GDT > Projects > Western Rail Proposals > Central Corridor

The Western Rail Central Corridor comprises of the Denver to Bond portion of the original Denver and Salt Lake Railway route, including the Moffat Tunnel (which passes under the Continental Divide) and Byers Canyon, the Dotsero Cutoff and the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad route to Grand Junction via Glenwood Canyon. Today the entire route is owned and operated by the Union Pacific Railroad (UP). Approximately 15 freight trains a day use the line alongside Amtrak’s daily California Zephyr, the Winter Park Express season ski train and the Rocky Mountaineer luxury train.

Central Corridor Map

Additional “Colorado Zephyr” Trains?

The California Zephyr currently experiences high demand between Denver and Glenwood Springs / Grand Junction as convenient departure times, breathtaking scenery and Western slope destinations make for an easy and enjoyable short trip away from the Front Range. This creates a revenue problem for Amtrak as a seat / bought for an intra-Colorado journey takes one that could be sold at a higher price for a much longer journey, e.g. Chicago to Emeryville out of the inventory. Further support for the concept of extra trains is demonstrated by the current incarnation of the “ski train”, the hugely successful Winter Park Express which started in 2017 and now runs on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays between January and March.

The Western Rail Coalition supports the studying of what would be required to implement additional year-round passenger rail service between Denver and Grand Junction.

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