Marking the completion of the $1.75 Billion T-REX project, Denver's RTD is opening their new Southeast Corridor light rail line today (Nov 17). Lots of events are planned, including free rides on Saturday. Details are on my blog.
Found the system map on their site. Will there be additional expansion? If so, is there a map of proposed routes somewhere to be seen? Boxcab E50
FasTracks Yes! It's the FasTracks site. Over 100 miles of trackage is planned for the Denver Metro area under FasTracks, including a line to Nebraska--er, Denver International Airport. Considering both the airport and the original line were completed in 1995, you'd think they'd have worked out a line long before now. The concept is basically hub-and-spoke, anchored at Denver's Union Station in central LoDo (Lower Downtown), convenient to Coors Field and the 16th Street Mall bus circulator. The C line already connects with the Pepsi Center and Mile High Stadium. Amtrak's Cal Z and the Ski Train will still have access, but a bus ramp and light rail platforms have been added with extra capacity in anticipation of the building traffic. The SE Corridor links the Denver Tech Center in the south with the Downtown business district. No light rail connection was more needed. The hope is that by reducing commuters on I-25, they will be buying a lot more time with the current Traffic Realignment and EXpansion (T-REX). Commuters can look forward to a vast improvement with what they've done already. By the time all lines are in, Union Station should be busier than ever before. One wonders what history can be preserved in light of the new use.
Hmmmm. There's a map on the first page I hit. But it's too small for my vision. My computer doesn't like their site at all. Wants to lock up one me. :sad: Boxcab E50
Check to make sure you've got the latest version of your browser. It might not be you. That site might be exceeding it's bandwidth because of all the publicity I'm giving it Seriously, though, if you want to look at a particular corridor, here's a list that should be simpler to load. [FONT="]Central & CPV Corridors <-CPV=Central Platte Valley[/FONT] [FONT="]East Corridor (DIA)[/FONT] [FONT="]Gold Line (Arvada)[/FONT] [FONT="]I-225 Corridor (Aurora)[/FONT] [FONT="]North Metro Corridor[/FONT] [FONT="]Southeast Corridor[/FONT] [FONT="]Southwest Corridor[/FONT] [FONT="]US 36 Corridor/Longmont[/FONT] [FONT="]West Corridor (Lakewood) [/FONT]
Saw allot of the trains were full heading for downtown... :thumbs_up: :thumbs_up: :thumbs_up: :thumbs_up:
I was at the Lincoln station shooting video for work. Pretty big hoopla. My company has been shooting all the video for Trex the past five years so we have an archive of over 70 three hour tapes of it all. I got a piece of souvenire ribbon from the ribbon cutting. I even walked up to Cal Marsella and congratulated him and shook his hand. While I was waiting to shoot the train driving through the big banner I started talking to the woman next to me and it turns out she is a Siemens rep. Siemens built the trains for RTD light rail. I got her number and she is going to send me promotional material for siemens train construction. If it is interesting i'll scan it and post it when I get it. A few months back I was speaking to light rails operations manager and he told me they project a thirty year life span for their trains. FYI the Elati station, as the RTD guys call it, is located south of Evans on the southwest corridor. It is a top of the line clean room style facility where they work on and store trains. They are very proud of that place and it isn't hard to go there and get a tour of the place.
Steve, Don't forget, Denver Union Station is also in line to be improved. http://www.denverunionstation.org/master_plan/ The powers to be have just decided on a firm for the construction/renovation. This project is full steam ahead. I am wondering if one of the influencing factors for the renovation also included commuter lines to Colo Springs and Ft. Collins. Even though there aren't any current lines, there are quite a few proposals for such a line. The Dept. Of Transportation is going to release its plan for the I-70 corridor this January. I don't think its going to include any rail line but who knows. Maybe it will and they told Denver of their plans and that also influenced the renovation. I just love speculating and developing conspiracies. Eric
If the success of the Southwest Corridor is any indication, they'll be beating off riders with a stick. Siemens better be ready with extra cars. I don't think anyone who hasn't lived there has any indication of how huge a help this line is going to be. T-REX was needed 20 years ago. I-25 was only 3 lanes down from Broadway down to I-225, causing legendary congestion. This is going to help a lot!
The only solution I've seen with plausibility is a Swiss type of traction advocated by Smartrans. I'm not a huge advocate of it, but it seems like the only one that can work without extensive tunnelling. The only other option I can think of is using the Henderson Mine tunnel under James Peak. But that drops you into Williams Fork, but that's a mite north of the summit resorts.
No fear of that, our RTD Light Rail is always packed during the peak hours of people trying to get to and from work. There biggest issue is always have enough parking at the stations.
Isn't that the truth!!! The Evans St. station parking is abysmal... but the Englewood parking makes up for it. When we go to Nuggets games at the Pepsi Center, we always use the light rail.
