Denver RTD granted extension of waiver for university rail line ops
The agency and its contract builder and operator Denver Transit Partners received an extension of their waiver from the FRA, allowing for continued operation of University of Colorado A Line and B Line.
The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has granted the Denver Regional Transportation District (RTD) and its contract builder and operator Denver Transit Partners (DTP) an extension of their waiver, allowing for continued operation of University of Colorado A Line and B Line.
Under the waiver extension, FRA noted that DTP must implement the items contained in the plan that was presented to FRA staff last Friday, Oct. 28 in Washington, D.C. In addition, RTD and DTP will hold twice-weekly progress meetings with the FRA Region 6 staff and will schedule monthly face-to-face progress meetings with the FRA in Washington, D.C.
Ad Loading...
“We greatly appreciate the FRA granting the waiver extension, which is the direct result of the excellent working relationship between FRA, RTD and DTP," said RTD General Manager and CEO Dave Genova. "The University of Colorado A Line and the B Line trains have and will continue to operate safely while the remaining crossing issues are being addressed. We also appreciate that our passengers have continued to embrace our commuter rail service, as we are already exceeding our ridership projections for the end of the first year of operation for both lines."
The University of Colorado A Line has average weekday ridership of 18,800 passengers, exceeding first-year-end projections of 18,600 passengers; the B Line has 1,480 daily passengers, well ahead of the first-year-end projection of 800 passengers.
Since opening in April, the University of Colorado A Line has operated with flaggers at each of the crossings to monitor and control traffic in case the gates stay down too long. The B Line, which opened in July, had a flagger in place at the one crossing on that line. The flaggers will remain in place until all actions are completed to correct crossing gate down time and other issues.
The delivery marks the first car in a 374‑vehicle order and begins the arrival of a new generation of higher‑capacity, more reliable, and more comfortable trains for one of the country’s busiest commuter rail systems.
BART recorded 5,403,140 exits in March, making it the highest monthly ridership since the pandemic and surpassing the previous high set in October 2025 (5,346,890 exits).
The station was rebuilt as part of SEPTA’s Station Accessibility Program, making it fully ADA accessible with new elevators, ramps, and high-level platforms.
The announcement highlights the long-standing partnership between the Class I railroad and the commuter rail system, dating back to Metra's creation in 1983.
Crews completed a significant portion of the testing required before commissioning the new, digital signaling system, which will bring important upgrades that strengthen Red Line service reliability for riders and provide Red Line Operations the ability to route trains more quickly, turn trains around faster, and recover from unplanned disruptions more efficiently, said MBTA officials.
In addition to new projects, progress continues on a multiyear effort to upgrade track, electrical, and signal systems on the Metra Electric Line to accommodate the expansion of service on the South Shore Line.
The Maryland Transit Administration is advancing the nearly $1.4 billion Light Rail Modernization Program, which modernizes the Baltimore Central Light Rail Line from Hunt Valley to BWI Thurgood Marshall Airport with new, low-floor vehicles and upgrades to all light rail stations, systems, and maintenance facilities.
The Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board recently met for a budget workshop, during which staff outlined the significant service reductions Caltrain could be forced to make without new external funding.
Funding for the purchase of the railcars comes from the nearly $220 million in additional capital dollars Gov. Josh Shapiro allocated in November 2025 to support urgent safety upgrades and infrastructure improvements.
