Testing begins on RTD East Rail Line
Written by Jenifer Nunez, assistant editor
RTD
The Regional Transportation District of Denver's (RTD) first two commuter rail cars rolled onto the East Rail Line for their first trip from Union Station to Denver International Airport April 3. The rail cars were pulled along the new tracks from Union Station along the 23 mile-long route at a pace of roughly 10 miles per hour. This kicks off a year-long schedule of testing and commissioning prior to opening day in 2016.
The East Rail Line is a 22.8-mile commuter rail transit corridor that will operate between Denver Union Station and Denver International Airport. The rail line will connect these two important areas while serving adjacent employment centers, neighborhoods and development areas in Denver and Aurora.
This was the first time people were able to see the trains on the tracks to the airport. A diesel-powered “track-mobile” pulled the cars. The overhead electric wires were not used to power the trains on this trip.
The trains moved slowly on this first run so that RTD’s concessionaire on the project, Denver Transit Partners, could observe the track and vehicle conditions along the whole route.
