The second day of expanded light-rail service went smoothly, RTD officials said, but the agency will continue to assess the timing of bus connections and whether there is a need for more cars on some peak-hour trains.
Some commuters on the southwest line from Littleton complained that they were being packed onto shorter trains since Monday’s launch of commuter service on the southeast line.
Regional Transportation District spokesman Scott Reed said the agency is assessing whether it can substitute three-car trains for two-car trains at busy times.
Some commuters also said they were missing bus connections at light-rail stops.
“We are looking at all the bus connections to see if there is enough time built into the schedule,” Reed said.
He also said RTD officials plan to meet next week with executives at Park Meadows mall to explore the possibility of starting shuttle-bus service from the County Line rail station to the shopping center.
There is no direct access to the mall from the County Line rail platform. A pedestrian bridge will be built from the platform to the mall parking lot, but it could take until the spring of 2008 to complete.
Opening the 19-mile, $880 million southeast line instantly doub led RTD’s light-rail system. It was accompanied by a move to eliminate some express and regional bus service from the southeast area and replace it with train service.
David Portmann of Castle Rock was riding the southeast’s F line from downtown toward Lincoln station late Tuesday afternoon and worrying that rail increases his travel time over what it took on the express bus.
Before southeast rail opened, Portmann was driving from his home to the Arapahoe park-n- Ride and taking the 78X or 85X express buses downtown.
For Dawn Russell, the new train has no downside. She moved with her husband to the Denver area earlier this year and they rented an apartment next to the Lincoln station.
She now walks out her apartment door and within a few minutes catches the 7:04 a.m. train for downtown and her job.
“I love it,” Russell said. “I couldn’t be happier.”
Staff writer Jeffrey Leib can be reached at 303-954-1645 or jleib@denverpost.com.
