RTD announced Tuesday that it has state and federal approval to begin testing along the G Line to Wheat Ridge and Arvada.
However, this announcement doesn't come with an opening date. The G Line can’t open until there's final approval from the Federal Railroad Administration that all A Line crossing issues are resolved.
As far as the A Line goes, the FRA has granted waivers for the A and B Lines that guarantee operation until July 30. This is RTD's fourth such waiver, and the FRA has said in the past that they grant those waivers on the basis that RTD is moving forward.
Testing along the G line will start Wednesday and could last approximately 90 days, according to RTD. The conductors will be required to blow the train's horns at intersections, the agency said, though not in those precise words:
"Train operators are required to sound horns along the line until quiet zones at the crossings have been established by rail regulatory agencies," RTD said in a release.
To start, only a few test trains will run Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.. Eventually, the number of tests will increase as the agency gets closer to having a schedule for the line.
At times during this testing phase, crossings will be closed. Don't jump the gate arms. That's dangerous.
Again, please don't be dumb:
"Anyone wishing to view the trains being tested should do so from safe, publicly accessible spaces. Construction areas at stations and various locations along the alignment are completely off limits," RTD cautioned in its release.
