RTD officials explored new scenarios Tuesday night for dealing with a $2 billion shortfall in FasTracks funding, but the new options especially hurt train lines planned for Thornton/Northglenn and Aurora’s Interstate 225 corridor.
The alternatives would allow the Regional Transportation District to go farther initially with the Northwest commuter train to Broomfield and Boulder counties, but the exercise highlighted the financial squeeze’s grim aspect: For communities in one FasTracks corridor to benefit, others must suffer.
“Based on each of these scenarios, there are winners and losers,” RTD general manager Cal Marsella told agency board members.
In August, RTD said the cost of building all FasTracks train lines and rail extensions by the target of 2017 had jumped to $7.9 billion, about $2 billion more than the agency expects to have available for the project.
At that time, RTD said it could build FasTracks trains to Denver International Airport, Arvada/Wheat Ridge and Golden to their full length by 2017 because they are expected to get about $1.3 billion in federal money. But other lines, including the Northwest, North Metro and I-225 trains, would probably be truncated for the 2017 deadline and only be extended to their full lengths later when more money was found.
This scenario for shortened lines had the Northwest train running from Union Station to West 71st Avenue and Lowell Boulevard instead of Boulder/Longmont, North Metro to East 88th Avenue in Adams County instead of East 162nd Avenue, and the I-225 line from South Parker Road only to Aurora’s City Center instead of Peoria Street/Smith Road.
Tuesday night, RTD offered alternate scenarios that apportioned money for FasTracks trains differently — by expected ridership, original planned track mileage and other factors.
In the starkest examples, the North Metro line could be funded only from Union Station to the National Western Complex, and the I-225 line only from Parker Road to East Yale or East Iliff avenue.
These alternatives reinforced RTD’s view that the August options offered “logical termini” and were better for the communities, said RTD planning chief Bill Van Meter.
“Those corridors all go to real destinations where there is available land for parking and access for commuters,” Van Meter said. “They maximize the length of corridors given our fiscal constraints.”
In January, an organization of mayors from throughout metro Denver is expected to offer its own plan for ensuring that some communities are not treated inequitably by FasTracks budget cuts.
Most of the recent increase in FasTracks’ price tag was attributed to a spike in the cost of construction materials.
Since the midsummer assessment, however, the costs of some construction commodities have come down.
The price of copper, a key ingredient for electrified rail lines, has dropped by more than half, said RTD chief engineer John Shonsey.
To try to take advantage of reduced commodity costs, RTD is looking at “early procurement” of some goods and materials for FasTracks, he said.
Also, there is hope that the Obama administration might provide more federal support.
Jeffrey Leib: 303-954-1645 or jleib@denverpost.com
