Boulder Needs a Train Connection to Denver
As Long Commutes Become More Common, So Does Unhappiness
For many years, many Boulder residents have traveled down Highway 36 when commuting to Denver and many, ~46,000, in the opposite direction. Boulder’s up-and-coming economy is attracting many from Denver and the surrounding areas and many major companies bring commuters into Denver. In many ways, this specific commute may have similar numbers traveling in both directions, similar to the San Jose — San Francisco commute.
Boulder is also home to a beautiful downtown, a major university, and hundreds of hiking trails. The city is a great place to spend the day and many people drive to Boulder just for the outdoor activities. As such, Highway 36 is often packed with polluting cars and can make commutes approach and extend beyond 60 minutes in each direction.
This situation with heavy commuting volume and demand to support around the clock transit service would make it appear that a train line should exist. That is not the case. In fact, Denver’s RTD has built an extensive network of light rail and bus serving low-demand Denver suburbs instead. Meanwhile, funding for RTD’s long sought after extension to Boulder is harder and harder to find. The situation is in such peril right now that a private company, Rocky Mountain Rail has stepped up and proposed a $1.1 billion dollar plan to finally bring rail service between Denver and Longmont via Boulder. However, even Rocky Mountain Rail is having issues getting started.
The fact of the matter is that it will be probably at least another 10–20 years until a train line is open and running between Boulder and Denver, which is really a sad reflection of the state of transit in America and even in Colorado. Denver has been able to rapidly expand its local rail network, but studies have shown that more people are turning to cars as the system is failing on the basics: not running frequently and not going where people want to go. In many other countries, transit projects like the Boulder extension would be a walk in the park due to the simplicity of the line: the rolling stock is relatively bare bones, there is only one line, and tracks can either be refurbished or built fairly easily. That said, in America, people generally only want to fund public transit if it gets ridership, but public transit can only get ridership if it is frequent and serves peoples needs (like in Denver), which requires lots of money. My hope is that the benefits section of this article below will help convince people about the benefits of transit.
The benefits of a new train line will be immense. Climate change is becoming a bigger and bigger issue around America and especially in Colorado. Wildfires are becoming more common and more devastating. Cars are a major contributor to climate change and as stated earlier, car usage is continuing to increase in the Denver area as Boulder’s economy grows. Studies have shown that the majority of people commuting into Boulder do so in single-occupancy vehicles, which is an extraordinarily inefficient way to travel when it comes to emissions per person. On average, a single occupancy vehicle equals a carbon footprint per person four times that of a vehicle carrying four people.
Furthermore, Boulder is aiming for a 90% drop in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, and given that 28% of those emissions currently are caused by transportation (cars + trucks), creating a green system of rail transport is all the more necessary. An electric train will reduce emissions significantly and help curb the effects of climate change.
A train extension to Boulder will also have huge benefits on the economy. A frequent train line between Denver and Boulder will provide seamless connection to multiple job centers throughout the Denver metropolitan area and allow for commuting in both direction in addition to allowing people to ride the train for day trips. Train lines also often bring new transit oriented developments with them as businesses start to build around train stations.
Ultimately, though, the biggest benefits will be seen by those who ride the train itself. Car fees are more expensive than most people think, and long commutes are a huge contributor to unhappiness. Boulder is one of the happiest cities in the country, and with a new train line, that happiness can be spread evenly around the region as people have an easier time getting to Boulder. If people start riding the train line, they will not only save money by spending less on car related fees, but they will have extra time to spend with family or making more money.
So, what’s the takeaway? It’s that it’s time for someone to step up and finally build a functioning train line between Boulder and Denver in the next 5–8 years. With climate change becoming nearly irreversible and traffic getting worse and worse, it is critically important that transit is high quality, frequent, and widespread in the Denver region. It’s time to spend the money where it matters and there is clearly demand for a new train line. Moreover, COVID-19 spending has shown that there may not be horrible inflation from spending too much money; who says you can’t spend $1.1 billion on an extraordinarily impactful project?
