The idea of a rail line serving the series of cities on Colorado’s Front Range has been around for years, but lately it has finally gotten traction. It’s about time: Colorado only continues to grow, and there are now close to 5 million people at the foot of the Rocky Mountains in a relatively narrow corridor less than 180 miles long. Everything from high-speed rail to Hyperloop has been considered, although conventional diesel rail (like that in neighboring Utah and New Mexico) is now moving forward, if in stages. This plan would also finally allow passenger rail between Denver, Boulder and Longmont, the last great missing piece of Denver’s FasTracks plan, although to truly complete the plan, additional trains serving additional stops would be required. (The State also appears to be serious about a new line on existing tracks in the northern mountains, and there’s a proposal to connect the Front Range corridor’s south end to the Amtrak Southwest Chief.)

Notes on Design

This strip map is based on the Front Range Passenger Rail brand, and includes symbols with a connection to Colorado and the Front Range, namely diamonds and mountains on the western horizon (including the three most prominent peaks visible from the Front Range, Pikes Peak, Mount Blue Sky, and Longs Peak). The typeface is Montserrat.

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