Gunnison – Crested Butte
Western Rail Coalition > Vision Concepts > Crested Butte Rail Link
The corridor between Gunnison and Crested Butte runs along State Highway 135, a 27.5 mile north–south route which follows the Upper Gunnison Valley and serves the primary connection between the two communities. Demand is growing, and the corridor is heavily used by commuters, students and tourists.
A potential passenger rail line roughly paralleling Highway 135 would run between Gunnison Airport and Crested Butte Mountain Resort, providing a direct link for tourists, local residents and employees to access the resort. Intermediate stations could be provided to serve the center of Gunnison (close to Western Colorado University), Almont and the town of Crested Butte. As the tracks would be solely dedicated to passenger trains, frequent all-day service could be provided along the line.
The Western Rail Coalition supports the studying of what would be required to construct and implement year-round passenger rail service along the full route between Gunnison and Crested Butte.
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