Colorado Connector

Not to be confused with FrontRunner.

Colorado Connector

A long-distance Amtrak train in Colorado
Overview
Service type	Inter-city rail
Status	Planned
Locale	Colorado
First service	2029 (Denver-Fort Collins, planned) Within five years of initial opening (full service)
Current operator	Amtrak (planned)
Website	coloradoconnector.com www.ridethefrontrange.com
Technical
Track gauge	4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Route map Possible extension Cheyenne WY CO Fort Collins Loveland Longmont Boulder Louisville Broomfield Westminster California Zephyr to Emeryville California Zephyr to Chicago Denver Union Station New Broncos Stadium I-25 & Broadway Littleton Sterling Ranch North Colorado Springs Colorado Springs Pueblo Possible extension Possible extension Southwest Chief to Chicago Trinidad CO NM Possible extension to New Mexico Southwest Chief to Los Angeles Key Phase 1  special events Phase 2  Amtrak proposed

The Colorado Connector (CoCo), also known as Front Range Passenger Rail, is a planned intercity passenger train service along Colorado's Front Range corridor with major stops in Fort Collins, Boulder, Denver, Colorado Springs, and Pueblo. The train is expected to be operated by Amtrak with state support over existing tracks owned by BNSF and Union Pacific.

Per the delivery plan adopted by the Front Range Passenger Rail District in July 2026, the Colorado Connector will be implemented in two primary phases. Phase one is fully funded and will consist of three daily round trips between Denver and Fort Collins by 2029. Phase two will increase frequency and extend service south to Pueblo by mid-2032, pending voter approval of a sales tax increase within the rail district.

Front Range communities were historically connected by rail transit until the mid-20th century. A series of studies performed since the early 2000s showed mounting interest in renewed service. In 2021, Colorado created the Front Range Passenger Rail District taxing district to fund a new passenger-rail effort, while Amtrak included the route in its expansion vision.

As of 2023, the Colorado Department of Transportation is working on a service development plan for the core route between Pueblo and Fort Collins. The plan will enable the state to solicit funding from voters and from the federal government. The service was named the Colorado Connector in 2026 through a public poll.

Past variations of the proposal have called for service north to Cheyenne, Wyoming, and south to Trinidad, Colorado; Albuquerque, New Mexico; and El Paso, Texas, though these options are not planned as of 2026.

As of April 2026, the first phase of the Colorado Connector is scheduled to begin operations in 2029. In April 2026, Governor Jared Polis announced that if a ballot measure funding the CoCo is passed that year, full service on the line would open within five years of the initial segment.