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Photo by Nate Beale
The plan to redevelop Denver’s Union Station involves many stakeholders- private and public partnerships, overlapping committees and interest groups. It’s no surprise that not everyone agrees on what is best for the station or the details of its role as transportation hub for the region.
This week those disagreements have spilled out of public hearings and committee meetings and into the Federal courts. The Colorado Rail Passenger Association, or ColoRail, is filing a lawsuit to halt further development of the station. The organization claims the details of the current plan do not meet the requirements agreed upon earlier in the planning process and fall far too short of the stated goal to make the station a "multi-modal transit hub of international significance."
Of primary concern to the organization is what it perceives as a lack of connectivity between different modes of transportation and a lack of capacity for future expansion. The existing plan will relocate the light rail tracks about a quarter mile west of the station and does not do anything to integrate the regional transit system with interstate busses like Greyhound. ColoRail views this as unacceptable in light of a stated goal to improve ease of movement between different modes of transit.
The Association cites the plans for underground bus bays as a short-sighted and costly development that will not allow for future transportation options or expansion, something that would be more feasible with an above-ground structure. In addition, the organization is concerned that the resources needed to power and maintain the underground station combined with its low-lying flood-prone location will make it unsustainable in the long term.
Also at issue is a lack of capacity for future rail services, such as a proposed revival of the Pioneer Amtrak route from Seattle to Denver, rail service along the I-25 or 1-70- corridors, or private and event trains like the late Winter Park Ski Train. ColoRail claims that if development goes forward as it is currently proposed it will fail to live up to the promises made at the beginning of the planning process and that transportation opportunities will be squandered without giving full consideration the possibilities and to the passengers.
Comments
As the first elected RTD Board Chair (1969), I am a major advocate for transit and for Transit-Oriented Development (“TOD”). I support the ColoRail suit because the present plan for DUS has major fatal flaws. RTD cannot back up statements that there is capacity either at the lines near the station or at the “Coal Train” line to handle much more rail development. As just one example, the I-25 Front Range and I-70 Mountain rail that is now shown to be feasible cannot come into the presently planned DUS, so when it is developed in the future, where will it go? A new station somewhere else, at an enormous cost and with absurd connectivity to DUS? Further, the required “seamless connectivity” between light rail and transfers with commuter rail and national rail does not exist, and this condition will deter people from getting out of their cars and using transit. A cheaper layout that won’t be obsolete soon after it is built can be implemented. There are alternative layouts that are user-friendly, capable of expansion, less expensive in capital cost, debt service and Maintenance and operation costs, as well as being far superior in sustainability and energy efficiency. ColoRail does not seek to stymie the rail hub but to improve it. Bert Melcher
Make Denver Union Station a true "passenger railroad terminal" designed for today and tomorrows transportation needs with connections to light rail, commuter rail and bus.
The comment regarding the following statement: "The existing plan will relocate the light rail tracks about a quarter mile west of the station and does not do anything to integrate the regional transit system with interstate busses like Greyhound." Greyhound was offered plenty of opportunities to be part of the plan. The project was even delayed a few weeks so that they could figure out if they a) wanted and b) could afford to be part of the plan. THEY opted not to be part of the plan.
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