Southwest Chief: Staying on track

Colorado’s Senate Transportation Committee will consider the bill to save the Amtrak Southwest Chief rail line at 2 p.m. Tuesday.

The passenger rail route, which runs through. Southeastern Colorado, has been targeted by Amtrak for possible elimination in 2015 if funding for track improvements and maintenance are not found.

House Bill 1161, sponsored by state Rep. Leroy Garcia, D-Pueblo, has already been approved. The bill creates a commission to oversee rail maintenance efforts in Colorado, and to cooperate with Kansas and New Mexico, Amtrak and the BNSF Railway for their share of ongoing funding. Now it’s time for the Senate to take swift action on the measure.

Read more at The Pueblo Chieftain.