[Colorado-talk] For Users of RTD

[Nehemiah Hall]

I'm pasting here the list of changes that RTD has proposed to make to trains, busses, etc., starting in may. It's a bit long, but I erge people to read through at least the summary to make sure that there aren't any changes to busses important to them. 

SUMMARY OF PROPOSED SERVICE CHANGES 

Service Reductions 

Route 6 - East 6th Avenue/North Pecos: eliminate the DFAS deviation 

Mixed Service Reductions/Service Increases 

Route 21 - Evans Crosstown: a trip discontinuance and a trip addition 

Route 67 - Coal Mine/Ridge Road Crosstown: discontinue Clarkson Street branch, reroute to the Streets 

Route 105 - Havana Crosstown: weekend service reductions with base period service increases 

Route 153 - Chambers Crosstown: reroute service from Pheasant Run to Arapahoe Crossing on Sunday 

Routes 205 - 28th Street/ Gunbarrel and 206 - Pearl/ Eisenhower: exchange the BTC loop to Rte 206 

Free Mall Ride - 16th Street Mall: changes due to signal system change and new DUS light rail platform 

Light Rail - (All Lines): changes due to traffic signal system change and new DUS light rail platform 

Service Increases 

Route 73 - Quebec Crosstown: additional trips 

Route 228 - Louisville/Broomfield: new routing through Rocky Mountain Airport 

Route Bolt - Boulder Longmont: resume service between 8th Coffman and 23rd-Main 

Board of Directors Report 

January 4, 2011 

Page 2 

Routine Service Adjustments 

Route 0Ltd - South Broadway Limited: Schedule adjustments 

Route 1 - West 1st Avenue: Schedule adjustments 

Route 12 - Downing Crosstown: Schedule adjustments 

Route 16 - West Colfax: Schedule adjustments 

Route 16Ltd - West Colfax Limited: Schedule adjustments 

Route 30Ltd - South Federal Limited: Schedule adjustments 

Route 31 - Federal Crosstown: Schedule adjustments 

Route 36Ltd - Fort Logan Limited: Schedule adjustments 

Route 43 - Martin Luther King Blvd: Running time adjustments 

Route 65 - Monaco Parkway: Running time adjustments 

Route 80X - West 80th Express: Schedule adjustments - shifting leave times at MSS 

Route 86X - Westminster Center Express: Schedule adjustment - shift last trip leaving MSS 

Route 120 - 120th Avenue Crosstown: Running time adjustments, due to route changes 

Route 120X - Thornton/Wagon Road Express: Schedule adjustment - shift 7:32AM SB trip 

Route 128 -Broomfield/Wagon Road: Running time adjustments 

Route 209 -CU/Thunderbird: Running time adjustments 

Route AA - Wagon Road/DIA: adjust the schedule to match DIA employee shift end times 

Route BOLT - Boulder/ Longmont: Schedule adjustments to allow for connections to Route FLEX 

Routes CV/CS/CX - Pine Junction/Conifer/Denver: Schedule adjustments 

Route DM -Boulder/Anschutz/Fitzsimmons: Running time adjustments in AM 

Routes EV/ES/EX - Evergreen Aspen Park/Denver: Schedule adjustments 

Route HX - 28th Street/ Civic Center: start Route HX at 29th St/Pearl St 

Route N - Nederland/Boulder: Schedule adjustment -shift 2nd to last trip westbound 

Route RX - Brighton/Denver Express: Schedule adjustment - shift 1st PM northbound trip 

Route Y - Lyons/ Boulder: adjust the current AM southbound trip times 

All Union Station Busway Service - long term detours due to DUS construction 

School Service 

Remove seasonal school service from the following routes: 1W, 6, 9, 11, 24, 30, 30Ltd, 31, 43, 51, 

65, 73, 76, 100, 206, 301, 302 and 303. 

FINANCIAL IMPACT 

The cost of the May 2011 service change is estimated at $86,400 for 2011, while the annualized cost 

is approximately $149,000. An additional annualized costs totaling $570,235 would be attributed to the 

FasTracks bus operations budget for the extension of the Free Mall Ride service to the new Denver 

Union Station light rail platform. 

PUBLIC HEARINGS 

Four (4) public hearings have been scheduled between January 26th and February 3rd, and these are 

detailed below. The input received which will be summarized and reported to the Board at its February 

meeting, when final approval will be requested. 

Longmont Longmont Public Library 

409 4th Avenue, Room A 

Wednesday, February 2nd, 2011, 7:00 p.m. 

Downtown Denver RTD Administrative Offices

1600 Blake Street, Rooms T&D

Wednesday, February 2nd, 2011, 12:30 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. 

Board of Directors Report 

January 4, 2011 

Page 3 

Aurora Aurora Central Library 

14949 E. Alameda Parkway 

Thursday, February 3rd, 2011, 7:00 p.m. 

Prepared by: 

Jeff Becker, Senior Manager of Service Development 

Jessie Carter, Manager of Service Planning & Scheduling 

Attachment A 

January 4, 2011 

Page 2 

ATTACHMENT A 

DETAILED SERVICE CHANGE PROPOSALS - MAY 2011 

Route 0Ltd - South Broadway Limited 

Schedule adjustments 

Route 1 - West 1st Avenue 

Schedule adjustments 

Route 6 - East 6th Ave/North Pecos 

Remove deviation from DFAS-DE facility at Lowry, which is closing. 

Route 12 - Downing Crosstown 

Schedule adjustments 

Route 16 - West Colfax 

Schedule adjustments 

Route 16Ltd - West Colfax Limited 

In addition to minor schedule adjustments, the eastbound route in Downtown Denver is 

proposed to be removed from Court Place and relocated to continue directly on Colfax to 

Lincoln, then into Civic Center Station via 16th Avenue. One stop is affected, at Court 

Place/14th Street. It would be replaced by a stop at West Colfax Avenue/Bannock Street. 

Route 21 - Evans Crosstown 

Due to low ridership, the weekday 6:42 a.m. eastbound trip from Pierson/Jewell to Evans 

Station is proposed to be discontinued. The combined passenger count for the trip 

following it by 5 minutes would average 27 passengers, well within the load standard for 

peak hour buses. The savings are proposed to be used to add a trip from Cold Spring p-n-

R to Evans Station at 7:22 a.m. Both the trip ahead and behind that time are carrying 

large numbers of students for multiple schools, but the trip would be an extension of the 

existing 8:16 a.m. trip from Evans Station to Centrepoint and is expected to benefit 

regular commuters, so would operate year-round. 

Route 30Ltd - South Federal Limited 

Schedule adjustments 

Route 31 - Federal Crosstown 

Schedule adjustments 

Route 36Ltd - Fort Logan Limited 

Schedule adjustments 

Route 43 - Martin Luther King Blvd. 

Running time adjustments 

Route 65 - Monaco Parkway 

Running time adjustments 

Attachment A 

January 4, 2011 

Page 3 

Route 67 - Coal Mine/Ridge Road Crosstown 

It is proposed to discontinue the lightly-patronized Clarkson Street branch and re-route 

these peak period trips to the expanded mixed-use development The Streets at Southglenn 

focal point. This change will affect an average of 6 passenger boardings per weekday, at 

no additional expense. The change will provide improved transfer connections, as well as 

additional service for the mall and Southglenn residents. 

Route 73 - Quebec Street 

Reschedule and extend evening service as follows: Northbound, move 9:32pm trip to 

10:02pm from Ulster/Tufts. Southbound add new trips at 9:52pm and 10:52pm from 

Stapleton. This change will allow improved connections from DIA for airport employees. 

The annualized cost would be approximately $30,200. 

Route 80X - West 80th Express 

Schedule adjustments - shifting PM northbound trips leave times at Market Street Station 

by 5 - 10 minutes earlier. 

Route 86X - Westminster Center Express 

Schedule adjustment - shift last PM westbound trip to leave Market Street Station 5 

minutes later than current (6:54pm to 6:59pm). 

Route 105 - Havana Crosstown 

Discontinue south of Ulster/Tufts after 7:00pm on weekdays, and all day on Saturdays. 

Add the following weekday trips in order to relieve overloads and schedule adherence 

issues: 9:36am, 1:44pm and 2:44pm northbound from Southmoor Station, and 8:37am, 

1:37pm, 2:37pm, and 6:07pm southbound from Stapleton park-n-Ride. Extend weekday 

30 minute frequency one hour later in each direction to 10:52pm southbound and 

10:58pm northbound, matching Saturday/Sunday/ holiday service. Running time 

adjustment will also be made. Annualized cost is estimated to be $18,600. 

Route 120 - 120th Avenue Crosstown 

Running time adjustments, due to route changes implemented in January 2011. 

Route 120X - Thornton/Wagon Road Express 

Schedule adjustment - shift 7:32AM southbound trip 5 minutes later for better load 

balance 

Route 128 -Broomfield/Wagon Road 

Running time adjustments to improve connections at US 36 & Broomfield park-n-Ride 

Route 153 - Chambers Crosstown 

Reroute Sunday/holiday service to Arapahoe Crossing shopping center instead of Smoky 

Hill/Pheasant Run loop. Affects a total of 41 passenger trips on 18 bus trips, or 2.3 

passengers/trip. Passenger may instead use Routes 135, 139, or 169Ltd. Arapahoe 

Crossing branch has substantially higher ridership on weekdays and Saturdays compared 

to the Smoky Hill branch, and similar results are expected on Sundays and holidays. There 

is no change in cost or savings associated with this revision. 

Attachment A 

January 4, 2011 

Page 4 

Route 205 - 28th Street/ Gunbarrel 

Route 206 - Pearl/ Eisenhower 

It is proposed to remove the loop from Boulder Transit Center to 3rd St/ Pearl St, and back 

to Boulder Transit Center, from Route 206, and to move it back to Route 205, in order to 

efficiently allow for better service on Route 206. Layover will remain at Boulder Transit 

Center. There are no costs or savings associated with this proposal. 

Route 209 -CU/Thunderbird 

Running time adjustments 

Route 228 -Louisville/Broomfield 

It is proposed to re-route this service through Rocky Mountain Airport via Jefferson 

County Airport Avenue and Airport Way in place of the current routing of Wadsworth and 

Hwy 128. This change has been requested by Rocky Mountain Airport employees. This 

would mean one current stop location at Highway 128 and Longs Peak Drive would be 

removed. This change would impact an average of 1 to 3 riders per day. However, these 

passengers would have an alternative in the Route 228, which can be accessed on 

Jefferson County Airport Avenue. There are no costs or savings associated with this 

proposal. 

Route AA - Wagon Road/DIA 

It is proposed to adjust the westbound PM schedule to match current DIA employee shift 

end times. 

Route BOLT - Boulder/ Longmont 

Resume service between the Coffman- 8th/Roosevelt Park park-n-Ride and 23rd - Main park-

n-Ride that was discontinued due to a construction project. Schedule adjustments to allow 

for connections to Route FLEX. The annualized cost of this proposal is estimated at 

$99,200 utilizing an additional base period bus. 

Routes CV/CS/CX - Pine Junction/Conifer/Denver 

Schedule adjustments 

Route DM -Boulder/Anschutz/Fitzsimmons 

Running time adjustments in AM - add in 10 minutes at I-225; shift trip back to match 

current start time in order to keep connections at US 36 & Broomfield pnR and 

Westminster Center pnR 

Routes EV/ES/EX - Evergreen Aspen Park/Denver 

Schedule adjustments 

Attachment A 

January 4, 2011 

Page 5 

Free Mall Ride - 16th Street Mall 

Subject to decisions by the City and County of Denver (CCD) and the Denver Union 

Station Project Authority (DUSPA), two major changes are proposed for the 16th Street 

Mall service. These changes may be deferred to the August 2011 runboard if technical 

reasons require a delay. 

1. 

Downtown signal cycles to change from 75 seconds to 90 seconds Schedules of the Free Mall Ride are written to operate in synchronization with traffic signal

timing. If approved by the CCD Traffic Engineer in January 2011, schedules will need to be revised to headways that are multiples of 90 seconds. 

o AM peak service operating in the January runboard on every two light cycles (150 seconds) will not be able to carry riders without crowding. Therefore,

with the May change, it is proposed to return to single light cycle headways (90 seconds). 

o Other time periods on the Mall Ride will be adjusted to the closest matching headways, with the condition that total operating hours are not to be increased.

 

o Times of first and last trips will not be changed. 

2. 

16th Street Mall to be extended to new Light Rail platform at DUS During the May 2011 runboard, contractors working on the DUSPA Union Station project expect

to relocate the Light Rail platform from its current Wewatta Street location to a site north of Chestnut Street adjacent to the Consolidated Main Line.

 

o This will require extension of the Free Mall Ride for a net distance of 0.23 round-trip miles, added to the current 2.54 round-trip miles. This will necessitate

a 9% increase in Mall Shuttle total service-hours, plus 1% to allow for reliable service over the entire Mall during construction phases. 

o Weekday Mall service costs are proposed to increase by $480,250 annually, Saturdays by $45,425 and Sundays & holidays by $44,560 hours. The total annualized

cost would be approximately $570,235. 

o This is a Fastracks expense, to be covered from the commitment to bus service increases in the Fastracks plan. 

Route HX - 28th Street/ Civic Center 

It is proposed to start Route HX at 29th St/Pearl St for the SB AM trips to provide better 

connections to/from Routes HOP and 206. 

Attachment A 

January 4, 2011 

Page 6 

Light Rail - All lines 

Subject to decisions by the City and County of Denver (CCD) and the Denver Union 

Station Project Authority (DUSPA), two major changes are proposed for Light Rail service. 

These changes may be deferred to the August 2011 runboard if technical reasons require 

a delay. 

1. 

Downtown signal cycles to change from 75 seconds to 90 seconds 

o Schedules of Light Rail lines in Downtown Denver are written to operate in synchronization with traffic signal timing. At present, schedules are written

in multiples of 2½ minutes. If approved by the CCD Traffic Engineer in January, schedules will need to be revised to headways that are multiples of 3 minutes.

O The new signal cycle will permit the operation of 4-car trains on selected trips. During the May runboard, this is proposed on an experimental basis,

with regular implementation to begin in the August runboard. 

o Minor changes will be made in all Light Rail schedules to conform to the new system. The total amount of service provided is planned to be the same as

at present and have no impact on cost. 

2. 

New Light Rail platform at DUS 

o During the May 2011 runboard, contractors working on the DUSPA Union Station project expect to relocate the Light Rail platform from its current Wewatta

Street location to a site north of Chestnut Street adjacent to the Consolidated Main Line. 

o This will result in trains departing Union Station a minute later than shown in the public timetables during that portion of the May runboard and arriving

at Union Station a minute earlier than shown. This minor adjustment will be reflected in the August 2011 schedules if the construction project proceeds

on schedule. 

o There is no impact on estimated hourly costs, due to the slight shortening of the line. 

Route N - Nederland/Boulder 

Schedule adjustment -shift 2nd to last trip WB to better split the difference to last trip; 

improve connections to Rte 208 

Route RX - Brighton/Denver Express 

Schedule adjustment - shift 1st PM NB trip back by 11 minutes (from 4:34pm to 4:25pm) 

Route Y - Lyons/ Boulder 

It is proposed to adjust the current AM southbound trip times to better match the 

connections at Boulder Transit Center to Routes 208 and 206, as well as Route BV/BX. 

School Service 

Remove seasonal school service from the following routes: 1W, 6, 9, 11, 24, 30, 30Ltd, 

31, 43, 51, 65, 73, 76, 100, 206, 301, 302 and 303. 

Attachment A 

January 4, 2011 

Page 7 

All Union Station Busway Service - Routes 31X, 40X, 80X, 86X, 120X, BV/BF/BX, L/LX 

Due to construction in the Busway resulting from the DUSPA projects, these routes are 

planned to be placed on a long-term detour. Inbound busway trips (5 a.m. - 10 a.m. 

weekdays except holidays) would come off the Bus/HOV/HOT Lanes via the 19th Street 

Ramp, proceeding without stops to Market Street Station via Blake Street. Outbound 

busway trips (12 n.- 3 a.m. weekdays except holidays and all day weekends and holidays) 

would proceed without stops from Market Street Station to the 19th Street Ramp via 16th 

Street and Wazee Street. CDOT will make alterations in the 19th Street Ramp to permit 

bus operations outbound during appropriate hours. 

Important points which will be communicated to customers 

o This change will not affect Routes 120X, BV, BX, L and S when the North I-25 Bus/HOV/HOT Lanes are closed or running in the opposite direction. Those

routes will continue to use Wewatta Street. 

o This change will not affect Routes 122X, HX and RX which use the Bus/HOV/HOT Lanes, but do not run via Union Station. 

o Customers to and from Central Platte Valley points should use the Free Mall Ride or Local buses to and from Market Street Station. 

o Customers transferring between Light Rail and Express or Regional buses should consider using the D, F, and H-Lines with transfers at 18th Street Stations

connecting southbound in the morning and northbound in the afternoon with Routes 122X, HX.




Nehemiah
To build may have to be the slow and laborious task of years. To destroy can be the thoughtless act of a single day. - Sir Winston Churchill
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