Front Range rail tax measure heads to 2026 ballot; Broomfield service targeted for 2029
The district referred a one-third-cent sales-and-use tax proposal for Nov. 3. A proposed three-round-trip Fort Collins–Denver starter service, including Broomfield, is targeted to begin in 2029.
The Front Range Passenger Rail District board referred a one-third-cent sales-and-use tax measure to the Nov. 3, 2026, ballot, proposing funding for the Colorado Connector rail project. The board approved the referral Aug. 28 in Resolution 2026-32; The Colorado Sun reported the vote was 14–1.
The measure proposes a 0.333% tax, or one-third of a cent per dollar on taxable purchases. The ballot language estimates the tax would raise $295 million annually, authorizes up to $580 million in district debt and lists $785 million in repayment costs. Those figures are not the total price of building and operating the rail system. The District’s FAQ gives a preliminary capital-cost range of $3 billion to $3.5 billion for a system with six daily round trips.
Broomfield is included in the proposed first phase: three daily round trips between Fort Collins and Denver, targeted to begin in 2029. The planned stop is the 116th Avenue station, near West 116th Avenue and the BNSF Railway, with a proposed pedestrian connection to the U.S. 36 bus rapid transit station. Colorado Connector describes the planned location and transit connection.
The starter service is separate from the later full-corridor service. At a Sept. 22 Broomfield City Council meeting, Councilmember Heidi Henkel said the tax measure would primarily support later phases, including extending service south through Colorado Springs to Pueblo. She described full Fort Collins-to-Pueblo service as targeted for mid-2032. The project’s draft delivery plan separates the 2029 starter phase from the planned 2032 full-corridor phase.
The draft plan says the starter phase is moving into design with state and Regional Transportation District funding commitments, some still subject to final board approval. The project also needs a binding rail-access agreement with BNSF. Henkel told council that Broomfield still needs to understand station requirements and potential long-term financial commitments; her report is available in the Sept. 22 council meeting recording. The draft plan says station locations remain subject to railroad coordination and final platform design.