Passenger Rail Station Location Study

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The final Passenger Rail Station Location Study and Executive Summary are now complete and available for review below.

• Executive Summary
• Passenger Rail Station Location Study

Note, technical appendices available upon request. 

Thank you to our Guidance Committee and stakeholders that supported the process and provided feedback to guide the ultimate recommendations. 

This effort represents the first step in establishing a passenger rail station in Colorado Springs. The City has identified the location just south of the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Museum as the preferred station site. 

This study provided the opportunity for the City and stakeholders to identify the location of a future passenger rail station in Colorado Springs, should agencies such as the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), Front Range Passenger Rail (FRPR) District, Amtrak, and the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) advance plans to provide passenger service. With this plan in place, the City is prepared if passenger rail service comes to Colorado Springs. 

Future phases including design and construction would be the responsibility of the agencies implementing the passenger rail service. The time frame for this is not yet determined. However, the City is continuing to track this and will remain involved to best represent the interest of the City residents, businesses, and visitors. If you have any questions or require access to the appendixes, please contact transitinfo@coloradosprings.gov. 

The project team has established a Guidance Committee to provide feedback throughout the project. Invited stakeholders of the Guidance Committee include a representative range of community leaders, local/regional governments, and other mobility/community advocacy groups.

Stakeholder Guidance Committee Meetings

• 1st Guidance Committee Meeting:
  • City and Agency Staff
  • Community, Advocacy, Business, and Social Service Representatives
• 2nd Guidance Committee Meeting Summary
• 3rd Guidance Committee Meeting Summary

Guidance Committee Roster

COS Passenger Rail Station Location Engagement Summary

Thank you for your continued engagement and interest in the City of Colorado Springs’ Passenger Rail Station Location Study. During the second engagement milestone, the feedback survey received about 700 responses from the public. While there is still future work to be done regarding station design and community integration, this study provided a ranking of viable station locations (see ranking below).

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Figure 1: Pie chart of responses to the survey question: "Do you generally agree with the site ranking as they have been presented?”

1. America the Beautiful Park
2. Depot East
3. Drake East
4. Drake West
5. Depot West
6. Nevada/Tejon

All six sites are feasible; however, factors like timing and availability will influence which location presents itself as the best option. Feedback collected from the survey demonstrates public support for the top ranked locations with a total of 68% in agreement or strong agreement. The public also expressed their excitement for a station location that was in proximity to existing transit options and that offered multimodalIncluding more than one mode of transportation. For example, a facility that accommodates lanes for motorized vehicles, bike lanes, sidewalks, and transit stops. access, thus supporting their desire to use the station and future passenger rail service for both commuting and leisure travel.

As the study comes to a close, the project team is in the process of developing a final conceptual plan for the top ranked station site. Please continue to check the website for the published plan and the final report, expected in the fall of 2022 and any new information on the next steps.   

Public Engagement Presentation #2

This recorded presentation is the second of the project’s major stakeholder engagement milestones. The presentation provides an overview of the project to date, the evaluation criteria, station location evaluations, and the recommended rank order of passenger rail station locations.  

Survey

Public feedback is essential in helping to guide the future of the Passenger Rail Station Location Study. 

This presentation and online questionnaire were live from Monday, August 8 until Friday, August 19.

This survey is now closed.

Public Engagemenent Presentation #1

This presentation is the first of the project’s two major stakeholder engagement milestones. This presentation provides an overview of the project, the historical context for passenger rail service, station considerations, and findings from the project team’s initial round of evaluation.

Survey

As the project continues, it is important to incorporate public feedback as it will help guide the Passenger Rail Station Location Study.

This presentation and online questionnaire were live from Monday, May 9 until Monday, May 16.

Feedback is now closed.

Additional Engagement Opportunities

At key milestones throughout the project we will be asking for more input to guide the project’s progress.

Please check this page regularly for updates on community meetings and events.

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