By Chase Bierenkoven
Significant changes take effect Sunday for the Regional Transportation District’s bus and rail schedules.
The district says the changes are meant to focus service where it’s most needed, while curtailing low-ridership lines. The schedule update will also support the final phases of Denver’s Downtown Rail Reconstruction Project.
The change comes as RTD faces a massive budget deficit, potential service cuts and more. Some RTD board members have warned layoffs could loom if the ship is not righted.
Light rail schedules shuffled for construction
Denver’s Downtown Rail Reconstruction Project kicked off in May 2024. The project will see Denver’s oldest light rail infrastructure rebuilt by the end of 2027.
The lines at the heart of downtown, originally put into service in 1994, are being replaced through a series of construction projects and rolling service disruptions.
RTD’s D, H, and L lines will be suspended for the final phases of the reconstruction project, but the agency will provide alternative options.
L Line riders will benefit from increased service on bus route 43 to compensate. H Line riders can take the E Line or T Line at Belleview for northbound trips.
A new T Line (Temporary Line) will run between Lincoln and the I-25/Broadway station to make up for the suspension of the H Line.
G, B and R lines to run more often
Meanwhile, RTD’s G Line service will see an increase, with 15-minute service intervals restored on weekdays from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. On weekends and holidays, the more frequent trains will run from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Outside those hours, service will remain at its current 30-minute intervals. The district says it boosted service to match demand on the line to Arvada.
The R Line to Aurora will get a similar boost, with 15-minute train intervals on weekdays from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Weekends and holidays will have frequent service from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. The R Line will also expand its service to include SkyRidge, Lone Tree, and RidgeGate Parkway stations.
B Line service to Westminster will also be restored to 30-minute intervals from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. Currently, the line runs hourly.
Finally, RTD will reinstate the C Line between its Littleton Mineral Station and Union Station.
RTD funded the service increases with a $9.25 million grant from the state’s Clean Transit Enterprise.
RTD FlexRide is narrowed
RTD will change its FlexRide service as part of June’s proposed changes. FlexRide offers bus service in the suburbs, but the agency is paring back service in locations where demand is lower.
RTD will cut service for its Platte Valley FlexRide entirely.
RTD says the elimination of the line will be due to “low customer utilization,” averaging less than “0.6 customers per hour or 8 customers per day.”
However, DTC FlexRide service will be expanded in the south metro, with service hours now running 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Bus routes are changing, too
Some RTD bus routes will also be adjusted in response to construction closures.
The 0L route will extend hours of operation to add midday service between the I-25-Broadway station and the Wade Blank Civic Center Station.
RTD’s Route 15 buses will add a stop near the Amazon warehouse on 13th Avenue in Aurora, along with tweaks made in response to Colfax Avenue bus rapid transit construction.
Route 21 will be split, serving more residents via 15-minute service intervals between Evans Station and Aurora Metro Center Station, while Route 22 takes over on the older western segment previously served by Route 21 buses.
More changes coming
That was only the highlight reel. For a full list of changes, you can visit RTD’s website, which lists changes by rail line and bus route.
What do you think of the changes? Drop us an email.
