This story was produced as part of the Colorado Capitol News Alliance. It first appeared at cpr.org.
After more than 25,000 votes, Colorado’s future Front Range passenger train has a name: the Colorado Connector — or, as it will soon be known on platforms and schedules across the state, CoCo.
The Front Range Passenger Rail District’s naming contest drew thousands of early votes, with CoCo narrowly edging out the finalists Front Range Express Destinations (FRED), Colorado Ranger and RangeLink. (Pour one out for FRED.)
Yes, the new name is a little silly, and yes, that appears to be the point.
“This was chosen by the people of Colorado, and the top two contenders were actually playful names,” said Gov. Jared Polis. “I think that this name works because it describes what it does. It connects Colorado.”
However, state officials say the train itself is anything but lighthearted in its mission. The overall goal is to reduce traffic on I-25, connect the state’s growing population and give Coloradans another way to move between cities without sitting in brake lights for hours.
For Cora Zaletel and Tyler Shown, a mother and son who live in Pueblo and Denver and submitted a video explaining why they thought CoCo should win, the new name has a personal tie.
“CoCo is a particularly special name for our family,” Zaletel said. “When my nieces were growing up, they couldn't pronounce my name, Cora, so I was Aunt Coco, and that name remains special because they're all grown up now and live all over the world.”
“Not only that, but our family dog of 18 years was named Coco,” said Shown. “Coco lives on connecting families across the state.”
The Front Range Passenger Rail Train will operate in a partnership between Union Pacific Railroad, BNSF Railway, Amtrak, and RTD.
“Many major metropolitan areas have this kind of rail solution. You look at the L in Chicago, right? You look at New York City's historic subway system. This is something we can bring to Colorado that'll make Colorado more livable and affordable for everybody,” Polis said.
The line is expected to run from Fort Collins to Pueblo, with stops in cities and regions like Loveland, Longmont, Boulder, Louisville, Broomfield, Westminster, Denver, Littleton, Douglas County, Colorado Springs and Trinidad.
It will use existing tracks shared with freight railroads and could eventually connect Colorado to the neighboring states of New Mexico and Wyoming.
Officials say the first phase of service — running between Denver and Fort Collins — is expected to launch in 2029, with additional service south toward Pueblo coming a few years later, depending on funding.
Voters who live within a few miles of the future rail line may see a ballot measure regarding a sales tax to fund CoCo as soon as this November. If it’s approved, more stops along the corridor could be up and running by 2032.
“Probably around a quarter to a third of a penny on every dollar transaction is what's being looked at,” Polis said.
With 5 million current Front Range residents and an anticipated 3 million more over the next three decades, transportation planners say the region will need faster, more reliable ways to get around.
CoCo, it seems, is how Colorado plans to do it.
