Seemingly esoteric matters of crossing safety and gate activation times are presenting a major obstacle for RTD's commuter rail expansion projects in the Denver area.
John Aguilar reports on a major setback for the Regional Transportation District (RTD) in the Denver region, after the Colorado Public Utilities Commission denied a commuter rail safety plan affecting the A, B, and G lines.
According to Aguilar, the Public Utilities Commission denied a "request to change the timing of crossing gates on several of the metro area’s commuter rail lines, as well as turning down a planned resumption of full testing on the as yet unopened G-Line."
The request was essential to the RTD's plan to set an opening date for the G Line. "The rulings also leave in question when flaggers, who at substantial cost have been stationed at the crossings along two rail lines for more than a year, will no longer be needed," according to Aguilar. Aguilar led coverage by The Denver Post of the extra costs incurred to pay flaggers at 11 at-grade crossings on Denver's airport train.
FULL STORY: RTD’s A, B and G lines remain in limbo after state regulators reject commuter rail safety plan
Train to Denver Airport Threatened with Closure over Crossing Gate Woes
The Federal Railroad Administration is threatening to revoke the waiver that allows the A-Line to operate with flaggers at grade crossings unless the Regional Transit District presents a plan by mid-month to fix the crossing gate problems.
G-Line Commuter Rail Opens Today, Connecting Denver to Suburbs
A new commuter line is open today in Denver, after facing challenges and delays that continue to plague other previously opened rail lines in the region.
B Line Commuter Rail Extension Gets a Green Light in Colorado
The Board of Directors for the Regional Transportation District has given a preliminary green light to accelerate planning work on the B Line extension from Denver to Boulder and Longmont.
Planning for Congestion Relief
The third and final installment of Planetizen's examination of the role of the planning profession in both perpetuating and solving traffic congestion.
Minneapolis Housing Plan a Success—Not for the Reason You Think
Housing advocates praise the city’s move to eliminate single-family zoning by legalizing triplexes on single-family lots, but that isn’t why housing construction is growing.
Car Noise Is Killing Us
It’s not just traffic collisions that kill—a new study from researcher at Rutgers finds that the loud noises emanating from cars has direct impact on heart health in Americans.
Houston Bike Summit Makes In-Person Return
The event will focus on improving bike safety and continuing maintenance on the city's growing network of bike lanes and trails.
Austin’s Transit CEO Moving to D.C.
After overseeing a major system redesign and plans for its largest-ever expansion, the head of Capital Metro will take over Washington, D.C.’s transit agency.
NYC 25x25 Plan Would Reclaim ‘13 Central Parks’ From Cars
A plan backed by New York City Mayor Eric Adams would repurpose 25 percent of the city’s street space for multimodal transportation and pedestrian plazas.
City of Malibu
EMC Planning Group Inc.
Jefferson Parish
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Harvard GSD Executive Education
City of Rohnert Park
City of Hot Springs
City of Lakeway, Texas
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Hand Drawing Master Plans
This course aims to provide an introduction into Urban Design Sketching focused on how to hand draw master plans using a mix of colored markers.
