Thinking big to develop a growing region
Mass transit on the fast track
The Regional Transportation District (RTD), funded by a one percent sales tax, provides mass transit services in Metro Denver. With the FasTracks multimodal transit system moving forward, Metro Denver is quickly transforming growing suburbs into teeming cityscapes.
RTD's $7.4 billion FasTracks project is building out Metro Denver's entire mass transit system, adding 122 miles of rail rapid transit as well as extending existing routes and expanding the regional bus network. FasTracks is projected to create more than 10,000 jobs during the height of construction, and will pump billions of dollars into the regional economy.
The Regional Transportation District (RTD), Denver Regional Council of Governments (DRCOG), Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT), and area municipalities are coordinating transit-oriented development (TOD) plans throughout the region. Projects integrating job, housing, and cultural centers are taking shape in both urban and suburban areas – on infill sites and on vacant land.
- Overall, up to 50 transit-oriented developments are planned along eight different light rail and commuter rail lines extending in all directions from the downtown core
- Downtown's historic Denver Union Station is the central hub of the new regional transit system. The station fulfilled its original role as the "Grand Central Station" of Denver - the city's major ground transportation hub. AMTRAK and Light Rail arrive at an 8-track terminal behind the station, while express and local buses use a 22-bay underground complex.
- Two lines opened in 2016: the A Line and B Line, as well as the Flatiron Flyer – all part of the FasTracks program. The University of Colorado A Line, opened in April 2016, carries passengers from downtown Denver to DIA in 37 minutes. The R Line, bringing light rail service through the heart of Aurora, opened in 2017. The G Line is planned to bring RTD service through northwest Denver, Adams County, and Arvada with the end-of-line stop in Wheat Ridge.
To promote the use of mass transit, Metro Denver employers can purchase EcoPasses for their employees, which allow seven-day access to RTD services. RTD's FlexPass Program also offers employers and employees payroll tax savings, pre-tax savings, and transit pass discounts.