Whistleblower: RTD train operators exposed to meth, fentanyl on daily basis
A whistleblower who doesn't want to be identified says RTD train operators are being exposed to methamphetamine and fentanyl use on a daily basis.
"I can just tell they are fed up because they can't get any help," they said. "Upon reporting that they're told to air out their train and let them know if they can't continue"
Ronald G. Short with Amalgamated Transit Union 1001, the union that represents RTD operators, says ever since the police and RTD started cleaning up Union Station, drug users have moved to trains and busses, exposing operators to all kinds of different dangers.
"There's been an existing problem over, I say, the past couple of years," he said. "Fentanyl, meth, marijuana just a whole gambit of different drugs"
Dr. Eric Hill is an emergency room physician at the Medical Center of Aurora. He says secondhand exposure isn't common but can happen.
"They might feel kind of disoriented. They might get a little bit of hallucinations or feel paranoid," Hill said.
It's something Short says his operators have experienced firsthand, "We've had several train operators out there on the W Line that had been overcome as well as bus operators."
The whistleblower says they have heard of trains being abandoned because the operator was affected by secondhand meth exposure.
"I'm aware of a train operator having to abandon their train," they said.
Short says RTD and the union have recently agreed to give operators two days off to seek medical treatment and recover if they've been exposed to drug use.
He thinks that's a good start but not enough, but he knows it's tough problem to solve because RTD has a small security force. He believes the communities RTD serves need to step up.
"It just takes RTD and the surrounding metropolitan area and the municipalities and their police forces to help us with this problem," Short said.
RTD released a statement, "To support the safety and well-being of our customers and employees, RTD is closely monitoring the situation at the Downtown Boulder Station and the potential impact to other spaces. RTD will test and remediate additional facilities as needed, and information will continue to be shared with the public. To assist RTD in addressing this problem, the agency strongly encourages members of the community to report any suspicious behavior or illegal activity they may observe in or around RTD facilities. Reports can be made through RTD's Transit Watch app or by calling 911."
