By Jack Carlough
As tax collections continue and progress is stalled, patience is running low for the RTD’s Northwest Rail line project. Proponents are eager to see the potential environmental and transportation benefits, while others question the heavy financial burden.
The route, also known as the “B Line,” would connect Denver to Longmont through Boulder. It was approved in 2004 as a ballot measure that would increase sales tax by four-tenths of 1%.
Seventeen years later, the route that would connect Longmont to Boulder has yet to be completed. Longmont residents have put over $60 million in taxes into the project and Boulder County residents have spent over $250 million.
Boulder County Commissioner Matt Jones has been one of the more active officials in pushing for the completion of the rail line.
“People in Boulder County want Northwest Rail delivered,” Jones said. “They voted for it, they’re paying for it, they want it. I agree with that. The trick is how do we get it done.”
In February 2020, Jones, along with Longmont Mayor Brian Bagley, Westminster Mayor Herb Atchison and RTD Directors Judy Lubow and Peggy Catlin, went to the Burlington North Santa Fe (BNSF) Railway Company headquarters in Texas. BNSF told the Colorado crew that they wanted to implement a small-scale 30% design study. The design study would be completed by RTD to better understand how the rail would operate.
“They’ve (BNSF) done alternative analysis that showed a way for the train to get from Longmont to Denver faster than buses,” Jones said. “And they said what you need to do is to do a 30% design study. We know the next steps. So it’s something concrete that we’ve asked the RTD to consider doing.”
According to a BNSF document titled “Guidelines for Industry Track Projects” a 30% design study includes “all items from the conceptual submittal plus plan/profile sheets, crosssections, typical sections, xing plans, drainage plans, revisions from changes due to land and utility negotiations, and 30% structure plans.”
While the Northwest Rail project continues to evolve, Jones said, he has been working with RTD to avoid service cuts and to improve the Highway 119 bus route between Longmont and Boulder.
Amidst decreased ridership during COVID-19, RTD CEO and General Manager Debra Johnson said in a Boulder Transportation Connections event in January that it was important to explore all options.
“I think she (Johnson) clearly knows that we want it from her vantage point,” Jones said. “They (RTD) weren’t doing well financially before COVID, and now they’re doing (worse). … But they’re in a difficult spot, RTD is. So we’re trying within that context to keep momentum going on some work on Northwest rail. The 30% design study would be a good step.”
Some locals are still clamoring for the rail-line. Kim Hoff of Longmont said that due to a medical condition, she relies on coworkers to drive her to work in east Boulder. She said that taking the bus would “double or triple an already long commute” and her company doesn’t participate in the RTD’s subsidy program.
Hoff added that because of the increasing cost of living in Boulder, a time-effective train route would be a much needed alternative to taking the bus.
Matt Webber of Louisville, however, has lost nearly all trust in RTD to follow through on the rail line.
“The lack of an effort to fulfill the promises of the FasTracks or to at least give a valid reason why this hasn’t happened yet has forced me to campaign and vote against every single proposed RTD expansion, tax increase, or bond in protest to the fact that I voted for a train and instead have gotten a more expensive and more restricted HOV lane in the last 15 years,” Webber said.
Another Longmont resident, Abby Driscoll, noted the expected environmental impact that a train would have in decreasing the number of cars on the road. Driscoll, who is chair of the board for Sustainable Resilient Longmont, believes the rail would also improve the economy and quality of life.
“I feel like there’s just multiple benefits to this thing and I totally support it,” Driscoll said. “It’s absolutely frustrating that it hasn’t been built yet, but transportation planning is not an easy thing.”
A train service that would run during peak commuting hours has been a popular alternative option. Commuting Solutions Executive Director Audrey DeBarros supports the full fruition of the rail but would also welcome shorter term alternatives.
“We are interested in exploring options to potentially enable initial commuter rail access, such as Peak Service Northwest Rail, and the Front Range Passenger Rail,” DeBarros said.
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Some Boulder County commuters still hopeful for rail - Longmont Times-Call
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