Fort Collins Trains Rerouted to Greeley

Fort Collins commuters can expect fewer traffic delays caused by trains in the future, as at least half of them will be rerouted to Greeley/Windsor.

Weld County officials confirmed Thursday that trains are now running on tracks that were out of operation since 2008, thanks to the paperwork and labor of a $14 million renovation by Great Western Railway manager, OmniTRAX. Now, instead of making the 19-mile trip to Fort Collins, operators will make the 7-mile trip to Greeley.

Weld County warns that 15 railroad crossings in Windsor and Greeley will be active and should be crossed with extreme caution. Most train traffic will occur between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. [Click HERE for roads that will be affected in Windsor, Bracewell, and Greeley.]

At least half of Fort Collins' trains will continue to chug through the city, since Great Western shares the switch yard near Lemay Avenue and Vine Drive with the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway.

Fort Collins city traffic engineer Joe Olson tells The Coloradoan there is an average of 3 train delays every day at Lemay and Riverside - slow speed and switching as major factors. The average delay time in 2014 was 5 minutes, 25 seconds.