B Line (RTD)

B Line
Bridge carrying B and G lines over freight lines and South Platte River
Overview
Status	Operating in truncated segment
Owner	Regional Transportation District
Locale	Denver metropolitan area
Termini	Union Station Westminster (initial) (proposed)
Stations	4 8 (proposed)
Website	Official website
Service
Type	Commuter rail
System	Regional Transportation District
Operator(s)	Denver Transit Partners
Rolling stock	Hyundai Rotem, Silverliner V
History
Opened	July 25, 2016 (2016-07-25)
Technical
Line length	6.2 miles (10 km) (initial segment) 41 miles (66 km) (proposed)
Track gauge	4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Electrification	25 kV AC (60 Hz) overhead lines[1]
Route diagram Legend extension to Longmont (TBD) Downtown Longmont SH 119 Diagonal Hwy Gunbarrel SH 157 Foothills Pkwy Boulder Junction SH 157 Foothills Pkwy Louisville Northwest Parkway Flatiron SH 121 Wadsworth Blvd Church Ranch US 36 SH 95 Sheridan Blvd Westminster US 287 Federal Blvd I-76 Fare Zone Boundary  G  to Wheat Ridge/Ward Pecos Junction CRMF I-70 41st & Fox I-25 South Platte River  N  to Eastlake/124th  A  to Denver Airport Amtrak California Zephyr Union Station  A  G  N  ▼  C   E   W  This diagram: view talk

The B Line, also known as the Northwest Rail Line during construction, is a commuter rail line which is part of the commuter and light rail system operated by the Regional Transportation District in the Denver metropolitan area in Colorado.^[2] Part of the FasTracks project, the first 6.2-mile (10 km) section from downtown Denver to south Westminster opened on July 25, 2016.^[3] If fully built out, estimated around 2042,^[4] the B Line will be a 41-mile (66 km) high-capacity route from Denver Union Station to Longmont, passing through North Denver, Adams County, Westminster, Broomfield, Louisville and Boulder.^[2]

Route[]

The B Line's southern terminus is at Union Station in Denver. It runs on a railroad right-of-way north sharing track with the G Line until Pecos Junction station, after which the two routes diverge. Initially, the B Line continues north to its terminus at Westminster station;^[5] this is completed in approximately 15 minutes.

Stations[]

Fare zone	Municipality	Name	Interchange	Opening year	Park & Ride	Status
A	Denver	Union Station	RTD Commuter Rail:  A   G   N  RTD Light Rail:  C   E   W  Amtrak: California Zephyr MallRide Flatiron Flyer	2014	No	Open
		41st & Fox	RTD Commuter Rail:  G	2019	Yes	Open
	North Washington	Pecos Junction	RTD Commuter Rail:  G	2019	Yes	Open
B	Westminster	Westminster		2016	Yes	Open
N/A		Church Ranch		—	Yes	Proposed
	Broomfield	Flatiron		—	Yes	Proposed
	Louisville	Louisville		—	Yes	Proposed
	Boulder	Boulder Junction		—	Yes	Proposed
		Gunbarrel		—	Yes	Proposed
	Longmont	Downtown Longmont		—	Yes	Proposed

FasTracks[]

In 2004, Colorado voters approved FasTracks, a multibillion-dollar public transportation expansion plan. As part of the Eagle P3 project, the first segment of the B Line opened on July 25, 2016. The remaining segment, extending to downtown Longmont, will require additional funding^[6] in order to be completed prior to 2042.^[4] The announcement angered many voters in the cities and suburbs north of Denver, who had approved a sales tax increase in 2004 to fund the FasTracks project.^[7][8][4]

The downturn in the economy, poor cost projections that significantly underestimated construction costs and other reasons led to the initiation of the year-long "Northwest Area Mobility Study" for what was then known as the Northwest Rail line. Out of this study came an agreement between northwest area governments and transportation partners to build a line very different from what the lines voters originally approved. The study concluded in 2014. It made a number of recommendations that were adopted by the RTD.^{[9][10][11][12][13]}

In summer 2018, the U.S. 36 Mayors and Commissioners Coalition was gathering support from other members to ask RTD to provide an estimate for at least weekday rush hour commuter rail service along the original corridor to Longmont.^[14] In spring 2019, Longmont City Council asked RTD to look into the barebones "Peak Service Plan". RTD estimated a start-up cost of $117 million, serving an initial weekday ridership of 1,400. By mid-2019, completion of the full original line was estimated at $1.1-1.5 billion (in 2013 dollars), targeted for 2042, 25 years after the original planned opening.^[15] In early 2020, RTD estimated it could construct the rest of the line for peak-direction service at a cost of $700-800 million; full-day service would not be expected until 2050 at a final cost of $1.5 billion.^[4]

References[]

External links[]

Route map:

• Official Website