Brief by Central Staff
Transportation – November 1995 – Colorado Central Magazine
A year ago, Allen Best of Vail and our own Ed Quillen were collaborating on an article about possible abandonment of the Southern Pacific rail line through Central Colorado, local consequences, and uses for the corridor.
The state government folks they talked to all said that the state was aware of the issue, and would have a contingency plan ready within the near future — say, March of 1995.
Move to November of 1995, when area officials met in Buena Vista after the SP said it would abandon the line if it can merge with the Union Pacific. Guess what?
Nobody had a plan. They said they’re working on one, though. (Haven’t we heard that before?)
Colorado may lose the rail line and corridor from Walden into Wyoming because the state didn’t have a plan. Somehow, though, there’s always money for light rail in Denver, but when it comes to rural areas, Steve Goodman would have said “this state’s got the disappearin’ railroad blues.”