RTD has another 90 days to solve technology problems that have plagued at-grade crossing safety gates causing service delays on the University of Colorado A Line since it opened.
The Federal Railroad Administration on Wednesday granted another waiver, which expires on April 30, that allows the train between Denver Union Station and Denver International Airport to keep running, Nate Currey, RTD spokesman said on Wednesday.
A glitch in software that closes at-grade safety gates at vehicle crossings along the A Line route causes gates to close seven seconds before a train arrives, and open five seconds after it leaves, Currey said.
As it was designed, the software system is static and can’t take into account potential delays, or early arrivals caused by train operators unexpectedly accelerating or decelerating, passenger boarding and departing times, or changes in movement of vehicle traffic.
Changes are being made to the software to compensate for those variables, Currey said.
Presently, flaggers are stationed at the crossings on the line.
“Over the last several months, RTD has made improvements to the warning times and presented an optimistic plan to resolve the timing issues at its railroad crossings,” the FRA said in a statement.
During the period of the waiver, RTD must continue twice weekly meetings with FRA’s regional staff, attend monthly face-to-face meetings in Washington to update FRA on its progress and continue to use flaggers at all crossings.
“RTD will be required to continue verifying that its flaggers are properly trained and are fully performing their duties,” FRA said.
The G Line, which will travel will travel between Union Station and Wheat Ridge, was originally scheduled to open last year, and has been delayed, because it has the same technology governing at-grade crossings technology as the A Line.
