The largest park-n-Ride along the East Rail Line between Union Station and Denver International Airport is now open and serving bus riders.
The Regional Transportation District officially opened the Central Park Station — 8200 Smith Road in the Stapleton neighborhood — last month and routed all buses previously using the old Stapleton park-n-Ride to the new spot about one block north.
The station is the first of six to open along the East Rail Line that will get passengers to DIA when the 22.8-mile line opens in the spring of 2016. Central Park will be the third stop of seven total — including DIA — after the commuter train departs from Union Station.
“This is a big milestone for us to have the new lot, and people will get a closer view of what commuter rail will look like,” said Tara Bettale, RTD spokeswoman for the East Rail Line.
The estimated cost of the Central Park Station park-n-Ride is $21 million, paid for with a combination of RTD local funds and federal grant dollars. The final cost will be established later this year as work is completed, according to Bettale.
The new station has 1,500 parking spaces, the most between Union Station and DIA. Current estimates have 450 people using the station daily, but that number is expected to spike when commuter rail service opens. Commuter train testing is underway and people can view trains as they zoom through the station at 79 mph.
One of the biggest improvements with the new Central Park Station is that the parking lot is paved, making driving and walking to the station easier, especially in the winter.
Commuter Ronnie Roberson, who said he uses the Central Park Station daily to transfer to a different bus, believes the new station is a good upgrade from the Stapleton station.
“It’s a lot better than Stapleton,” Roberson said. “It’s convenient.”
Joe Vaccarelli: 303-954-2396, jvaccarelli@denverpost.com or @joe_vacc
