest of the nation more easily.

Overall benefits Such a railway system could bring:

Interconnected commercial centers along the Front Range, which would promote more business and population growth in all of these areas.

Also it would help to connect these cities with the rest of the country by allowing easier access to DIA. It could even help draw more people from across the nation to the communities along I-25.

Smaller communities like Cheyenne, Pueblo and Trinidad would see increased development from connectivity of a High-Speed railway.

It would help take many cars off the road and short distance flights out of the sky, helping the environments along this major highway.