Repeated shutdowns and delays in service on the train to Denver International Airport since its opening in April has resulted in the Regional Transportation District withholding more than $827,500 in payments to the private firm that operates the University of Colorado A-Line.
Scott Reed, a spokesman for RTD, said Thursday the transit agency is “disappointed in Denver Transit Partners’ performance that caused us to assess these deductions,” which are performance stipulations built into the 34-year contract RTD has with the company for operation and maintenance of the $1.2 billion line.
RTD pays Denver Transit Partners anywhere from $3 million to $3.5 million per month to operate the airport train, the first partnership of its kind in the agency’s 47-year history. But the 23-mile line has been plagued by a series of shutdowns over the past several months largely caused by lightning strikes or other sudden electrical power losses.
Those shutdowns have led to some passengers missing flights or having to pay extra to take a taxi or other transportation option to the airport. RTD has provided buses to move A-Line passengers during delays.
The deductions RTD has assessed on its partner fall into two categories, Reed said. Through July, RTD has withheld $77,583 in “availability payments,” which has to do with on-time performance and train and station availability. Figures for August are not available yet.
The second category of deductions, which totaled $750,000 for the period June through August, pertains to Denver Transit Partners’ operation of gates at the multiple crossings along the line. The firm has had to hire flaggers to man the crossings around the clock due to software glitches that had gates dropping at the wrong time or not dropping when they were supposed to.
Reed said the $250,000-per-month deduction was agreed to after the A-Line opened as it became clear that the crossing gate issue wasn’t going to be resolved quickly.
“We wanted to create an additional financial incentive for DTP to resolve these crossing issues as quickly as possible,” he said.
Terry Bote, a spokesman for the Colorado Public Utilities Commission, said staff from his agency and the Federal Railroad Administration have been in the field to witness crossing demonstrations a couple of times this summer.
“Those tests were not successful,” Bote said Thursday. “RTD must fully demonstrate that the crossings are operating in accordance with the design submitted and approved by the PUC. Once PUC staff is satisfied that is the case, RTD will file a completion letter with the PUC, and the commission will issue a decision releasing RTD from the PUC’s flagger requirement.”
He said “there is no timeline” for that to happen other than RTD correcting the problem.
RTD board vice chair Larry Hoy said the issue with the crossing arms is “really technical” and has to do with integrating software along the line with the Positive Train Control system RTD has installed on A-Line trains — a technology that helps to reduce collisions and derailments.
Hoy said he still has faith in Denver Transit Partners to correct the problems and make them a thing of the past.
“There are no (rail) lines we’ve deployed that haven’t had some glitches, but this one’s taking the limelight,” he said. “Moving forward, I know it’s going to be better.”
Denver Transit Partners didn’t make anyone available for an interview but released a statement Thursday afternoon from the firm’s executive project director, John Thompson.
“Despite challenges, Denver Transit Partners remains committed to providing safe and reliable service on the University of Colorado A-Line,” he said. “As we have done on the B-Line, DTP continues to work diligently with our partners at RTD to continue providing reliability for A-Line customers.”
Denver Transit Partners is also operating the B-Line between Westminster and Denver Union Station, which opened in July, and will be RTD’s partner on the G-Line, which is scheduled to go into service between Wheat Ridge and Denver next month. Neither Reed nor Hoy would speculate whether they think the G-Line could be subject to the same kind of problems the A-Line has undergone.
“We would certainly hope they don’t get carried over,” Hoy said.
Reed said RTD is taking the long-term view in terms of its relationship with Denver Transit Partners.
“This is a long-term, 34-year relationship,” he said. “We just need to be sure that RTD’s interests are made clear.”
