Timeline Of RTD's A Line
DENVER (CBS4) - RTD opened its commuter rail line to Denver International Airport in the spring of 2016, and the airport train service has regularly made headlines since then.
Get the latest updates about the A Line here and see a timeline of events surrounding the train below.
November 2004: RTD's FasTracks plan is approved by voters in the Denver metro area. Voters approved a 4-tenths of a percent increase in the sales tax to pay for an ambitious rail and bus expansion project. One of the centerpieces of the plan is creating commuter train service from Union Station to Denver International Airport.
Aug. 31, 2011: Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood comes to Colorado to announce a funding award of $1.03 billion to aid in the completion of the rail line and another planned one that would link downtown to the northwest suburbs of Arvada.
April 21, 2016: A CBS4 report finds the full fare of $9 to get from one end of the A Line to another is high compared to other cities with similar service.
April 22, 2016: Opening day of the A Line, the high frequency commuter rail line from Union Station to DIA. During peak hours, the RTD trains arrive at each of the 10 stations along the route every 15 minutes.
April 22, 2016: Protesters holding signs saying "Can't Afford To Ride" interrupt a speech by RTD General Manager Dave Genova during the grand opening ceremony of the A Line.
April 26, 2016: The trains experience their first service interruption. The shutdown lasts for approximately 30 minutes and is blamed on a switching issue.
May 2, 2016: Trains along the A Line experience delays again.
May 11, 2016: Officials order flaggers to be present at six railroad crossings along the A Line route because of a problem with the gates. The gates are not operating properly, either dropping when a train was not arriving or not fully dropping before a train arrives. The contractor for the gate system, not the taxpayers, pays for the flaggers.
May 12-23, 2016: The A Line experiences service disruptions on eight different days during a 12 day stretch. "Did we expect this to happen? Not at all. And is it desirable? Not at all," said Nate Currey, a spokesperson for RTD.
May 24, 2016: An A Line train stops suddenly on an overpass 50 feet in the air at 78th and Gun Club Road after a power outage due to a lightning strike along the train line. Firefighters with the Denver Fire Department help rescue 80 passengers off the train.
RTD sets up "bus bridges" to get around the train line outages and get passengers to their destinations.
June 9, 2016: Passengers are delayed up to 15 minutes because of minor issues with train control switches and signals.
June 13, 2016: A lightning strike shuts down train service for approximately 30 minutes.
June 21, 2016: Delays are caused first by train crossing issues and then later by a problem near the station at Colorado Boulevard.
July 15, 2016: RTD orders spot inspections of the entire A Line following a structural problem on a similar line in Philadelphia. The inspections don't cause any delays in service and no issues are found.
Aug. 10-11, 2016: Hours-long delays take place after a train's pantograph, the arm that extends from the top of the train to the overhead power wire, snags on one of the guide wires and is damaged. Bus shuttles are brought in to transport passengers to their destinations.
Aug. 17, 2016: Delays are blamed on false activations at some of the railroad crossings.
Aug. 29, 2016: According to documents provided by RTD to CBS4, Denver Transit Partners (the contractors consortium responsible for building the A Line) is docked tens of thousands of dollars during the first three months of operations. RTD Assistant General Manager Scott Reed says the deductions were for not meeting standards.
Oct 6, 2016: Blaring horns from the A Line trains, which are required by federal authorities, cause sleepless nights for some in northeast Denver. RTD officials tell CBS4 they hope to establish "quiet zones" by the year's end. The issue still hadn't been resolved by February 2017.
Oct 11, 2016: Delays blamed on a power outage.
Oct 12, 2016: Semi truck crashes into the 40th and Holly Street crossing, causing A Line train delays.
Nov 2, 2016: The Federal Railway Administration extends their waiver for the A Line, giving RTD permission to continue operating the rail line with flaggers at railroad crossings despite the signal crossings software problems not being fixed.
Dec. 8, 2016: Delays of as much as 45 minutes take place on the A Line.
Dec 8, 2016: A broken rail means delays during sub-zero temperatures for A Line passengers
Dec 8, 2016: RTD says their figures show more than 20,000 passengers are riding the A Line every day.
Dec 23, 2016: RTD's Board of Directors decides against awarding a bonus to General Manager Dave Genova. The board cites, in part, problems with the A Line as a reason behind its decision.
Jan. 5 & 8, 2017: Train delays take place in cold temperatures once again. In one case, four passengers have to be rescued after a train loses power as it is leaving DIA.
Feb 1, 2017: The Federal Railway Administration once again extends their waiver for the A Line, this time the new deadline is April 30, 2017.
Feb 8, 2017: A brush fire near 64th Avenue and Pena Boulevard causes moderate A Line delays.
Feb. 14, 2017: An A Line train collides with a passenger van near the Peoria Station, killing the van driver and causing minor injuries to a few people on the train. Police investigate the case as a possible suicide.
(All images credit: CBS)
