November 2015 Welcome to Inside FasTracks -- your monthly update about FasTracks news, progress and people FasTracks News The Southeast Rail Line extension is officially moving forward Lone Tree Mayor Jim Gunning speaks at the kickoff celebration. Other speakers included (from left to right seated): Gary Lasater, RTD Director, District G; Linda Gehrke, Federal Transit Administration Region 8 administrator; Jill Repella, Douglas County commissioner, Mike Waid, Parker mayor; Keith Simon, Coventry Development Corp. executive vice president; Roger Wilson, Balfour Beatty Infrastructure transit vice president, Andy Mutz, RTD Southeast Rail Extension project manager; and Dave Genova, interim RTD general manager and CEO. On Nov. 3, the FasTracks program hosted a celebratory event to kick off construction for the 2.3-mile extension of the Southeast Rail Line. Officials from RTD, the cities of Lone Tree and Parker, Douglas County and the Federal Transit Administration gathered at the Lincoln Avenue light rail station to offer congratulatory remarks. This $207 million design-and-build project will be managed by Balfour Beatty Infrastructure Inc. The line will be extended south along I-25 from its current terminus at Lincoln Avenue to RidgeGate Parkway in the city of Lone Tree. The extended line is expected to open in 2019. For more information about the Southeast Rail Line extension project http://www.rtdfastracks.com/main_460
More than 30,000 area residents interacted with RTD board members during live interactive town hall meetings RTD Board Chair Chuck Sisk s telephone town hall included (from left to right) Nadine Lee, U.S. 36 BRT project manager; Marla Lien, RTD general counsel; Roger Sherman, moderator; Chair Sisk; Marta Sipeki, senior public outreach specialist; and Nataly Erving, senior service planner Between Sept. 28 and Oct. 22, more than 30,000 residents from RTD s eight-county district participated in the agency s 2015 telephone town hall meetings. The live, interactive forums allowed residents to pose questions and to submit comments and suggestions to district directors and RTD staff. Participants expressed a wide variety of interests and asked questions about bus and light rail operations, the new fare system and the new transit lines RTD is opening in 2016. The town halls employed telephone and web-based technology, which made it possible to interact with constituents in the following innovative ways: Live streaming allowed people to listen and ask questions on their computer, laptop or mobile device People could opt-in to any of the town halls ahead of time and RTD automatically called when the meeting started; and for the first time Live simulcasts in Spanish were offered All 15 RTD board members hosted telephone town halls as part of the agency s mission to keep the public informed and engaged in current bus and light rail operations and the progress being made on the agency s FasTracks transit expansion program. If you d like to read meeting transcripts or listen to audio files, visit www.rtdfastracks.com/main_451.
Commuter rail service to DIA opens April 22 April 22, 2016, has been set as the opening date of the commuter rail line between Union Station and Denver International Airport. The train service is being sponsored by the University of Colorado through a naming rights agreement negotiated by RTD s corporate partnership program. The new service will be known as the University of Colorado A Line. The new 23-mile commuter rail line, the first of its kind in Denver, is part of RTD FasTracks Eagle P3 project, the nation s first full public-private partnership for transit. Along the University of Colorado A Line, commuters will be able to board trains at eight new stations (including Union Station), park at six new Park-n-Rides and take advantage of the addition of more than 4,000 parking spaces. Watch for future updates on the CU A line. http://www.rtd-denver.com/a-line.shtml In related news If you see something at a CU A Line crossing, call 1-800-848-8715
Testing along the new University of Colorado A Line requires some road crossings to be closed for longer periods of time. As a result, people sometimes get impatient and push the safety envelope. Since safety is RTD s number one priority, it s important that everyone remember: When railroad crossing arms are down, crossing is not allowed as a train could be coming. If you see an incident, a mechanical malfunction, or a delay at a crossing along the University of Colorado A Line, look for the blue signs and the 1-800-848-8715 number you can call. Another emergency hotline number is: 1-855-324-5373. In more related news U.S. Transportation Secretary Foxx tours RTD s commuter rail facility Last week, U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx visited RTD to learn about Workforce Initiative Now (WIN), the agency s workforce development program, and toured the LEED Gold-certified commuter rail maintenance facility (CRMF). Starting next year, workers at the CRMF will service, clean and warehouse the commuter train cars that will run passengers between Union Station and Denver International Airport, as well as the B Line to Westminster and the G Line to Wheat Ridge/Arvada and Westminster. The commuter rail trains will also serve the North Metro Rail Line, which will travel through Commerce City, Northglenn and Thornton when that line joins the RTD transit system in 2018. Partial funding for the CRMF was included in a $1.03 billion Full Funding Grant Agreement the Federal Transit Administration awarded the Eagle P3 Project in 2011. Denver Transit Partners is RTD s design-build-operator contractor on the Eagle P3 Project, which encompasses construction of the A, G and B commuter rail lines and the CRMF. These three lines account for 36 miles of new commuter rail construction scheduled to open in 2016. Secretary Foxx also learned more about RTD s Workforce Initiative Now (WIN), which is considered by federal transportation officials and peer transit agencies to be an innovative and industry-leading workforce development program. Founded in 2011, WIN recruits, trains and places skilled transportation workers in the job force. In August, WIN received a federal workforce development grant worth nearly $700,000 to build upon and serve as a model for other U.S. public transit agencies. To learn more about the Eagle P3 project, go here: http://www.rtd-fastracks.com/ep3_2 To learn more about the WIN program, go here:
Progress Updates Central Rail Extension Denver Union Station Eagle P3 Project East Rail Line Free MetroRide Gold Line I-225 Rail Line Maintenance Facilities North Metro Rail Line Northwest Rail Line Southeast Rail Extension Southwest Rail Extension U.S. 36 Bus Rapid Transit West Rail Line RTD Board Meetings The RTD Board holds regular meetings most Tuesdays. Learn more Calendar of Events For a complete listing of upcoming events and activities, click here. Now Presenting To schedule a FasTracks presentation for your group or organization, contact the FasTracks Public Information Team today at 303-299-6990. FasTracks is RTD's voter-approved transit expansion program to build 122 miles of commuter rail and light rail, 18 miles of bus rapid transit service, add 21,000 new parking spaces, redevelop Denver s historic Union Station and redirect bus service to better connect the eight-county district. For more information about FasTracks, visit www.rtd-fastracks.com. Unsubscribe