On Thursday afternoon, Gov. Jared Polis and many state and city officials boarded a passenger train at Denver’s Union Station and headed for Longmont. The journey was a demonstration run of part of the Front Range Passenger Rail route forecasted to begin construction in the next three to four years.
A small crowd gathered at First Avenue and Emery Street to welcome the first passenger train to Longmont since former President Teddy Roosevelt stopped in Longmont on Sept. 25, 1900 as part of his Whistle Stop Tour.
“It’s one small step for a conductor and one giant leap for Colorado,” bellowed the conductor as he opened the door to the train and placed a step on the concrete. “Welcome to Longmont.”
Following his momentous words, representatives from across the Front Range disembarked from the train. Among the passengers were Phil Greenwald, transportation planning manager and Erin Fosdick, former principal planner for the city and current executive director for Longmont Economic Development Partnership. The duo have spent years working with RTD and other regional and state officials to get the long-promised Fastracks project started in Longmont.
Longmont is located halfway between Denver and Fort Collins — the expected complete rail route. The city of Longmont is planning to create a new transit hub at First Avenue and Main Street that will act as a multi-modal transportation hub which will include train and bus transportation.
Polis stepped from the train and excited the crowd with a cheer for the Front Range Passenger Rail’s inaugural trip and demonstration ride.
“We are going to make it happen for everybody soon. We are excited that we broke that barrier. This is the first time that we got passengers from Denver Union Station, right here to Longmont,” Polis said.
Polis said there is legislation in the works that is expected to help fund the rail. That coupled with federal funding should get the project started within the next three to four years.
“It was amazing. It is so exciting to be able to take the very first passenger rail from Denver to Longmont, many more to come, it will be faster, convenient low-cost service,” Polis said.
“We are really excited about this being the first train from the Northwest Rail and I’m really appreciative of the work that the governor’s office has done to make this a reality and everyone from Longmont was really excited,” said Harold Dominguez, Longmont city manager.
Voters in Longmont passed the FasTracks vote in 2004 that committed a 0.40% sales tax to bring a passenger rail to Longmont. Residents have paid more than $80 million in the tax over the year.
In 2021, Polis’ office sent a letter to RTD CEO and General Manager Debra Johnson stating, ““I write to remind you of RTD’s responsibility of fulfilling their obligations to the taxpayers of the District and urgently request you begin the planning necessary to complete the construction of the corridor by 2025. Please keep this priority in mind, particularly, as the District evaluates how to spend significant additional dollars that have been unexpectedly provided directly to RTD via federal stimulus payments.”
RTD began a cost analysis of completing the project.
“We need to get the cost numbers and get them in a transparent way,” RTD board member Lynn Guissinger told the advisory board during a video presentation in 2021. “We need to get the information to the voters up there.”
“Longmont’s been preparing for this for a long time and we look at the work that we’re undertaking on the development of the First and Main Transit Station and the transit-oriented development that we have in the area it really is hitting not only transportation — which is a city council goal — but it’s also really allowing us to focus on our housing needs in the community,” Dominguez said.
The city of Longmont announced Monday that the First and Main Transit Station is one of the upcoming construction projects that will soon begin in Longmont’s downtown area. The station is funded with a $17 million infusion of FasTracks dollars and a $7 million match by the city of Longmont.
The prospect of the train finally coming to Longmont is great news for Longmont’s economic climate, according to Fosdick.
“It helps connect us to talent, helps connect us to industry so people continue to have more ability to live, work and visit Longmont. We all already know how great it is here but it is an opportunity for others to see,” Fosdick said. “Placemaking and thinking about really vibrant urban centers is important for economic development, so having the train further enhances downtown and provides additional opportunity.”
