TransportationFriday, November 6
Voters appear to have approved a sales tax for the CoCo train from Fort Collins to Pueblo
The Good Day Fort Collins team
If you shop in Fort Collins, a new rail tax looks to be on the way. Voters inside the Front Range Passenger Rail District appear to have approved Ballot Issue 7A, a permanent sales and use tax for the Colorado Connector, or “CoCo,” train. Early unofficial returns had “yes” at 55.1%.
Money from 7A goes toward Phase 2, a Fort Collins-to-Pueblo corridor by 2032. The starter service of three daily round trips between Denver and Fort Collins is funded separately and aims for 2029. A Colorado Politics analysis says a May law that shrank the district from roughly 4.4 million residents to roughly 2.6 million likely helped the measure pass.
CoCo's starter trains are planned to begin running in 2029
- Spring '27Design for CoCo starter service is planned to be done.
- 2028Construction on starter service is planned to start by 2028.
- 2029Three daily round trips between Denver and Fort Collins are planned to begin.
- 2032A corridor between Fort Collins and Pueblo is planned to be established.
Source: Denver7
- Rate: 0.333%, or 33 cents per $100 spent
- Exempt: food, gas, utilities, prescription drugs, medical supplies
- Projected revenue: $295 million a year
- Debt: up to $580 million
Sources: Denver7, Colorado Politics, Denver Gazette, The Gazette