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RTD to offer holiday service following completion of rail reconstruction near Colfax at Auraria Station | RTD will resume light rail service in Denver’s Downtown Loop for the holidays, following the successful, on-time completion of an 86-day project to fully reconstruct the light rail crossing near the intersection of Kalamath Street and Colfax Avenue. | |
Daily light rail service will temporarily operate every 15 minutes, 6 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. between I-25•Broadway and 30th•Downing stations. The special holiday service will be available to customers from Friday, Nov. 28, through Saturday, Jan. 3, ahead of RTD’s proposed January service changes. All currently adjusted light rail lines and their destinations, including H Line service terminating at Southmoor Station and the D Line rerouting into Denver Union Station, will remain in place until RTD’s January service changes take effect on Sunday, Jan. 4. At that time, RTD will resume its regular light rail service on the D, H, and L lines.
Review the rail map and click the link below to learn more.
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| Walter Street, Bus Operator (35 years) | | | | “I’ve been out of East Metro. I worked (from) Platte three or four years ago because there was a run over there that I liked. I was a group two dispatcher for 15 years and a street supervisor, and I filled in as a starter. I worked 15 years or so with the training department. I was the original Hooked on Health representative for this division. I was on the Safety Committee for 15 years. I worked the opening of Arapahoe Station. I was on the committee for the West Line. I’ve seen a few openings. I’ve been around." | | | |
Over the weekend, crews poured over 300 square yards of colored concrete track paving on the tracks east of Kalamath Street. Crews also placed pourable flangeway filler between the running rail and restraining rail. Using handheld tools called groovers (also called jointers), they etched joints into the track paving, which were used to control cracking as the concrete cured.
As the week progresses, crews will install train wayside control (TWC) loops and permanent pavement markings on the track paving and on Kalamath Street. Once that work is complete, agency officials will perform a punch list walk with crews to identify any remaining work elements or items that still need attention.
The project is expected to wrap up by next week. Check out this week’s lead story to learn more about plans to reopen and operate special holiday train service through the Downtown Loop.
| Access Downtown Rail Reconstruction Project reports, progress updates, photos, videos, news and resources about the latest happenings with the project. Click the links below to access the webpage and project Linktree. | | Every day across the Denver metro area, RTD employees are making lives better through connections. The agency is proud to spotlight our exceptional workforce who go above and beyond in their roles and embody RTD’s core values. Join us in celebrating colleagues who personify the values of passion, respect, diversity, trustworthiness, collaboration and ownership. | | Bus operator’s kindness makes customer’s commutes enjoyable | Our operator, Bernard Rocha, was the best and, I repeat, the VERY BEST! I have not had someone as kind and helpful as him. I take this route often as I work for an airline at the airport. | | Bus operator finds customer’s lost employee badge, coordinates return | I ride the Route 153 bus five days a week to Peoria Station to connect to the A Line to the airport, and I want to say a very big thank you to my operator, Rene Ricks-Stamps. | | |
RTD, Denver Public Schools celebrate National Transit Career Day | | |
On Thursday, RTD employees connected with thousands of Denver Public Schools students at the district’s 8th Grade Career Fair at Empower Field at Mile High Stadium. Agency staff from operations and in administrative roles spoke with students about what it is like to have a career in the transit industry.
Click the link below to learn more about the event.
| | Transit leaders from Australia, New Zealand tour light rail facilities | | |
On Thursday, RTD hosted 11 executives and managers from the Australasian Railway Association (ARA), a group representing more than 200 member organizations in Australia and New Zealand transit agencies, taking part in a two-week study tour of American transit agencies. The visitors learned about RTD’s history and evolution of rail operations; witnessed the day-to-day operations at Elati; toured the rail yard, Service and Cleaning, and Maintenance and Inventory; and then headed to Mariposa for a look at the agency’s SCADA system used by Light Rail Control.
General Superintendent of Light Rail Vehicle Maintenance Tim Walker provided the delegation with extensive perspective on the tour. Other RTD staff taking part included Erik Wright, Deputy Assistant General Manager, Rail Operations; Jerred Reed, LRV Maintenance Manager; Ryan Kaspersen, Field Supervisor; Cindy Martinez, Manager, LRV Service and Cleaning; and Chris Bennett, Lead Light Rail Controller/Supervisor.
| | RTD hosts training this week with guide dog groups | | |
Last night, US 36•Broomfield Station went to the dogs. Over a dozen canines of all ages and their handlers joined forces with RTD to expose their pups to a busy transit environment and prepare them for a future as guide dogs for the visually impaired.
Handlers practiced boarding and alighting two of RTD’s coach-style buses, both traditionally via the front entry and exit and on the accessibility lift affixed to the side of the bus. Handlers received advice on proper boarding procedures while teaching their pups patience and timing, making sure the dogs were leading their handlers and not reacting to the environment. Once everyone was loaded onto the buses, the group departed for Lafayette, where they trained on alighting as a group and reacted when the vehicles departed. The buses looped around Exempla Circle and through Lafayette before returning to US 36•Broomfield Station for a debrief.
Assisting with the training were bus instructors and operators Ike Veiga and Daniel Yazzie. Both worked closely with the handlers, providing tips and guidance for using the accessibility lifts and helping the pups with climbing and descending the steps located at the front entry and exit.
Boulder Puppies, a volunteer puppy raising club based in Boulder, partners with Guide Dogs for the Blind to train puppies as young as 15 months on good manners and thorough socialization. Dogs raised through the program will eventually become certified guide dogs, assisting legally blind and visually impaired individuals to navigate the world safely.
Click the links below to learn more about Boulder Puppies and to view a photo gallery, and click the thumbnail to view a short video of last night's event.
| | Brighton On-Demand Local Transit (BOLT) service launches | | |
Last Thursday, Partnerships Program Manager Cory Schmitt joined Board Director Troy Whitmore at the launch of the Brighton On-Demand Local Transit (BOLT) service at Brighton’s city hall. Not to be confused with RTD’s Route BOLT that operates regional service between Downtown Boulder Station and Longmont, the Brighton BOLT provides community members and RTD customers with an additional mobility option in the Brighton area, connecting to existing FlexRide and fixed-route services, including bus Routes 120L, 145X, 520, and RX.
The new service was made possible through $1.8 million in Partnership Program funding awarded to the City of Brighton from RTD, with $600,000 allocated in 2025, 2026, and 2027.
BOLT vehicles are fully accessible to customers using mobility devices such as wheelchairs and walkers. Additionally, the buses come equipped with bike racks for those who prefer their first- and-last mile connections on two wheels. Through a dedicated mobile application, customers within the BOLT’s service area can reserve on-demand transit service 6 a.m.-7 p.m. Mondays through Fridays.
Learn more about the new service by clicking the link below.
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Herschel Boyd
Train Engineer (10 years)
David Montgomery
LRT Field Supervisor (22 years)
Brenda Richardson
Bus Operator (25 years)
Phil Lucero
Lead Street Supervisor (28 years)
| | Best Dressed Operator of the Week: Alain Tchoumy | This week’s best dressed operator is Alain Tchoumy out of East Metro Division. Congratulations, Alain! | | |
Jargon of the Week: Bus bridge | |
Every week in Inside Connections, learn about a technical term used in an official capacity within RTD.
A bus bridge, more commonly referred to as bus shuttle service, refers to the process of using buses to replace train service between affected stations in the event of a service disruption or to support access for customers to reach station platforms during elevator outages.
| | Have you ever needed to board shuttle buses during a disruption? | | |
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From Cybersecurity: Stay safe while working on mobile devices | Cybercriminals know that mobile devices contain all sorts of information about their victims and will try to trick them into gaining access to that information. That’s why it is important to practice good security habits when using personal and work mobile devices. |
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Join Learning Administrator Eryn Grover at the final Facts-n-Snacks session of the year tomorrow as she discusses how to get the most value out of the Professional Development Program (PDP) funds available to every RTD employee to advance their skills and education.
The session takes place at 2 p.m. on Microsoft Teams. Click the link below to register.
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Reminder: Register for Chat with the Chief session on Dec. 4 | |
Chief of Police and Emergency Management Steve Martingano will host a virtual session for all RTD employees at 10 a.m. Dec. 4. Bring your safety- and security-related questions. The session will take place via Microsoft Teams.
Click the link below to register for the session.
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Reminder: Drug forum employee sessions are open to all RTD staff | |
A two-day forum RTD is hosting next month that examines drug use on U.S. transit systems will feature two sessions on Dec. 3 that are just for employees: 8-10 a.m. at Elati Division and 11 a.m.-1 p.m. at Platte Division.
Click the link below to register for the sessions and to submit questions that will guide the discussions.
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| November’s graduation ceremony recognizes 25 operators | |
The latest class of graduates featured 20 bus and five light rail operators, all of whom were recognized at the OneRTD Operator Graduation Ceremony at Blake Street on Friday. Congratulations to all our new operators!
Missed the event? Click the link below to view a recording of the livestream.
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Help Santa when he drops in on Littleton on Dec. 13 | | | | Straight from the North Pole, Santa and his merry helpers are arriving at Littleton•Downtown Station! Stop by for a magical afternoon filled with photos with Santa, festive giveaways from his workshop, and plenty of holiday cheer. RTD employees and their families are encouraged to attend. The event will take place inside the Denver and Rio Grande Depot at Littleton•Downtown Station. | | |
RTD employees are invited to assist the Community Engagement team with this special holiday offering. Two shifts are available for those who wish to volunteer: 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m. and 12:30-3 p.m.
Employee volunteers are encouraged to park at a nearby station and take the D Line to the event, as parking at the station will be limited. While the event itself will be inside the building, volunteers may have to provide support outside for attendees queuing up to meet Santa. Please dress for the weather and consider layering up if temperatures are chilly.
Want to help? Email Youth Engagement Specialist Taylor Curtis (taylor.curtis@rtd-denver.com).
| | RTD has a number of solicitations currently underway at the agency or planned for the near future. To view and download current solicitations, see upcoming opportunities, and review pending and awarded contracts, follow the links below. | | | | Debra's Quote of the Week | |
"When you are in doubt, be still, and wait; when doubt no longer exists for you, then go forward with courage."
— Chief White Eagle
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