The Southwest Chief will keep chugging through Colorado thanks to a $12.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation.

U.S. Sen. Mark Udall’s office announced the grant Tuesday in a news release. Federal transportation officials said they could not confirm the funding.

The grant, which comes from a federal yearly economic recovery fund, will help supplement the roughly $200 million of repairs needed to keep the train route running through southern Colorado and surrounding states. The new funds ensure the route will continue through the Centennial State for at least the next two decades after Amtrak pledged to continue service through that span with the grant’s issuance.

“This is the single best piece of news in four years since we learned we might lose Amtrak service,” said Sal Pace, chairman of the Southwest Chief Commission. “It’s a great story here.”

The governor-appointed commission, formed last spring through Colorado legislation, includes southern Colorado leaders such as Pace, who also serves as a Pueblo County commissioner.

Udall, a Democrat whose seat is being challenged by Republican U.S. Rep. Cory Gardner in November, was one of many Colorado politicians and business leaders who sought the federal funding.

Those seeking to keep the route running initially applied to the federal department for $16 million, Pace said, knowing that most projects rarely receive all they request.

“The Southwest Chief has connected the people and local economies of Lamar, La Junta, Trinidad and southern Colorado to the wider world,” Udall said in the release. “This $12.5 million competitive (recovery) grant is welcome news from Main Street businesses, residents and tourists alike.”

After Udall’s release, Gardner’s office sent The Denver Post a statement saying the congressman, like Udall, met with Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx stressing the importance of the rail line.

The Amtrak line was on the verge of being rerouted out of Colorado, Kansas and New Mexico because of a lack of funds to pay for costly repairs to aging tracks and infrastructure. Combined, those states needed to pay an estimated $4 million annually for the next decade for upkeep.

The commission will continue to work on the issue and serve as a liaison to other states, Amtrak and Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad, which owns the tracks.

Researchers at the Colorado State University in Pueblo found that the state could lose $3 million annually if it were to lose the route. Officials in southern Colorado also are working to create a train stop in Pueblo to boost the economic vitality of the line.

The line takes passengers between Chicago and Los Angeles, passing through southern Colorado since 1971.

The grant is part of a $600 million pool of money called the Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery program, which funds a variety of transportation projects nationwide.

Jesse Paul: 303-954-1733, jpaul@denverpost.com or twitter.com/jesseapaul