A state decision on the opening of the G Line will arrive no earlier than February, and it'll likely be later than that.
The story so far:
The opening of the train line to Arvada and Wheat Ridge has been delayed for more than a year due to timing issues with the gates at its road crossings. The A Line has the same issues, but has been allowed to operate with safety people at its gates. Currently, the gates stay down too long.
RTD has said in filings that it thinks the crossings are now safe to operate on their own. State regulators disagreed, denying the request in September. One commissioner even suggested that it might be "time to try something different."
However, RTD got a breath of fresh air in October, when the Federal Railroad Administration said it was pretty much OK with RTD's fixes. That left the state regulators as the big obstacle, and they quickly agreed to reassess their decision, which is what's happening now.
When will they decide?
There must be a hearing with an administrative law judge before a decision can be made. That won't happen until Feb. 15 and 16 at the earliest, or March 12 to 14 at the latest, depending on how much testimony is filed beforehand.
After the hearing, a decision from the state commission would likely arrive within a month, according to PUC spokesman Terry Bote.
That means that RTD might be allowed to start the final testing of the G Line sometime in March or April, assuming they get a favorable decision.
It's unclear how long the final preparations would take. RTD has asked for permission to start doing some testing on the G Line while they wait for the big decision. If they can start early, they could save "a month or more," according to an RTD filing.
When all is said and done, in the words of Quad City DJ's, you will be invited to "pack your bags, come on, get ready, say what?"
You may also feel the need to "move your arm up and down," and "make that choo choo sound," which is believed to be something like this:
Ride that choo, choo, woo, woo
Ride that choo, choo, woo, woo
Ride that choo, choo, woo, woo
Ride that choo, choo, woo, woo
Ride that choo, choo, woo, woo
Ride that choo, choo, woo, woo
Ride that choo, choo, woo, woo
Come on, it's the choo, choo train
Come on, it's the choo, choo
Come on, it's the choo, choo train
We got the sound to keep you getting down, down
The train is coming through
I think I can, I think I can, I think I can, I think I can
Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah
I think I can, I think I can, I think I can, I think I can
Ride that choo, choo, woo, woo
Ride that choo, choo, woo, woo
Ride that choo, choo, woo, woo
Ride that choo, choo, woo, woo
Ride that choo, choo, woo, woo
Ride that choo, choo, woo, woo
Ride that choo, choo, woo, woo
Come on, it's the choo, choo train
Come on, it's the choo, choo
Come on, it's the choo, choo train."
