Fort Collins council leans toward backing Front Range rail but remains divided on Drake station site

Fort Collins city leaders signaled support May 26 for a future resolution backing Front Range Passenger Rail, while openly splitting over whether the proposed station north of Drake Road and west of College Avenue is the right long-term location for the city. The discussion centered less on whether to support passenger rail generally and more on whether the Drake-area site should anchor Fort Collins’ first station narrative as the district prepares ballot-related planning.

Chris Conway, who presented the update with Front Range Passenger Rail District General Manager Sal Pace and city project manager Seth Lawson, said the working station location is now on the BNSF line north of Drake and west of College, replacing the earlier South Transit Center concept. Conway said staff sees the Midtown location as a chance to serve a broad swath of Fort Collins, connect to the city’s transit grid and bike network, and create long-term redevelopment opportunities along College Avenue and near Foothills Mall. He said the station is intended to serve riders coming from several miles away, not just those within walking distance, and argued that investment should not default to Old Town every time the city has a major opportunity.

Conway said he was "very supportive of the resolution" the district wants to bring back in mid-June and called the project "a real gift to our community." He argued that a Midtown station would help spread city investment to an area he said has been neglected compared with Old Town, while still giving riders access to destinations across Fort Collins.

Skeptics on the council questioned whether Drake is the best destination-oriented site. During the discussion, council members raised alternatives including Old Town and the Vine and Linden area, arguing those locations could put riders closer to places they actually want to go and could support a more walkable station district. One council member said Vine and Linden appeared more "ripe for development opportunities" and said he could not support the project "in the current location," citing concerns about surrounding streets, land use constraints and the station’s long-term fit.

Even so, cost and timing weighed heavily in the conversation. Council members noted that moving the station north toward Vine could add about $10 million for positive train control alone, with additional costs likely for grade crossings and other work. Pace said the district is also working against an early July deadline tied to its railroad access agreement. He said shifting station plans farther north could require renegotiating that agreement, while the district is seeking only a shared station narrative now rather than an intergovernmental agreement or commitment on local spending.

Mayor Emily Francis said she supports the idea of passenger rail but wants clearer answers on who the service is for and how Fort Collins residents would benefit, whether through commuting, economic development or other travel needs. She also questioned affordability, saying a round trip to Denver could still be out of reach for some households. Pace responded that polling over many years has shown residents primarily support passenger rail because they want better connections between communities, not because of redevelopment goals. He said intercity rail demand has risen nationally even as some commuter patterns have weakened.

The council did not vote on the support resolution Tuesday. Conway said staff plans to return in the coming months with more station-planning analysis, while Pace said the rail district expects to extend its station-narrative deadline beyond June 30 to give communities more time.