CHEYENNE, Wyo. — The Cheyenne Metropolitan Planning Organization is inviting residents to a public open house to learn about and provide feedback on potential locations for a future passenger rail station in Cheyenne.
The meeting is set for Monday, March 17 from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Laramie County Library Cottonwood Room, located at 2200 Pioneer Ave.
The MPO, in partnership with the City of Cheyenne and with funding from the Wyoming Department of Transportation, is studying possible sites for a new passenger rail station. This effort is a step toward establishing new passenger rail service connecting Cheyenne with cities such as Fort Collins, Boulder, Denver and Colorado Springs.
The study has identified three potential passenger rail sites for consideration:
- Old Happy Jack Road: Has a total estimated capital cost of $30.9 million. This option maintains BNSF access, offers 5–10 minutes shorter travel time for Front Range Passenger Rail, provides good multimodal connections and does not require purchasing city-owned property, although there is a hazardous waste site in the project area, per the city’s presentation. It’s considered to have the lowest budget risk and moderate complexity to construct, with economic effects including 229 construction jobs and 42–48 operations and maintenance jobs, and it acts as a property development catalyst.
- Reed Avenue Steam Plant: Has a total estimated capital cost of $26.7 million to $28.2 million, which does not include the Steam Plant Restoration Cost. This option maintains BNSF access, has a 5–10 minutes longer travel time for Front Range Passenger Rail, potential for multimodal connections, but involves more rail traffic through at-grade intersections, property acquisition from seven parcels, the need to avoid impacting the fire station and adverse historic resource effects, and the steam plant is an EPA Brownfield site with a floodplain in the project footprint, per the city’s presentation. It’s considered to have the highest budget risk and high complexity to construct, with economic effects including 191 construction jobs and 42–48 operations and maintenance jobs, and it acts as a property development catalyst generating an estimated $2.4 million–$3 million per year in sales tax and $1.4 million per year in property tax, along with 81 jobs.
- Reed Avenue Stub Track: Has a total estimated capital cost of $24.1 million to $25.1 million. This option complicates BNSF access, has a 5–10 minutes longer travel time for Front Range Passenger Rail, potential for multimodal connections, more rail traffic through at-grade intersections, property acquisition from three parcels, the need to avoid impacting the fire station and potential historic resource effects, and the steam plant is an EPA Brownfield site with a floodplain in the project footprint. It’s considered to have moderate budget risk and moderate complexity to construct, with economic effects including 176 construction jobs and 42–48 operations and maintenance jobs, and it acts as a property development catalyst generating an estimated $2.4 million–$3 million per year in sales tax and $1.4 million per year in property tax, along with 81 jobs.
At the upcoming open house, residents will have the opportunity to view exhibits describing the potential locations and speak with Cheyenne MPO representatives. The MPO is encouraging community involvement to help identify the best location for a future station.
Information about the Front Range Passenger Rail and the Federal Railroad Administration Long Distance Service Study, both of which could potentially use a future Cheyenne station, is available online. The MPO encourages residents to review materials and provide feedback, noting that continued involvement is important.
For more information about the project and to find additional opportunities to provide feedback, residents can visit the Cheyenne MPO website.
