Remember how convenient is was to take a light rail train after a Broncos or Rockies game and take that train all the way home? Well apparently RTD thinks that is horribly inconvenient for them and has decided to make all the riders on the C and E lines (the lines that end at Union Station) to get off the trains at I-25 and Broadway and wait for another train to take them the rest of the way along the lines in southwest and southeast Denver.
According to RTD's information, the E line will cease operation during the middle of the day and the C line will cease operations in the evening. The C line during the day and the E line at night will provide 15 minute frequency between Union Station and I-25 and Broadway. Unfortunately if you want to continue south, you will have to get off the train and take another train the rest of the way. RTD says "connections will be readily available," but depending on where you are going it could be another 15 minutes wait before the train arrives. According to the Rocky Mountain News, more than 1,000 daily riders could have to add time to their commutes because of the system change.
Just last week, I was waiting at I-25/Broadway for any SE light rail train (E, F, or H) to take me to the Colorado/Evans station at around 8 p.m., and had to wait more than 15 minutes in sub-zero temps for the train to arrive. Be prepared for that to become more and more common.
I do understand that this new system would increase frequency at Union Station, but we should be aware of the cost. If you just miss a train at Union Station, you'll have to wait 15 minutes. If you get to I-25/Broadway, and just miss your connecting train, it could be another 15 minute. Even if you had to wait 20 minutes initially, you'd still be better off than having to wait a full half hour for two different trains when one of them now could have taken you straight to your destination.
Every other American city's transit seems to be more efficient without stranding passengers halfway through their trips. And since Denver can have such a cold winter climate, this new system will probably be particularly aggravating for passengers who thought they would be headed home after the game and are instead freezing their butts off at the entirely outdoor I-25/Broadway station.
RTD told the Rocky Mountain News that it expects save only $633,800 on the service changes out of an expected budget deficit of more than $35 million for 2009. A paltry sum for RTD to inconvenience more than 1,000 people everyday. Is it too much to hope for some I-25/Broadway station heat lamps with the money RTD will save? Yep.
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