Denver Rail Project on Track?

The most ambitious rail transit construction project in the United States, Denver’s FasTracks, is continuing on schedule despite the economic downturn and budget overruns.
FasTracks will construct two new light rail lines, expand three existing light rail lines, construct new commuter rail lines to Denver International Airport, Boulder and the suburb of Arvada and a new bus rapid transit line between Denver and Boulder. When completed these rail and bus lines will be added to the transit system run by the Regional Transportation District. FasTracks also involves the modernization of Denver’s historic railway terminal Union Station, the construction of a new rail yard and the building of dozens of new rail stations and parking lots.
Substantial progress has been made on FasTracks which was approved by voters in 2004. Bridge and tunnel work for the West Corridor light rail line which will connect Downtown Denver and the suburbs of Lakewood and Golden is ongoing. A bridge over Kipling has been completed and a bridge over the Sixth Avenue freeway and a tunnel under Interstate 70 is under construction. Crews are also constructing the roadbed for the light rail line which will run over an old trolley track just south of Colfax Boulevard in West Denver and Lakewood.
The planning and environmental impact statement process for the I-225 light rail line which run along a freeway in the suburb of Aurora is complete. Environmental impact statements for the East Corridor, North Metro and Gold Line commuter rail lines to the suburbs are complete. So is the Environmental Impact Statement for the rail line to the nearby cities of Boulder and Longmont. RTD hasn’t announced when work on these projects and extensions to the existing light rail lines will begin.
The rail line to Boulder and Longmont will use diesel powered commuter trains. The other commuter rails will use electric powered commuter trains similar to those used on New York’s Long Island Railroad.
Some work on other aspects of the project is going on however. Crews are also installing new track to expand the size of the Elati Street railyards which is the storage area for RTD’s light rail cars. Workers have started moving utility lines and doing other work at Union Station which serve as Denver’s transit hub. Crews are also building new pedestrian bridges and bus lanes along US Highway 36 (the Boulder Turnpike) which connects Denver and Boulder. RTD has also taken delivery of many of the new light rail cars that which will be used on the FasTracks light rail lines when they are up and running.
FasTracks will be a major milestone in Denver’s history because it marks a major transformation of the region. For most of the Twentieth Century, Denver was an auto oriented city that ripped out its trolley car and interurban rail systems in the 1940s and 50s. Denver didn’t get a modern rail line until 1994 when RTD’s light rail system began running. Denver now has over thirty miles of light rail lines. Denver also has an extensive bus system that includes high speed bus service to Boulder and Longmont.
The completion of FasTracks will position Denver well for economic growth in the 21st Century. However, the future of FasTracks is still in doubt because the project which is funded by an increase in sales tax is $1 billion over budget. RTD hasn’t said how the budget shortfall will be resolved but there has been some talk of further tax increases. Such tax increases would have to be approved by Denver area voters who like transit but historically don’t like tax increases.
It goes without saying that FasTracks could be a model for rail transit in other major American cities that lack modern transit systems. The failure or success of FasTracks could have a major impact on transit development in other American cities.