One mile above the sea in a town called Denver, Colorado, there's a discussion transpiring over public transportation. Denver’s metro area encompasses a diameter of over fifty miles from tip to tail, from the foothills in the West to the airport on the Eastern Plains.
One of the many problems that Denver has faced since the 70's is maintaining quality environmental standards while commuters trek great distances between work and home. The population continues to grow and Denver’s communities are debating attacking this problem by adding several electric commuter rail systems.
In June, 1999, RTD, Denver’s public transit authority, partnered with local government and businesses on the T-Rex Project to alleviate traffic congestion in and around Downtown Denver. T-Rex brought Denver its first phase of Light Rail in 2006.
Light Rail is an electric commuter train with 30 conveniently located stations. It has removed some traffic congestion along Denver's busiest corridors. Its initial success inspired RTD’s proposal to extend Light Rail with a program called Fas Tracks. Voters approved Fas Tracks in 2004 and it should increase the Light Rail's service to 54 new stations including Denver International Airport (DIA).
Unfortunately, Fas Tracks was under budget by nearly $2.5 Billion which has caused some limitations on expansion. Luckily, Denverites understand the importance this vital infrastructure and the positive impact it will have on the Metro area's future.
Beyond Denver’s commute, but just as critical is Colorado's ski-based tourism industry. Hundreds of thousands of people travel from all over the world to visit Colorado’s snow-capped peaks every year. There is only one major through-way to the most popular resorts; Interstate-70. Anyone who has attempted to enjoy a weekend skiing in the high-country can tell you all the fun on the slopes can be quickly overshadowed by the grueling commute back to Denver.
There are many ideas to develop a high speed train that stretches along I-70 from Union Station in Denver, west of Vail in the Rockies, and along Interstate-25 from Fort Collins in Northern Colorado to Pueblo, South of Colorado Springs. High speed rail would drastically reduce most regular traffic from these routes.
The third and final mass transit idea is to resurrect a trolley system that was dismantled in the early 1900's. Denver's boom years of the late nineteenth century spawned several train systems that moved passengers safely through Denver’s busy streets. These street cars helped the growth of Denver's oldest neighborhoods like Capitol Hill and Park Hill. Although, some of the original tracks still exist, they haven't been used for decades. Some talks involve using these passages to extend the Light Rail System, thus, making electric public transportation more convenient for city dwellers.
Electric trains are hugely expensive. If it's lucky, Denver might expect to see these rail developments unfold by 2020. What's important now is that people, communities, businesses and governments are talking about this much-needed infrastructure. It means that we all understand how crucial these systems are to making a healthy, vibrant city for our future.
