If Denver-area voters do not approve a sales-tax hike and if the federal government fails to contribute $1 billion for the FasTracks public-private partnership, RTD will only be able to build one more rail line — the train to DIA, agency planners told area mayors Tuesday.
RTD planning chief Bill Van Meter outlined the scenario in response to a question from Arvada Mayor Bob Frie, as mayors and RTD staff members discussed options for moving the $7 billion FasTracks project forward.
FasTracks needs an additional $2.3 billion if the Regional Transportation District is to stay on schedule for building its planned total of six new rail lines, three rail extensions to existing lines, and other transit elements by 2017.
So far, the West Corridor light-rail line to Lakewood and Golden is the only FasTracks line under construction.
Planners already have divided FasTracks into a two-stage project, with the first phase calling for a public-private partnership, or PPP, to finance, design, build, operate and maintain the 23-mile train line from Union Station to DIA, the Gold Line to Arvada/Wheat Ridge and a truncated portion of the Northwest rail line from Union Station as far as West 71st Avenue in Westminster.
This scenario assumes that the federal government will give RTD the $1 billion in grant money.
The DIA train and a commuter-rail maintenance center will be built, and railcars acquired, whether RTD gets the federal money or not, Van Meter told the mayors.
Construction of the Gold Line and the Northwest rail segment is contingent on getting the federal funds, he added.
Other FasTracks components, including construction of the remainder of the Northwest rail line to Boulder and Longmont, the 18-mile North Metro commuter train to Adams County, the Interstate 225 light-rail line in Aurora and light-rail extensions to Lone Tree and Highlands Ranch, would come in a second phase of construction financed by a FasTracks sales-tax increase.
RTD’s board of directors will decide early next year whether to ask voters next November to back the tax hike or wait until later.
