The Regional Transportation District on Friday said it has the timing glitch with the grade crossings on the University of Colorado A-Line figured out, but the transit agency will have to wait until next week to find out whether federal regulators agree with that assessment.
It must wait even longer to hear if the Colorado Public Utilities Commission also agrees that the problem is solved.
Either way, RTD is asking the Federal Railroad Administration to give it the OK to resume testing a single train on the yet-to-open G-Line out to the western suburbs in light of the progress it has made on the A-Line. Both lines use the same software system to control the opening and closing of gates at crossings.
“It’s good news that we’ve gotten to where we can say we’re meeting design standards,” RTD spokesman Nate Currey said Friday. “We’ll need to demonstrate to them that it has met the design standards that we set initially.”
The A-Line has been operating on a waiver from the FRA since it opened a year ago while RTD’s private sector partner, Denver Transit Partners, attempts to resolve a nagging timing issue with safety arms that is caused by integration challenges between crossing software and positive train control, a railroad safety system mandated by Congress. That waiver includes the requirement that RTD station flaggers along the A-Line as a safety precaution.
The Denver Post has conservatively estimated that DTP has paid out nearly $6 million to station a mix of civilian flaggers and police officers from Denver and Aurora at the A-Line’s 11 crossings for round-the-clock duty over the past year.
The A-Line’s first anniversary is Saturday.
Despite the progress RTD says it has made, the agency last week asked the FRA for another waiver extension past the current waiver’s April 30 deadline. That’s because even if the FRA signs off on the timing of the A-Line’s crossing gates, RTD won’t be able to remove the flaggers from the A-Line or start revenue service on the G-Line until the PUC certifies the crossings.
Marc Willis, a spokesman for the FRA, said his agency has received RTD’s request for a waiver extension and for resumption of testing on the G-Line.
“The FRA safety committee will review RTD’s request next week and make a determination,” he said Friday.
PUC spokesman Terry Bote said he has no idea how long it might take his agency to give a final green light to the A-Line.
“RTD must fully demonstrate that the crossings are operating according to the design submitted and approved by the PUC,” Bote said. “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 flagger requirement.”
One solid sign that RTD is making progress, Currey said, is that the FRA has given permission to the agency to open two new stops on the B-Line, the 6-mile line that connects Union Station to Westminster that began operation last summer. Currey said RTD hopes to open stations at 41st & Fox and Pecos Junction in May. Those two stations will be shared by the G-Line when it opens.
