Commute from Castle Rock to downtown Denver?

[richt03]

Hi, if you are thinking of commuting from Castle Rock to downtown everyday, you will hate it.

In the mornings, it only takes 45-1 hour, but on the way home, with weather takes me 2 hours and 20 minutes - no I am not joking or exaggerating. Without the weather it takes about an hour and 15 minutes, with no accidents. Lets face it, we live in Colorado-it rains and snows a lot, and there are a lot of accidents on I-25, which is the only true route home to Castle Rock, so keep this in mind.

[rik71]

Today was my first attempt at a light rail commute to work. Normally, my commute is a from Castle Rock to Englewood (Hampden), which is 25mi each way. This averages out to about $255/month for gas .

If I drive to Lincoln station, that's about 16mi. Then $8 round trip to work (Englewood = 4 zones) and back to Lincoln. I can get a monthly pass for $108. I'm just trying to figure out if it's more economical to take the light rail...Maybe every other day or so.

[2bindenver]

From Lincoln Station to the Southmoor Station is only 2 zones. Monthly pass is $60.

http://www.rtd-denver.com/FaresAndPasses/Lightrail_Cash_Fare_Zone (broken link)

[tfox]

Originally Posted by rik71

Today was my first attempt at a light rail commute to work. Normally, my commute is a from Castle Rock to Englewood (Hampden), which is 25mi each way. This averages out to about $255/month for gas .

If I drive to Lincoln station, that's about 16mi. Then $8 round trip to work (Englewood = 4 zones) and back to Lincoln. I can get a monthly pass for $108. I'm just trying to figure out if it's more economical to take the light rail...Maybe every other day or so.

If you mean Englewood Station on the SW line, you're going to have to go to the Mineral Station on the SW line, not to the Lincoln Station, which is on the SE line. You could in theory take the SE line to Broadway and then transfer at Broadway southbound on the SW line, but I don't think that's very time efficient.

[Nav]

If you prefer to stay in Castle Rock and avoid the headaches of Highlands Ranch (Bad traffic, Rude Pretentious Drivers) you have another option to Downtown. FREX (Front Range Express) offers direct bus service from Castle Rock to Downtown. The buses are not your typical urban bus and they offer free wi-fi to make your commute more enjoyable. They are a bit more than the light rail, but you wont have to drive in and attempt to find parking at a light rail station (which will fill up regularly forcing you to drive to another station). If you look at all the costs, its actually a cost effective option for commuting.

Here is their site: Frex - FrontRange Express

Nav

[lawadvocate]

I travel from Castlewood Ranch which is probably the furthest point in Castle Rock to the heart of downtown and it consistently takes me only 40-45 minutes each way. The key is to leave early in the morning and late in the afternoon. Wouldn't trade it for the headache of HR or similar

[formercalifornian]

Originally Posted by lawadvocate

I travel from Castlewood Ranch which is probably the furthest point in Castle Rock to the heart of downtown and it consistently takes me only 40-45 minutes each way. The key is to leave early in the morning and late in the afternoon. Wouldn't trade it for the headache of HR or similar

Until two months ago, my family also lived in Castlewood Ranch. We lasted two years before we'd had enough of the commute. Just driving into town from the neighborhood and back again decreased our family time by 30 minutes...everyday. That's ten days a year we spent driving up and down that darn hill! We now live in Centennial, thank goodness, and are reveling in our much shorter commutes and the time we've gotten back to spend with our kids.