This measure proposes a 0.333% sales tax in the Front Range Passenger Rail District to fund the southern portion of the Colorado Connector, also known as CoCo, along with supporting increased frequency of trains, station upgrades and local improvements throughout the system. The daily regional train would serve communities up and down the Front Range from Pueblo to Fort Collins. The tax would fund a new station in Trinidad served by Amtrak’s Southwest Chief long-distance service between Los Angeles and Chicago.
The measure does not take funding away from highways.
Ballot Language
Shall Front Range Passenger Rail District taxes be increased $295,000,000 annually and by whatever amounts are raised annually thereafter, and shall Front Range Passenger Rail District debt be increased $580,000,000, with a repayment cost of $785,000,000; to construct, operate, and maintain Colorado Connector (CoCo) passenger rail service on Colorado's Front Range and connect communities, including Pueblo, Colorado Springs, Sterling Ranch, Littleton, Denver, Westminster, Broomfield, Louisville, Boulder, Longmont, Loveland, and Fort Collins; in order to:
What does a yes vote mean?
A yes vote directs Front Range Passenger Rail District to build the southern route to Pueblo and a new Amtrak station in Trinidad. It will create and collect a 0.333% sales tax on purchases made within the district to fund it.
The tax equals a third of a cent on one dollar and would not apply to gasoline, food, residential electricity and gas, prescription drugs, and medical supplies.
This measure provides the funding needed to extend the southern portion of the route between Denver and Pueblo, which is proposed to begin service in 2032. Funds from metro Denver's Regional Transportation District and the Colorado Department of Transportation are paying for the route north of Denver, which is expected to start three times daily round-trip service in 2029.
The tax collections would also support increasing the frequency of service to 10 round trips daily on the northern route and eight round trips daily on the southern route, once the trains are running. Additionally, it will fund station and local improvements throughout the system and a new Amtrak station in Trinidad.
What does a no vote mean?
A no vote would oppose expanding daily passenger train service south from Denver to Pueblo, the additional frequency of train service on the northern route, the new station in Trinidad, other local improvements, and the sales tax to fund it.
How might it affect you?
If you live or shop in the 29 municipalities or the 7 Sterling Ranch metro districts that belong to the Front Range Passenger Rail District, you’ll pay an additional third of a cent in taxes for every dollar you spend there, except on exempted items.
Those communities include Arvada, Boulder, Bow Mar, Broomfield, Centennial, Cherry Hills Village, Colorado Springs, Columbine Valley, Denver, Englewood, Federal Heights, Fort Collins, Glendale, Greenwood Village, Lafayette, Lakeside, Lakewood, Littleton, Longmont, Louisville, Loveland, Manitou Springs, Mountain View, Pueblo, Sheridan, Starkville, Superior, Trinidad, and Westminster. It also includes Sterling Ranch metropolitan districts Nos. 1 through 7 in Douglas County. The district boundaries were determined by the state legislature.
Once daily regional train service begins, you could use it to travel between the stations in these 12 cities: Fort Collins, Loveland, Longmont, Boulder, Louisville, Broomfield, Westminster, Denver Union Station, Littleton, Sterling Ranch, Colorado Springs, and Pueblo. A portion of the sales tax collections will be returned to each community with a station to use for infrastructure, affordable housing and more.
You could also utilize a new station in Trinidad to board Amtrak’s Southwest Chief.
What do advocates say?
“Even with billions spent every year on roads, traffic just keeps getting worse. The Colorado Connector is the practical way to get more cars off the road and reduce air pollution,” a spokesman for Coloradans for CoCo, the campaign committee supporting Measure 7A, said in a written statement. “Benefitting even those who never ride the train.”
Regular train service along the Interstate 25 corridor would provide a “reliable alternative to driving, with a fare that stays the same no matter what gas costs,” according to the campaign. Advocates say it would connect to existing local transit systems, providing commuters, students, and families a safer, affordable, less stressful way to get to the places they need or want to go.
The campaign estimated the train will reduce emissions by an amount roughly equivalent to removing about 29,000 cars from roads along the Front Range.
By using tracks already in place, the campaign also says CoCo will cost less to build and will be operational sooner than projects that need to start from scratch.
At a third of a penny per dollar, or 33 cents per $100, with essential purchases exempt from the tax, the campaign says the cost to individual taxpayers is small. They also note that an independent audit and citizen oversight are included in the ballot language.
Advocates say the train will expand access to jobs, education, housing, tourism, entertainment, and commercial opportunities and connections through increased mobility.
Coloradans for CoCo includes business and civic leaders from across the Front Range, as well as employers, labor groups, and environmental advocates from across the state.
What do opponents say?
There is no formal opposition to this measure, although there are some people speaking out against it online and at public meetings, along with submitted comments and published opinion columns.
Most cite concerns about wasted taxes, ineffective transportation, and lack of accountability. They compare it to other transit projects that are delayed or remain incomplete and have cost overruns. They also question paying for a project that's years away from being operational and is likely to cost billions of dollars.
Critics also worry CoCo’s projected speeds are too slow to be considered high-speed, that local transportation isn’t adequate enough to get passengers to and from stations to their homes or destinations, and ridership numbers will not meaningfully reduce traffic on Interstate 25.
They also say the measure does not specify a sunset for the tax if the project never happens. Additionally, they say that it is hard to evaluate the risks without complete specifics like final costs, fares and agreements with railroads in place, and the project needs more scrutiny and transparency.
Many say they will be taxed for a service they will not use and that the tax is regressive because low-income households will spend a larger share of their income on purchases than higher-income households.
Editor's note: This story was updated on October 5, 2026.
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