Officials tour the new RTD maintenance facility

Written by Jenifer Nunez, assistant editor
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On May 3, 2016, U.S. Rep. Mike Coffman's (R-CO-6) chief of staff and U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner's (R-CO-4) regional director joined the National Railroad Construction and Maintenance Association (NRC) and the Railway Engineering-Maintenance Suppliers Association, Inc. (REMSA), for a tour of a new commuter rail maintenance facility (CRMF).

 

The project was completed by NRC and REMSA joint member company, Balfour Beatty Rail, as a part of the Denver Regional Transportation District (RTD) Eagle P3 Commuter Rail project managed by Denver Transit Partners (DTP).

Davie McCulloch, DTP deputy project manager, gave an overview of Balfour Beatty Rail and its operations. Balfour Beatty Rail, a division of Balfour Beatty Infrastructure (BBII), was awarded a $140-million contract to extend Denver’s light-rail line to its southeast suburbs.

“Balfour Beatty Infrastructure has enjoyed partnering with RTD in the development of the Eagle P3 project,” said McCulloch. “We are proud to be a part of the team that delivered the nation’s first transit public-private partnership to improve mobility throughout the Denver community.”

McCulloch gave a tour of the CRMF, which is used to maintain, clean and store the vehicles that will serve the University A Line and the future B and G lines. The A Line opened to the public on April 22 and now runs from Denver Union Station to Denver International Airport in 37 minutes. The B Line to Westminster and G Line to Wheat Ridge will open in summer and fall of this year, respectively.

Approximately 220 operators, mechanics and other staff will be housed in the 230,000-square-foot facility. The CRMF can service up to 80 electric rail cars and is equipped with training and conference rooms, staff break rooms and lockers. The group was led to the Operations Control Center, which acts as the brain of the commuter rail network with train dispatch, public announcement and security systems, positive train control and radio communication.

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