You can take free rail to the ColoRail's annual meeting on April 27

Colorado Rail Passenger Association Annual Meeting
Saturday, April 27, 8:30 to noon
The Guild, Englewood Town Center
3435 S Inca Way
Englewood
Light Rail: C, D
Bus: 0, 35, 51

ColoRail is electing five new board members and is hosting multiple guests. These include Amtrak's Colorado Representative, the project director from Colorado's Passenger Rail Commission,  and the Sierra Clubs Transportation team leader. There will also be a of rail caps and tee shirts to benefit small railroads.

ColoRail has a lot of members, and is somewhat democratic. As such it has had some significant successes in the past. But the board needs more people of color, more women and more young people to really energize those members and achieve transformative successes.

FasTracks and Ski Train - Where do we stand?

Colorado Rail Passenger Association Winter Meeting

Saturday, February 29, 9am to noon

Denver Union Station, downstairs conference room

This is to the south of bus box on the other side of the Amtrak trains.

Buses: 0, 6, 20, B, L, AF (The list of routes is incomplete on Google Maps.)

Light rail lines E and W are a five to ten minute walk away.

Draft Agenda

9:00 am -- Meeting convenes
Fighting to Achieve ColoRail’s Goals -- Jim Souby, ColoRail president
Amtrak and the New Congress -- Invited: Joe McHugh, Vice President, Amtrak by video conference
Fast Tracks: Four Major New Lines Will Open in 2016 Including the Airport Train -- Richard Clarke, RTD Ass’t General Manager, Capital Projects
How the Millennials Will Revitalize Our Transportation System: More Bicycles, Buses, Cars to Go, and Trains Are In Our Future! -- Sylvia Brady, Jack Wheeler
12:00 pm   Adjourn

Building Blocks for Passenger Rail

Colorado Rail Passenger Association Spring Meeting
Saturday, June 14, 9:30-noon
Bear Valley Branch Library
5171 W. Dartmouth Avenue
Denver
Bus: 51

9:00 Doors Open

9:30 Meeting Starts

9:40 Legislation: What Difference Does It Make and How Do We Get It?
                            by Julie Hoerner Mowry, our volunteer lobbyist

10:10 Membership Discussion

11:10 RTD Northwest Mobility Study
          by Chris Quinn, FasTracks Project Manager

11:40 Election of Board Members

Meeting will end and room will be cleared by noon.

Colorado Rail Passenger Association Meeting Focuses on the Southwest Chief

Saturday, March 8 at 9 am
History Colorado
Martin Room
1200 Broadway
Denver
Bus: 0, 6, 16, 19, 83

Doors open at 8:30 and the meeting starts at 9:00 am. Right after opening remarks, Rep. Leroy Garcia and Pueblo County Commissioner Sal Pace will give a legislative report. Then there will be a forum with industry representatives. The meeting will end by 11:30.

A Chance to Find Out What is Happening with Rail in Colorado

Max Tyler, Chair of the House Transportation Committee and two members of the state Transportation Commission (Ed Peterson and Kathy Gilliland) will be taking part in a panel discussion on the future of trains and buses in Colorado as part of the ColoRail winter meeting. Panels in the past have allowed politicians to get political credit for things that they have not done, so I am not a fan of this format, but this is chance to tell these people what we need.

Colorado Rail Passenger Winter Meeting
Saturday, February 16 at 10 am
Panel starts at 10:30
Belmar Public Library (This is the downtown branch)
555 S. Allison Parkway
Lakewood
Bus: 1, 3, 11, 76

I would like to know why we are widening Kipling when that street does not have adequate transit, something that Don Peterson supports. In fact, I would like to know why we are widening Kipling when kids are going hungry.

ColoRail Fall Meeting

Saturday, September 22 at 10 am
Boulder Public Library
1000 Canyon Boulevard
Boulder
Bus: JUMP
The AB, B, 204, 225, SKIP,  and DASH are about a block away.

Colorail is meeting again this Saturday 10 am at the Boulder Public Library. An official from FasTracks will be speaking about the options for rail vs. BRT in the northwest corridor followed by pizza followed by a presentation on high speed rail.

Pizza and Coffee with Train Supporters in Arvada

Saturday, June 2 at 10 am (That is this Saturday!)
Standley Lake Library
8485 Kipling Street
Arvada
Bus: 100

We will discuss "Rail Tourism in Colorado and the Future of Passenger Rail" and enjoy pizza and snacks. Malcolm Kenton, a NARP staff member, will be in attendance.

RTD Recognizes National Train Day!

Good for them.

Let's hope that next year they recognize the actual events that take place in Colorado. This was the second year in a row that ColoRail members went down to Trinidad to take the train from Trinidad, CO to Las Vegas, NM and back again. Along the way, they accepted proclamations from cities along the route in support of the Southwest Chief.

RTD recognizes National Train Day.

(Let's also hope that whoever designs the Train Day website makes it possible to link to individual events.)

ColoRail Meets this Saturday

The Colorado Rail Passenger Association is having its fall meeting this Saturday at 9:30 am at the Longmont Public Library, 409 4th Avenue. The main focus will be presentations on a possible rail line north along the Front Range. Speakers include Mark Imhoff, Director, CDOT's Transit and Rail Division, Brandon Shaffer, candidate to represent District 4 in the US House of Representatives, and Joan Shaffer, Loveland City Council member. The meeting will conclude with a short member meeting.

Buses: The local buses 323 and 324 both run near the library, although only the 323 coming from Twin Peaks Mall gets you there just before the meeting. Both run hourly. The BOLT will bring you from Boulder and Niwot, arriving a little early. This bus also runs every hour.

Major Changes in Downtown Denver This Summer

1.  This summer starting July 23 and lasting 3 weeks until August 15, the light rail lines going to Denver Union Station will not run, Routes C and E. This will be a major inconvenience for transit riders, but the light rail lines going to the 16th street mall will run. Two major construction changes will be done at the same time, so this is better for riders than 2 separate closures. One change is connecting the train tracks from the West Corridor to the tracks in the vicinity of the Auraria West station. The other project will locate the  3 tracks for all three light rail trains atnew white light rail station 3 blocks from the historic Denver Union Station. This means that the 16th street mall must extend several more blocks to serve those riders. No word on the cost of running this extended 16th street mall shuttle, though RTD will have to do it.

2. Other utility projects are occurring in the same area and it's difficult for people to cope with all the changes.  As a result, from now on, DUSPA will put out a weekly construction update with all construction closures and projects. One that affects the public more than previous utilities is the closing now of Wewatta and 15th & Delgany. Two buildings will have limited access. This is closer to the public than previous construction.

3. There is a new FASTER Grant Agreement in final form for $4 million with a $1 million match. (4 million from the city with $1 million from DUSPA.)

4. There is a small triangle of land, marked in red on the maps that could be "leftover" after the right of way is acquired by the city.  So they are getting an appraisal.  It would cost $20-25 thousand to pave it.  It could be built over, leaving a 15 foot right of way.  They do not want it sitting there unpaved when the project opens. 5. The DUSPA board approved a new policy regarding other projects.  They will not support any project, such as the proposed grocery store, that would "poach on any funds for DUSPA" but would support projects that would spur revenue to help repay the loans, but would look at projects on a case by case basis.  City Council representative Judy Montero at first expressed concerns about this policy, asking, "How fair is this policy?"   She reiterated that she is "raising her voice for the grocery at 20th and Chestnut which has requested support from DUSPA."

(Edited from a report by Edie Bryan to the board of the Colorado Rail Passenger Association. It sounds like Judy Montero might be the person to contact if you are concerned about the privatization of a public transportation resource. I put in a nice picture of winter construction to remind of cold during our hot weather.)

Upcoming meetings in Denver and Lincoln

Both the Colorado and the Nebraska branches of the National Rail Passenger Association are having meetings this Saturday, May 21.

Colorail is having a rare meeting in downtown Denver. The meeting starts at 10am at Central Presbyterian Church, 1660 Sherman Street. The site is within walking distance of most bus routes that head through downtown, and is actually on routes 15 and 15L. We will see a comparison of Amtrak and Russian Rail in pictures, hear about a possible future for Union Station, and vote for board members.

If you come, you can meet, me.

ProRail is meeting in Lincoln at 9 am on the University of Nebraska, Lincoln East Campus at Hardin Hall on 3310 Holdrege Street. This is the northeast corner of 33rd and Holdrege. Clyde Anderson (402-932-7225) will coordinate carpooling from Omaha. You can also call Clyde or Bob Kuzelka (402-475-0221) to RSVP which they would appreciate so that they can know how many people are coming. You can also RSVP by sending an email to ClydeLAnderson@cox.net or rkuzelka@unlnotes.unl.edu.

ProRail is also electing officers and talking about planning in Omaha and Lincoln as well as hearing about the status of high speed rail in the Midwest.

If you are anywhere near either meeting, I hope that you will take the time to attend.

Amtrak is leaving Denver's Union Station

On February 1, Amtrak will be leaving Denver's Union Station for a temporary station located at the intersection of 21st and Wewatta (1800 21st Street).

A couple of Colorail members have a bet going about this. One says that Amtrak will never get back into Union Station. Another members says that Amtrak will be able to move back because of the efforts of people like the members of Colorail.

We need to make sure that Amtrak gets back into Denver's historic train station. (Step One: Go to the meeting on Wednesday.)

ColoRail Member Meeting

The Colorado Department of Transportation has a new Rail and Transit Division, and of course that division has a new director, Mark Imhoff, who was instrumental in getting Denver's first light rail line built.

Mr. Imhoff is coming to the next Colorado Rail Passenger Association Member Meeting. Yay! We might even have the chance to give him suggestions.

We are meeting on Saturday, November 20 at 10:30 at the Englewood Community Center and Library. Mr. Imhoff's section starts at 10:45. At 11:45 the Board will ask the members what they would like us to be working on.

The Englewood Community Center is on light rail line D. Bus routes 0, 12, and 27 come right next to the center.