1. This is Colorado’s first commuter rail line, which differs from light rail in that the trains are heavier and faster. The A-Line is propelled by overhead electric power — 25,000 volts worth!
2. No need to leap, balance or scramble over a set of stairs to get on and off the train. All boardings on the A-Line are level with the platform. Smoothly roll your suitcase/stroller/bike on board.
3. Your flight from the West Coast doesn’t get in until midnight? No sweat. The last A train leaves DIA at 1:26 a.m. most days of the week. For a full schedule, visit
4. Afraid of getting nickled-and-dimed by paying for multiple trips on multiple lines to get to the airport from your home? Don’t be. A ride to DIA is $9 no matter where in RTD’s system the trip originates.
5. Your cost to park at an RTD park n Ride is $2 a day, with the first 24 hours free if you live inside the RTD district.
6. Don’t be a turnstile jumper. Fare checking agents will patrol the A-Line to ensure that you paid your fare.
7. “Married pair” refers to the practice of hooking two train cars together to double the on-board capacity. For the A-Line, a married pair will provide room for 182 seated passengers and 158 standing. Fun fact: You can move from one train car to the other through the connecting doors while the train is in motion.
8. Positive train control and automatic train control are built-in features of the A-Line, allowing for less operator error and greatly reducing the chances for tragic collisions or derailments.
9. Blizzard buster: The A-Line trains come equipped with a plow blade to push away any snow that might build up on the tracks.
10. The A-Line was completed through a public-private partnership. The public entity is RTD of course. The private party is Denver Transit Partners. DTP is made up of Balfour Beatty and John Laing for infrastructure; Fluor for engineering, design, construction, operations and maintenance; Aberdeen Assets for investment; ACI for project management, operations and maintenance; Ames for construction; and Hyundai-Rotem for supply of train cars.
John Aguilar: 303-954-1695, jaguilar@denverpost.com or @abuvthefold
