Officials from communities in the U.S. 36 corridor criticized RTD on Monday for being too optimistic in assuming that the transit agency will get $1 billion in federal money for FasTracks trains to Denver International Airport and Arvada/Wheat Ridge.
The Regional Transportation District is giving “false credibility” to rail lines that it hopes to build with large amounts of federal money, Westminster Mayor Nancy McNally told RTD officials at a FasTracks local governments meeting.
Two months ago, RTD officials said the price tag of the FasTracks transit expansion had grown to $7.9 billion from $6.1 billion a year earlier and without the addition of new money, the only rail lines it could build to their full length would be those getting the federal assistance.
These include the west light-rail line to Golden, which hopes to get a commitment soon of about $308 million in federal money, and the airport train and the Gold Line to Arvada/Wheat Ridge, two routes RTD hopes will lure $1 billion in federal funds.
Other FasTracks lines, including the Northwest train to Boulder and Longmont, might have to settle for shortened routes initially unless more money can be raised, RTD said in its August analysis.
But at the meeting Monday, Kevin Standbridge, the Broomfield assistant city and county manager, bored in on RTD officials about how realistic it is to assume the billion dollars will be there for the DIA and Gold Line trains.
RTD needs “to deal with a scenario (for FasTracks) if there is no federal funding,” Standbridge said.
FasTracks spokeswoman Karen Morales said RTD has considered such a scenario, but it has not presented it as a serious option because the agency expects to get the federal funds.
One reason for that optimism, Morales said, is that RTD is one of three agencies to be selected by the Federal Transit Administration to be part of a special pilot program for transit public-private partnerships.
Broomfield Mayor Pat Quinn noted that although the Bush administration has embraced public-private partnerships, the new administration in Washington next year might not.
Jeffrey Leib: 303-954-1645 or jleib@denverpost.com
