As somebody who grew up in Boulder, wishes that community well, and as a major train enthusiast, AND a liberal, I just cannot get over the way that the city (and apparently Gov. Polis) has dug in its heals over this political issue and most Boulderites seem unwilling to have an actual, rational discussion of the merits of the project. A
recent CPR article mentioned a $700 million price tag for just 800 estimated riders per day. I don't care where you come from or who you represent - this just doesn't pass any kind of smell test.
Members of this forum have been pointing out the flaws in the B Line since, I don't know, like 2004 when I first signed up. I have long imagined that the best (only?) way to save the project would be to someday integrate it in to something like a Front Range Passenger Rail project - and completely re-think the technology and maybe even the route.
Now here we are, and the fact that some aren't willing to even have that conversation - that Polis insists that the line be built EXACTLY as proposed nearly 20 years ago, complete with all its known flaws - honestly feels like political indignance nearly as egregious as opposing health science in the face of a global pandemic. Does Boulder actually
want their long fantasy of a train to be a failure? Meanwhile, nearly every other partner (RTD, Amtrak, CDOT, DRCOG) finally seems willing to perhaps have a conversation and see if something else can be done instead. This is no longer about serving the Boulder public with service that would actually improve their lives. It feels like it has become a hot potato of political score-settling that grinds all further progress on transit in the region to a halt. This is extremely disappointing and it helps neither Boulder, Denver, nor Colorado.