A memorandum of understanding for the Mountain Rail Coalition was approved by two Grand County governmental organizations in March.

The Winter Park Town Council unanimously agreed to sign onto the memorandum March 5 and the Grand County Board of County Commissioners signed it March 19 during their regular meeting.

The document states that recent revived interest in passenger rail across the state has generated opportunities to bring passenger rail to Colorado’s mountain communities.

It also writes that some of the benefits of a mountain rail include meeting transportation needs for residents, visitors and commuters; supporting transition for coal impacted communities; and reducing congestion and greenhouse gas emissions.

The memorandum is the first step in creating a coalition that would likely become a nonprofit entity.

The document lays the groundwork for the creation of a steering committee, an organization that would, through the passage of the memorandum, “provide a temporary mechanism for coordination of the entities with local, state and federal stakeholders on mountain rail related matters.”

It also states the mountain rail partnership “will be a consensus-based body that strives for robust representation among interested stakeholders.”

Other members of the steering committee of the coalition include Routt County, the city of Steamboat Springs, the town of Hayden, the Craig Chamber of Commerce, the Yampa Valley Community Foundation and more.

“The benefits of mountain rail include meeting transportation needs for residents, visitors and commuters; supporting a just transition for coal-impacted communities; improving access to attainable housing for resort communities; and reducing congestion and greenhouse gas emissions,” the memorandum states.

The infrastructure for the mountain rail line does exist, but is being used for coal transportation. As the region moves away from the coal industry, the plan is for the rail line to transition to a combination of commercial freight and passenger rail.