All aboard: County study outlines options, costs of bringing passenger rail back to Pueblo

Yahoo

19-02-2025

A project years in the making, Pueblo County has reached a pivotal juncture in its work to bring passenger rail back to the Steel City.
The county's Pueblo Rail Station Area Plan has been made available for review. Early in Pueblo's history, passenger rail served a vital role in growing Pueblo's population and heightening the demand for local steel production, but it's been over 50 years since passenger rail roared through Pueblo.
"Planning to reinstate rail service to Pueblo has been under way for over a decade," according to the Pueblo Rail Station Area Plan. "To position the city of Pueblo as a key destination along future rail service corridors, Pueblo County began planning anew for a passenger rail station as part of an effort to reestablish intercity passenger rail services."
Monies from a 1A ballot measure approved in 2016 funded design drafts for a train station. Studies in 2020 identified the Union Depot as a preferred station area due to its potential ability to service the Amtrak Southwest Chief Thru Car between Chicago and Los Angeles in addition to the Front Range Passenger Rail that could eventually run from Cheyenne, Wyoming, to Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Considering community feedback, the 2025 Pueblo Rail Station Area Plan recommends the Baggage Depot northwest of the historic Union Depot as the preferred area to place a new train station. Renderings place the new station area between the historic deport and a proposed multi-use building. A proposed multi-modal bridge connects the station to the Arkansas River Levee.
With Pueblo County staff's recommendation, the Baggage Depot pends adoption by Pueblo County commissioners as the Locally Preferred Alternative (LPA) for adaptive reuse, according to the study.
"Coordination between all partners will be critical to the advancement of this plan," according to the study. "Once the LPA has been adopted, the proposed Pueblo Passenger Rail Station location should be added or amended in local plans, capital programs and operating budgets during future updates."
In the 2025 study, Pueblo County staff outlines cost estimates in 2024 dollars for their proposed Pueblo Union Depot Station Plan, noting the estimates may be subject to change.
The total project could cost anywhere between $31.3 million and $37.8 million, according to estimates. Platforms and track alignment are estimated account for $10 million to $15 million of the total cost, while the bridge construction could cost between $9.8 million and $10.7 million. Renovation of the Baggage Depot could cost approximately $3 million.
Pueblo County's Pueblo Rail Station Area Plan can be viewed in its entirety on the county website.
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Pueblo Chieftain reporter James Bartolo can be reached at [e-mail]. Support local news, subscribe to the Pueblo Chieftain at subscribe.chieftain.com.
This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: Pueblo County study outlines options for passenger rail station