With the RangerXpress, a 45 minute drive to work is now a 30 minute train commute -- with none of the hazards of driving in bad weather.

• "Vail’s biggest problems -- a lack of affordable housing & office space"
  
• In 2005, the median home price in metro Denver was $232,000
  
• To afford this one must make $73,500
  
• The average teacher salary is $48,000 & the average police officer salary is $47,000
• Up at dawn and back after dark — again
• Longer commutes added to congestion and concerns about employee satisfaction

Plenty of us know that a long commute can get us the home we can afford -- along with a potentially lethal drive home in the winter.

While nobody wants a long commute, if you're 60 miles from home, that is a 45 minute RangerXpress commute. This means you can sleep, surf the net, eat a burrito, and/or relax during this time.

Burrito
A delicious fast food, originally from Mexico, which we Colorado enjoy. It beats a New York bagel breakfast, and "submarine" Sandwich, by far!

As well, the cost of two burritos equals the increase in taxes on eating out for the average Colorado family. That is $13.06 -- per year, total -- to pay for the for the RangerXpress. So, pinto beans, black beans -- or comfortable, fast, passenger train system?

Source:
US Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics

Clean Air!
Yes -- the word "diesel" brings to mind loud, foul, locomotives. However, the RangerXpress is far different.

The type of train that will be used will be a "diesel multiple unit" -- a modern, 21st century train. Don't think diesel locomotive -- think Volkswagen TDI Jetta.

The RangerXpress when 1/2 full will use:

• 0.0067 gallons, per passenger, per mile

• Typical Automobile:
0.041 gallons, per passenger, per mile

(the average American car gets 24 mpg)

Fact:

The fuel efficiency of the RangerXpress is 6 times than that of the typical car.

When the train is full -- it is 12 times more efficient!!

Note:
A self-propelled diesel train gets 2 miles per gallon -- with 150 passengers. While this may not be the exact train we'll use, this is the type of train -- a "diesel multiple unit" the project will use.

Diesel
This is an energy efficient fuel, which burns relatively cleanly thanks to new federal standards. Any train used for the RangerXpress will meet or exceed these new, tough, standards.

It was given a bum rap to Americans by the 1980's diesel Oldsmobiles which -- literally -- stunk. However, diesels with electronic ignitions burn far more cleanly. In Europe over 50% of all cars on the road are diesels -- including many luxury cars. Today you'll see many large diesel pick-up trucks (Dodge Rams, etc) on the road -- which compared to a large diesel locomotive -- hardly stink at all.

Diesel Multiple Unit (DMU)
This is a what the RangerXpress will use. Rather than large, noisy, smelly, conventional locomotives, DMU's will be used by the RangerXpress. These are self-propelled passenger rail cars, run by two diesel engines of the type used in larger pick-up trucks. Each car will carry up to 200 people, and/or cargo as well as a storage area for bicycles. Cars can be run alone, or connected with other DMU's.

Economy
Economic Benefits of Rail Transportation
"If 1 in 10 Americans used public transportation regularly, U.S. reliance on foreign oil could be cut by more than 40 percent"

Equity
"Lower-income households spend a far higher portion of income
on transport than wealthier households . . . households that own a motor vehicle tend to spend far more of their income on transportation then zero-vehicle households."
Evaluating Transportation Equity, by the Victoria Policy Transit Institute

Green House Gasses
As we all know, carbon dioxide is a major greenhouse gas.

By using the RangerXpress to cargo -- such as food grown in Colorado, within Colorado -- we're fighting global warming.

Here is the raw data:

Passengers Per Hour
This measures how many people, per hour, a type of transportation can carry.

On August 5, 2001, Highway I-70 through the Eisenhower tunnel carried 3,250 people per hour, as 2,600 cars used it ever hour and the average car carries 1.25 people. The average travel speed was about 5 mph and there was a 70 mile traffic jam -- and this was in good weather in August!

Now, two full, double-decker, RangerXpresses -- with 10 per hour -- would carry 2,616 people. This doesn't break the I-70 record -- however, the RangerXpress would be traveling at 70 mph, in summer and winter.

For Moving Colorado Into the Future the Ranger Xpress fits the bill. Three full, double-decker, RangerXpresses -- with 10 per hour -- would carry 3,924 people!

As a Coloradan -- or a Coloradan thinking about (gasp!) tourists -- where would you rather be? In the traffic jam or on the RangerXpress?

Figures based upon Colorado Rail Car DMU operational costs.

Population
Colorado's population will add one million people by 2020.

Senior Citizens
The number of seniors [in Colorado] will almost double from 417,073 in 2000 to 797,875 in 2020

The American Association of Retired Persons considers mass transit vital to maintaining the mobility of seniors:

"We must act today on a transportation mobility agenda for older Americans, one that will sustain and expand options, including more public transportation services."

System Cost
The cost for the RangerXpress system $11.3 Billion. Four major Colorado rail experts -- (see the system cost page for more info) -- Paul Smith, Dave Ruble, Robert Leilich, Jack Tone -- have worked together to create this concept.

The idea is simple: get the trains out of high-elevation conditions (think I-70 in a blizzard), and to have the trains running essentially level -- as if on flat ground -- by using tunnels when needed. (Two new tunnels would be needed).

By specifying trains that are proven technology -- yet go up to 100 mph (which is slow for those of us lucky enough to ride European or Japanese trains) -- once built, the system can be up and running efficiently in almost no time.

Short Haul Freight
By moving short haul freight -- the RangerXpress will earn. money during the few hours at night it isn't running. As well, many trains will have smaller cargo sections for non-hazardous items -- such as groceries, mail, etc.

"Short haul freight" consists of goods which are hauled within a state, or even a county. Think groceries from the local grocer being shipped from a warehouse in Colorado, veggies from an organic farmer heading for farmers' market, and/or next-day packages.

As Colorado grows more congested -- think I-70 or I-25 on a bad day -- businesses want goods to arrive on time. The RangerXpress can do that, reliably, in all kinds of weather.