Bond – Steamboat Springs – Craig
Western Rail Coalition > Colorado Branches > Yampa Valley
The Yampa Valley rail route stretches approximately 100 miles along the ex-Denver and Salt Lake Railway (now Union Pacific) Craig Branch. The line splits off from the Central Corridor at Bond and heads north through Oak Creek, Yampa, Steamboat Springs and Hayden (for Yampa Valley Regional Airport) before terminating at Craig. Passenger rail service ended in 1968 and today the only rail traffic between Bond and Craig is a single coal train that runs once per week.
The Mountain Rail Project, aided by a 25-year lease and passenger rail access agreement with Union Pacific, will establish additional passenger train service from Denver to Craig along the corridor. Initially, trains are expected to be introduced between Denver and Granby from late 2026.
The Western Rail Coalition supports the continuation of studying of what would be required to implement year-round passenger rail service along the full route between Denver and Craig.
Yampa Valley Rail Map
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