DIA, Developers Want More Stations On East Line (Denver, Center: condo, hotels)

[zenkonami]

OK transit users, transit junkies, taxpayers and developers. Time to way in.

DIA, developers want more stations on RTD east rail line - The Denver Post

Doubletrack it or not? And who exactly is or should be paying for it?

[DenverBrian]

Point one: Doubletrack. It is ALWAYS cheaper to build now than in the future.

Point two: No station at Hotel Row? RTD is on crack.

[Mike from back east]

Is is totally INSANE to build single track.

When it comes to stations, if you build it, they will come. Trying to build stations in the years ahead, i.e., retrofitting for the density that will be there in the years ahead will cost several times more than building them now. In fact, if the stations are built now, we can have a much better say in how the land is developed, i.e., build density to match the line's capability.

In the DC area where I lived for 30+ years, the area was very mature when METRO built the Orange Line through the close-in suburbs of northern Virginia. What followed was a decades long process of developers buying up hundreds of ancient bungalows, old gas stations, etc, and tearing them down in order to build high-rises condo's and offices, which are great for maximizing ridership of the line, as well as the value of the line to those who need to commute into DC. Build the stations now, while it's cheap to do so and so we pre-zone the area for the density that will fill the trains.

[cowboyxjon]

I'm not a transit or rail expert by any means, but I'm VERY surprised that the winning design included single tracking on the line to the AIRPORT! I can see single-tracking the line from the Federal Center to the Jefferson County Govt building because I doubt many people will use it. But single-tracking the line to the airport? Really?

I know the funding sources are different, but I think the project that involves building that gaudy/ridiculous hotel at DIA should be scrapped and those funds redirected toward double tracking.

[Willy702]

Seems insane to stick to single track. Why build a project to be lousy? If you don't have the funds, better to not do it at all.

[KaaBoom]

This is stupid. There are already too many planed stations on that line. Its an Airport train. Its purpose should be to get people from Denver to DIA as fast as possible. They need to concentrate on building a simple quality high speed system that can get people from Downtown to the airport in 10 - 15 min., like Airport trains in Europe and Asia do.

This is the problem with American rapid transit. If they cater to every developer who wants a stop along the line. It will turn it into just another light rail line making stops every half mile. Picking up and dropping off a handful of passengers at each station. The trip will take an hour and a half from Downtown to the airport, and most people wont ride it because they will be able to catch a airport shuttle bus that will get them there faster for less money.

[DarkWolf]

Since i live on a Single tracked line i'll throw in my 2 cents. This is a bad idea for an Airport line ,the projected ridership warrants double tracking. Single Tracking works along my line because its not that busy , once a corridor reaches 15,000 double tracking is a good idea due to the amount of trains you'll need. I don't see the point of Electrifying it , if your not double tracking. Another thing that grinds my gears about this whole project is your not using fare gates or conductors on your trains thus downgrading them to Light Rail trains...

[Willy702]

Originally Posted by KaaBoom

This is stupid. There are already too many planed stations on that line. Its an Airport train. Its purpose should be to get people from Denver to DIA as fast as possible. They need to concentrate on building a simple quality high speed system that can get people from Downtown to the airport in 10 - 15 min., like Airport trains in Europe and Asia do.

This is the problem with American rapid transit. If they cater to every developer who wants a stop along the line. It will turn it into just another light rail line making stops every half mile. Picking up and dropping off a handful of passengers at each station. The trip will take an hour and a half from Downtown to the airport, and most people wont ride it because they will be able to catch a airport shuttle bus that will get them there faster for less money.

There is something to be said for this thought, but a light rail train isn't the way to do it. I wouldn't be surprised if 10 years from now ideas come out to do a fast train to DIA. However light rail is a commuter service which has to be built around lots of flexibility. Plus that whole DIA area is starving for ways to get development going. I'm sure way back when the DIA project was just on paper none of the people involved would have thought this many years in the area would still resemble farm land with a few slapped up hotels and a lot of barely completed residential projects. If they would have seen it like this I'm sure they would have just build the damn thing a lot closer to I-70 and saved us all the frustration of driving forever to get there.

[cowboyxjon]

I could be wrong, but I think the DIA line is supposed to be commuter rail instead of light rail, at least according to the map legend on the fastracks site.

edited to add: East Corridor

[DenverBrian]

Good question on whether this is proceeding as commuter rail or light rail.

The RTD commuter rail maps at least show a station closer to Hotel Row than the Denver Post map.