Planners are considering three possible locations in Boulder for a commuter rail maintenance center to serve the U.S. 36 rail line that will be built as part of RTD’s FasTracks plan.
They are looking at sites near the IBM complex and the Gunbarrel industrial area if the U.S. 36 line is the only new FasTracks rail line that will use diesel-powered commuter rail technology. The third site is north of Arapahoe, between 48th and 63rd streets.
For two other FasTracks lines – the proposed Air Train from Denver’s Union Station to Denver International Airport and the North Metro line from Union Station to northern Adams County – planners are weighing whether to use diesel rail or electric-powered light rail.
If diesel is selected for at least one other line in addition to the U.S. 36 route, RTD would choose a more central location for rail maintenance just north of downtown Denver, officials told Denver City Council members on Tuesday.
Three sites in or near the freight rail corridors north and northeast of Coors Field have been considered already for the maintenance center. But some residents of the nearby Sunnyside, Globeville, Elyria and Swansea neighborhoods are concerned that such a facility could hinder redevelopment of the area.
On Tuesday, officials who are leading environmental studies of the Boulder and DIA train lines said they would consider a fourth site – on Burlington Northern Santa Fe railroad property north of downtown – for the rail maintenance center.
Because this land already is used for freight rail operations, it may be less controversial as a possible maintenance location.
Planners do not expect to decide for another year whether to use diesel or light-rail technology for the DIA train. And it could be up to two years before a decision is made on the location for the maintenance center, said Rick Pilgrim, who is leading the study on the U.S. 36 transportation corridor.
Staff writer Jeffrey Leib can be reached at 303-820-1645 or jleib@denverpost.com.
