Transit planners are recommending that the 18-mile North Metro commuter rail line use self-propelled diesel train cars instead of electric-powered cars.
Electric trains are “not affordable within the FasTracks corridor budget,” according to a train-technology analysis released Tuesday by the Regional Transportation District.
The study said a North Metro electric train through Denver, Commerce City, Northglenn and Thornton would cost at least $177 million more in capital and financing costs than diesel.
Much of the extra cost would come from overhead electrification, the study said.
Even with slightly lower annual operating costs, electric trains would not recoup the cost difference in more than three decades of operation, planners said.
The North Metro line is one of six new lines to be built as part of RTD’s FasTracks expansion.
The line, which will end at 162nd Avenue in north Adams County, is due to open in 2015.
Even before the electric alternative was considered, the cost of a diesel North Metro line ballooned to $637 million in RTD’s current FasTracks budget, from $420 million three years ago.
Planners recently selected diesel technology for the 41-mile northwest commuter rail route to Boulder and Longmont, noting that electrifying that line could cost as much as $565 million more than using diesel.
Two other commuter-rail lines in FasTracks – the train from Union Station to Denver International Airport and the Gold Line to Arvada/Wheat Ridge – are set to use electric cars.
A separate analysis shows that operating and maintenance savings on those lines over time will repay the extra cost of electrifying the lines.
About 80 percent of the people who have commented on the North Metro rail-technology choice have favored electric rail, many voicing concerns that diesel rail will add noise and air pollution in the corridor.
RTD planners said the North Metro rail line will yield a net reduction in total air pollution in the corridor by taking a number of passenger cars off area roads as some commuters switch to rail. They conceded that diesel trains are noisier than electric ones.
RTD will hold public meetings this evening in Thornton and Thursday in Denver to present the analysis on diesel versus electric for North Metro.
Information on the meetings can be found at rtd-fastracks.com and by clicking on North Metro corridor.
