About the Denver Terminal

"The Mile High’s First and Last Mile of Rail"

The Denver Terminal Railway (DTRR) started small, quietly switching local industries just north of downtown Denver. Its original territory included the Stock Yards, North Washington, Sandown, and the sprawling Suncor complex—serving as a vital first and last-mile connection to both Union Pacific and BNSF. With a no-nonsense approach and a tight crew, The DT quickly earned a reputation for dependable service and quick turnarounds.

From those humble roots, the railroad has grown into something much bigger.

A major turning point came when The DT acquired Union Pacific’s former Boulder branch. That gave the railroad not just new customers, but space to establish a centralized yard at 69th Street in Commerce City. This new yard became the beating heart of operations—replacing a patchwork of old sidings with modern classification tracks, staging, and light engine maintenance.

Not long after, The DT picked up BNSF’s D&I and Market locals—part of a broader move by BNSF to scale back direct customer switching in the Denver metro. With those jobs in hand, The DT officially became the go-to short line for metro Denver.

But the railroad didn’t stop there. With Denver-area operations running efficiently and generating solid revenue, The DT turned its attention back to the Boulder Line—this time with a dual mission of moving freight and laying the groundwork for regional commuter rail. Working with municipalities and transit agencies, The DT began upgrading the line’s infrastructure—restoring bridges, signals, and track to support both freight traffic and passenger service. The improvements didn’t go unnoticed. Industrial customers along the route began shifting shipments off the highway and back to rail, fueling a modest industrial comeback in areas long forgotten by the Class I carriers.

Taking Over the Tennessee Pass – Reopening Colorado’s Backbone

Perhaps the most ambitious step in The DT’s expansion came with the acquisition and revival of the historic Tennessee Pass line. Last used for revenue traffic in the late 1997, the line had fallen into disrepair—but The DT saw the potential in restoring this strategic east-west corridor through the Rockies. After finalizing negotiations, The DT took over operations and began rehabilitating key segments, including portions of the old Colorado Midland right-of-way between Buena Vista and Colorado Springs.

While the full corridor wasn’t restored, the section from Buena Vista to Antero Junction was brought back online—providing a direct connection with the Arvada Western Railroad and creating a new lifeline for freight traveling across the central Rockies.

Website

denverterminal.com