Hi CCCers,The insanity persists. No one can say Fastracks was a lie; a
boondoggle. and NW corridor folks are bertter off without a train interfering
with their traffic. let's burn up a few million bucks to appease some zealots
for a few weeks. We should give locals the ability to seceded from the
dishonest and incompetent RTD. Thanks.DP
Denver RTD Board approves updated study of northwest rail peak service plan |
Mass Transit
plan
Aug. 27, 2021The board also backed the majority of recommendations that came
from an independent accountability committee.Related To: Regional
Transportation District (RTD)
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A study to implement a peak service rail schedule to northwest communities was
approved the by Denver Regional Transportation District (RTD) Board of
Directors; the board also backed the majority of 43 recommendations forwarded
by an independent accountability committee.
Board discussion on the accountability committee recommendations, and RTD
staff’s response to those ideas, was light and unanimous (with two
abstentions).
Board discussion on the northwest rail study, and its $8 million price tag, was
productive. And robust.
On a 12-3 vote, however, board members sided with the notion that taxpayers in
those northern communities have contributed tax dollars to the ongoing
build-out of the FasTracks plan approved in 2004, and that Denver RTD is
obligated to explore whether limited service on the existing rail corridor will
attract enough riders to the concept.
Money to pay for the study comes from an internal FasTracks account that was
set aside for such purposes, argued supporters of the study, and the decision
to implement rail service on firmer ground with fresh data. The peak service
idea calls for three trains for the morning commute and three trains for the
afternoon.
Board members in the majority suggested that the $8-million investment keeps
the conversation moving forward, honors the promise that FasTracks made when it
asked for voter support 17 years ago and puts Denver RTD in a better position
for possible collaboration with the backers of Front Range Passenger Rail
(FRPR).
The FRPR might be the “moonshot” idea, said one board member, that could solve
the very problem that the possible extension of the B Line (to the northwest)
is trying to fix.
The discussion over the accountability committee report and the discussion over
funding the northwest study intersected on recommendation no. 16 from the
committee: “RTD should perform a complete and comprehensive analysis of the
Northwest Rail project to establish a common set of assumptions (including
cost, ridership and timeline), and then engage in a regional discussion about
opportunities and alternatives, both near-term and long-term, for the
corridor.”
The RTD staff response to this suggestion was “agree.”
The Board concurred.
“The accountability committee just issued a long diatribe on the northwest
rail,” said RTD Director Paul Rosenthal. “I think we need to heed some of the
things they had to say. And some of those elected officials and board members
are from all over the metro area, not just the northwest.”
The accountability committee was created in July 2020 by Colorado Gov. Jared
Polis along with members of the Denver RTD Board and then chairs of the
Colorado General Assembly’s standing committees responsible for oversight of
transportation matters. The accountability committee’s charge was to provide an
independent and objective analysis of Denver RTD's operations and to suggest
any needed changes to related statutes.
“We did make a promise to the northwest region,” said Denver RTD Board Chair
Angie Rivera-Malpiede. “I think it is exciting. We may have some amazing
opportunities to collaborate with the Front Range Rail.”
Dissenting votes were cast by Denver RTD Directors Bobby Dishell, Julien
Bouquet and Shontel Lewis.
Dishell said the study is pointless.
“We’re undertaking a study to answer questions we are already know (the answers
to),” he said.
Denver RTD’s projected per-rider subsidy, Dishell added, would be 17 times
higher than the existing per-rider subsidy rates.
“Yes, there are political pressures here, but we have a fiduciary duty to the
entire region,” he said.
Lewis cited the district’s maintenance backlog as a higher priority than this
study. She said other incomplete FasTracks projects also need study and work.
And she argued that too much of FasTracks revenue is already spent on debt
service.
“I’m not saying no to Boulder, and I’m not saying no to Longmont. I’m saying
yes to equity, and I’m saying yes to our long-term success,” Lewis said. “We
need to concern ourselves with the needs of the entire district.”
But members Erik Davidson, Vince Buzek and others said the study is about
engaging the community and providing a common set of numbers that demonstrate
the size of the investment needed and the projected ridership if it’s built.
“These arguments about equity are hollow,” Buzek said. “You have economically
challenged, transit-dependent people who live all along this line.”
It was Davidson who referenced the “moonshot” possibility of aligning with the
Front Range Passenger Rail initiative. He argued that studying the northwest
corridor expansion will put Denver RTD in a better strategic position and
aligns with RTD’s stated goals of partnering with organizations such as FRPR
and the Colorado Department of Transportation.
“Our reputation is at stake here, and if we shortchange these people, we are
going to rue the day,” Bob Broom said.
Accountability committee response
The 43 recommendations from the accountability committee fell into nine general
categories. The categories ranged from how to spend federal relief dollars
related to COVID-19 to improving reporting metrics and transparency, from
improving operator retention to leveraging partnerships.
Denver RTD staff only disagreed with one idea: The suggestion to consolidate
all discounted fares as a means to improve the customer experience and improve
ridership.
In the printed response, Denver RTD General Manager and CEO Debra A. Johnson
noted that the district is currently conducting a systemwide fare study and
equity analysis, which includes extensive outreach to community organizations.
The 18-month analysis, she said, will address the accountability committee’s
concerns.
Board members had a robust discussion at a meeting on Aug. 17 and offered
several recommendations, which were incorporated into the final responses. One
idea (Recommendation No. 9) called for creation of “service councils” by region
that would advise RTD on local service needs. RTD staff agreed to create a work
group to study the suggestion and added that the idea fits with its ongoing
outreach through organized listening sessions that exist throughout the
district.
“My sincere thanks to you and your team for such a stellar job in pulling this
very difficult process together and making it user-friendly, transparent and
inclusive,” Board Chair Rivera-Malpiede told Johnson.
