A retired Amtrak conductor credited with reviving Colorado’s legendary ski train is hatching a plan to take freight off of the constantly-congested Interstate 70 and put it on the former Denver & Rio Grande Western main line. 

Brad Swartwelter developed the business plan for the Winter Park Express, which operates between Denver and Winter Park, Colo., on weekends to transport skiers and riders to the slopes. On days when the train doesn’t run, those travelers are usually forced to drive on Interstate 70 through the mountains. To help alleviate that traffic, Swartwelter aims to construct a “rail bridge” that would enable trucks (approximately 2,000 per day travel along I-70) to be loaded onto rail cars and then transported via Union Pacific’s Moffat Subdivision. 

Interstate 70 connects Denver to several ski resorts, and every hour it is closed due to an accident, the state loses $2 million in economic activity. Last year, the highway was shut down 99 times. 

“I-70 is our biggest problem in this state,” Swartzwelter told the Denver Gazette. “The congestion is unbearable. All we need is one trucker making a mistake to cause one of the 99 shutdowns that pummels us and takes away millions of dollars, especially from places like Vail. Removing the trucks from I-70 and putting them in a different corridor would relieve well over 70 percent of the problem.”

Swartwelter envisions constructing facilities west of Grand Junction and east of Denver that would allow for loading and unloading trucks onto flatcars, much like they do in Europe. The train would include a sleeping car, enabling truck drivers to rest during their journey across the state. To fund the construction of the facilities and acquire the rail cars, Swartwelter is advocating for a voter-approved bond to cover the expenses. 

One thing is certain: the former Rio Grande across the state has the capacity for additional freight. Today, only a handful of UP and BNSF Railway (using trackage rights) trains operate across the state. —Justin Franz