DENVER — State Rep. Spencer Swalm (R-Centennial), plans to request an audit of the Denver Regional Transportation District's (RTD) FasTracks program, citing faulty planning for the project, denverpost.com reported. Cost estimates for the 41-mile stretch of planned commuter train lines jumped from $894 million to $1.7 billion. The majority of the increase came from having to share rail lines with the Burlington Northern Santa Fe railroad, which owns the right of way RTD must use. For the full story, click here.
Meanwhile, denverpost.com reported that RTD approved a plan to build a hybrid transportation system consisting of commuter rail and bus lines to the northwest corridor from Denver to Longmont instead of the full rail system voters were promised in 2004. For the full story, click here.