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TransportationThursday, November 5

Voters along the tracks approved Ballot Issue 7A, the tax behind the Colorado Connector rail line to Pueblo

The Good Day Pueblo teamFrom today’s edition · 1 min read · 4 sources

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If you've ever wished for a train to Denver, you just got closer. Voters in the 29 municipalities and seven metropolitan districts along the tracks approved a tax increase for the Colorado Connector, or "CoCo," planned from Fort Collins to Pueblo. Ballot Issue 7A, a 0.333% sales and use tax, showed it passing in the initial tally and was leading by over 90,000 votes as of 5 p.m. Wednesday, and district officials declared victory.

Early returns showed 55.1% of voters saying yes to 7A

Source: The Gazette

View as table
AmountShare
Yes55.1%55.1%
No44.9%44.9%
  • Not taxed: food, prescription drugs, medical supplies, gasoline, home electricity and gas
  • Planned return to communities: about $55 million a year, 25 years
  • Still to do: BNSF agreements, engineering designs, final approvals

General Manager Sal Pace said the result means "we're going to be connecting all of Colorado instead of allowing division to define us." Board chair John Putnam said early work would focus on the federally required signal system, plus railroad crossings and basic platforms.

The Colorado Connector by the numbers

12
communities connected, Fort Collins to Pueblo
190 miles
of track in the planned network
10
daily round trips planned at most
0.333%
sales and use tax in Ballot Issue 7A

Sources: FOX21 News Colorado, CBS Colorado

Sources: CBS Colorado, FOX21 News Colorado, Denver Gazette, The Gazette

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TransportationThe latest plan puts train service in Pueblo in 2032, with talks on the southern leg starting in early 2027If you're counting the years until a train reaches Pueblo, here's the math. Northern service, three daily round trips between Denver and Fort Collins, is aimed at 2029 with existing revenue and no new tax. For the south, the latest plan puts service in Colorado Springs and Pueblo in 2032.Today’s editionRead

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