It wasn’t quite the Tokyo subway at rush hour, but it was close.
More than 75,000 light-rail passenger trips were recorded Saturday, four times above average for the day and “easily a record” for metro light rail, said Scott Reed, spokesman for the Regional Transportation District.
RTD was offering free rides on the entire light- rail system to celebrate the new 19-mile southeast line, which made its public debut the day before.
Throughout the day, giddy passengers squeezed into rail cars from stop to stop, anxious to be among the first to ride the new line. Some had to allow several trains to pass before boarding because the cars were too full.
“Today we are going nowhere, just from one end to the other,” said Svetlana Senatorova, 65, of Denver. “I think everybody is having an adventure today. They don’t know where, they’re just going for a ride.”
Travel also was free on the southeast line Friday, which generated more than 22,000 passenger trips in about a half a day.
“The more that people see the advantages of it, the greater the demand will be,” said Randy Smith of Parker, who rode the new line with his family on Friday.
The southeast rail line is expected to handle at least 33,000 passenger trips a day. The $880 million line took five years to build.
The new line doubles the number of miles in RTD’s light-rail system and is expected to trigger the most sweeping change in metro commuting patterns in decades.
Eleven of the southeast light-rail stations held opening day celebrations Saturday. Karen Wolff of Littleton took her two children by train to the street fair at the I-25 and Broadway station. It was Wolff’s first time riding light rail, but she plans to take the train downtown for evenings out with her husband.
“Now you don’t have to worry about driving if you have a couple glasses of wine,” she said. “It’s a great alternative.”
Most passengers marveled at the smooth, fast ride on the new trains, but some complained about the need for clearer signs to orient people when they arrive at stations. Some departing passengers said better signs are needed to direct them to the proper side of the platform.
“I had an easier time figuring out the train system in countries where I don’t speak the language,” said Sue Skripko of Aurora , who suggested putting arrows on the signs to help direct passengers.
With new rail lines and changes in existing bus routes, RTD officials expect some confusion during Monday’s commute. But they are confident the new transportation system will ultimately ease commuters’ burden once they are accustomed to the changes.
“Anytime there’s a new system in place, there’s a bit of a shakeout period,” said Reed, adding that debut of the new light rail went smoothly.
“I think we’ve proved the trains can handle very large numbers of people.”
Staff writer Jeffrey Leib can be reached at 303-954-1645 or jleib@denverpost.com.
