Southwest Chief Thru-Car
Alternatives Analysis
The Southwest Chief Alternatives Analysis is an ongoing project to understand a range of potential service options for passenger rail in Southeast Colorado. The options being considered are known as alternatives and will include operational strategies as well as capital investments—or the changes to physical infrastructure—needed to support expanded service. This passenger rail service would offer direct connections—or thru-car service—between the cities of La Junta, Pueblo, and Colorado Springs, connecting these communities with Amtrak’s existing Southwest Chief service, which operates between Chicago and Los Angeles.
STUDY AREA
The Southwest Chief Thru-Car Alternatives Analysis Project includes the rail corridor that connects the Colorado cities of La Junta, Pueblo, and Colorado Springs.
SCHEDULE
The team kicked off the Southwest Chief Thru-Car Alternatives Analysis Project in the spring of 2021 and is scheduled to complete the analysis in the autumn of 2022. A detailed schedule below highlights the different phases of the Project: