WY: Public sees potential sites for a new passenger rail station in Cheyenne

With the city of Cheyenne hoping to tack itself onto the northern end of the potential Front Range Passenger Rail system, a proposed passenger rail service connecting Pueblo, Colorado, to Fort Collins, Colorado, via Denver, the city is beginning conversations about where to build a new passenger rail station.

Tuesday evening, the Cheyenne Metropolitan Planning Organization hosted a public meeting to showcase the six potential locations officials have identified. The MPO contracted with Quandel Consultants, a construction engineering company, to identify and analyze the locations.

Of the six sites, Quandel has recommended three no longer be considered and three continue to be studied. The purpose of the meeting was to begin to gather public input about the locations and the study so far.

The three sites that will continue to be studied are in the Reed Avenue Rail Corridor, a section of land near the intersection of Happy Jack Road and Missile Drive, and near the Terry Ranch Road exit off Interstate 25.

Quandel recommended the locations at the Historic Cheyenne Depot, near F.E. Warren Air Force Base and in the BNSF yard northeast of the Missile Drive exit off I-25 no longer be considered.

The study is expected to conclude in March, and the MPO hopes to recommend two of the six sites, with one primary and one secondary location, to the city.

Cheyenne MPO Interim Director Christopher Yaney broke down the pros and cons of each potential site.

“It’s a good location, but we’ve got some elevation constraints that we have to deal with,” Yaney said about the site off Happy Jack Road. “So, if that’s selected, that will have to be probably a three-story building. The main level would be probably parking ... and the third level would be the station where you’re buying your tickets, getting on the train. And then the middle level would be probably some kind of restaurants or other amenities that could be included in that location, as well.”

Yaney also said the Reed Avenue Rail Corridor would be a good location because of the existing research on the site as a result of the city’s revitalization efforts there.

He did note, however, that they would likely have to block the street rail crossing at two streets, possibly 17th and 18th streets, due to the length of the trains that Amtrak uses — 800 feet — which is considering connecting parts of their passenger rail system to Cheyenne.

Randy Grauberger, a senior rail consultant for Quandel, said he is excited about the potential for this site.

“I’m excited about the work that the city has done in the past few years in the Reed Avenue Corridor and the plans that they have for redevelopment of that corridor,” he said. “I’m very familiar with the Denver metro area, and have seen some of the redevelopment in some of the depressed areas of lower downtown. When they built Coors Field down there, it turned an old warehouse district into what’s a really hopping place now with restaurants and nightclubs and bars and hotels, and I think similar opportunities exist for Cheyenne with the Reed Avenue Corridor.”

At the Terry Ranch Road site, which is adjacent to the Southeast Wyoming Welcome Center, Yaney said the plan aligns with future development plans from Cheyenne LEADS and could become a secondary Cheyenne station location in the future, if planned development occurs.

However, like the Reed Avenue site, it would require acquisition of private land. It is also not easily accessible from downtown, since it is seven miles away, and there is no existing road or public transit access.

The site on state property by the Air Force base is not being considered because it would require the use of a Superfund site; there are security issues with the base; there is no BNSF mainline access and no room to add one due to existing yard tracks; and there is no existing road or public transit access.

At the Historic Cheyenne Depot, Yaney said there is too much going on there to make it work. It would require the relocation of existing businesses; it requires operations and dispatching on both BNSF and Union Pacific tracks; there isn’t enough parking; it is on a heavily used UP mainline; and it would require backing up trains for two of three potential long-distance routes.

The third site that is no longer being considered, at the BNSF yard, is because station activities would conflict with BNSF activities, and there would be potential relocation of businesses.

Colorado residents will likely vote on the fate of the Front Range Passenger Rail connection in 2026. Even if it is not approved, Yaney said it is important for the city to consider the possibility of passenger rail service in Cheyenne now.

“What we are seeing is that there is that potential to come to Cheyenne, whether it’s the commuter service from the (Front Range Passenger Rail) or an Amtrak. They (Amtrak) are doing their studies, and they’re showing that Cheyenne could be another hub of up to four different routes that could come through. So, we’re trying to find the best location.”

Grauberger said Quandel is about halfway through the study and will likely have another public meeting in January or February, where they will present more details on the environmental and economic development impact of each site.

“These passenger rail stations can really be a stimulator to the economy in terms of jobs and other ancillary businesses around the station,” he said. “It’s a pretty exciting opportunity for the city of Cheyenne.”

The full study can be viewed and members of the public can submit feedback on the MPO website at plancheyenne.org/project/cheyenne-passenger-rail-station-site-selection-study. They will take feedback on this portion of the study until Tuesday, Oct. 15.

___
(c)2024 Wyoming Tribune-Eagle (Cheyenne, Wyo.)
Visit Wyoming Tribune-Eagle (Cheyenne, Wyo.) at www.wyomingnews.com
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.