DENVER — If you’re someone who frequently traverses the roads that pass over RTD’s forthcoming A-Line commuter rail train route, you may want to plan some detours next week.
RTD’s new rail line connecting Denver’s Union Station to the Denver International Airport is scheduled to open in late April 2016. It’s scheduled to undergo federally-mandated safety testing from Nov. 16 to Nov. 21.
During the testing, a series of railroad crossings along the line will be closed for an average time of 15 minutes. Those crossings occur along a stretch of track that spans almost 10 miles and includes the following 11 roadways:
- York/Josephine Street
- Clayton Street
- Steele Street
- Dahlia Street
- Holly Street
- Monaco Parkway
- South and northbound Quebec Parkway
- Ulster Street
- Havana Street
- Sable Boulevard
- Chambers Road
RTD recommends avoiding those thoroughfares throughout it’s six days of testing, instead opting for routes that will allow you to pass over the speeding trains below. Those routes are as follows:
- Colorado Boulevard
- Quebec Street bypass
- Central Park Boulevard
- Peoria Street
But it’s not all bad. In fact, you might even call the testing a positive.
The positive train control system RTD will be testing on these commuter rail trains is designed to automatically stop trains before certain types of accidents occur. It’s a system that experts say would have prevented the Philadelphia trail derailment that killed eight earlier this year.
While most rail systems in the country have or are in the process of retrofitting their tracks to include PTC, RTD’s lines will be the first in the U.S. to have it built into a commuter rail system.
