RTD reaches out to customers during Rail Safety Week | |
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RTD has joined commuter rail concessionaire Denver Transit Operators (DTO) this week to raise awareness among rail customers and provide resources to help stop tragedies on train tracks.
Rail Safety Week, observed Sept. 23-29 this year, aims to bring awareness to collisions, injuries and fatalities on railroad tracks and at highway/rail grade crossings. Rail Safety Week organizers and partners are committed to providing educational resources and solutions to prevent tragedies from occurring.
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Why was this commander cleaning up trash? 'It is my responsibility' | Trash left by people camping in the area has been an ongoing issue at RTD’s Wagon Road Park-n-Ride. Although Facilities Maintenance colleagues do their best to stay on top of it, the problem persists. Two weeks ago, Transit Police Cmdr. Phillip Englishbee literally took the matter into his own hands: He drove to the station with a box of garbage bags and gloves and spent a full day cleaning it himself. | |
Video Investigations Unit assists Denver PD in tracking down suspect | In August, the Denver Police Department (DPD) attempted to track down a suspect accused of a domestic-related homicide. Despite all efforts, DPD detectives needed additional information to make an arrest. Thanks to the work of the RTD Transit Police Video Investigations Unit, DPD was able to establish a timeline of events and gather other valuable evidence, which ultimately led to an arrest. | |
Surveyors on RTD vehicles are conducting transit research | |
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Operators, are you seeing individuals on your vehicles who are wearing blue safety vests? They are contractors hired by RTD to conduct systemwide transit research. The surveyors work for ETC Institute and are currently interviewing customers on bus and rail vehicles for Federal Transit Administration (FTA)-required studies through the end of the year, potentially into next year. In August, these crews conducted separate surveys related to the Strategic Plan, and they are expected to return in April 2025 for another round of surveys related to that project. Different individuals employed by ETC may be involved in each initiative.
If you have any questions about the surveyors’ work, please ask a manager or supervisor.
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RTD, DTO employees visit rail stations to promote safety around trains as part of Rail Safety Week | |
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This week, RTD and Denver Transit Operators (DTO) employees spent time at 40th•Colorado, Union and Peoria stations to hand out resources, swag and provide tips to customers to encourage them to stay safe while near trains.
Rail Safety Week outreach continues at the following stations:
- Thursday, 6-10 a.m.: 38th•Blake Station
- Friday, 6:30-8:30 a.m.: Eastlake•124th Station
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Civil Rights Division hosts 'Gabbing with Gabe and Gisa' event | |
Pictured from left to right: Gabe Christie, ADA Manager; Gisa Simmons, Civil Rights Outreach Specialist; Tameka McMillan, ADA Investigator/Specialist; Tim Dean, Civil Rights Administrator; and Carmen Cunningham, Civil Rights Intern. | |
The inaugural "Gabbing with Gabe and Gisa: A Community Listening Event" occurred at Brewability on Thursday, Sept. 19. During this intimate session, Gisa Simmons, Gabe Christie and other Civil Rights Division employees engaged with constituents to hear about their experiences as individuals with disabilities using RTD services. Attendees shared unique transportation challenges and highlighted the services and amenities in which RTD excels. The session concluded with hopeful thoughts and aspirations for the future of accessibility and RTD services. | |
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 helps customer figure out where to go to catch the bus | |
Operator Tamara Aragon, who was driving the Free MallRide, got off the bus to help this person who looked like he was lost. She made sure he knew where to catch his next bus. Things like this need to be recognized.
> Read more <
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N Line conductor makes child feel safe on train | |
Shout out to Edward Miller on the N Line. He was so kind to my kids, engaging them and making them "official junior conductors." He taught them about trains and how he operates them.
> Read more <
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Shawn Holloway
Transit Safety Specialist
Scott Rainey
Senior Instructor/Supervisor, Signals
Ghaith Hameed
Transit Police Officer
Cheryl Lewis
IT Vendor Manager
Gerard Johnson
Systems Administrator of Integrated Security
Yidnekachew Anton Antokhin
Bus Operator
Yosef Belayneh
Bus Operator
Norman Frazier
Bus Operator
Heba Ibrahim
Bus Operator
Tavares Johnson
Bus Operator
Edwin Lee
Bus Operator
Jarred Logie
Bus Operator
Rech Framel Mienasobekela
Bus Operator
Cristian Padilla Espino
Bus Operator
Mitchell Renville
Bus Operator
Juanita Shinault
Bus Operator
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Dawit Woldegiorgis
Bus Operator
Kyle Barone
Service Worker
Danyella-Denise Hoage
Service Worker
Ryan Piel
Service Worker
Destiny Montoya
Custodian/Public Facilities Maintenance
Sergio Navarro
Transit Specialist, Safety Assurance and Certification
Colin Peterson
Transit Police Officer
Kyle Mahanes
Senior Equipment Engineer
Vanessa Wyche
Evidence, Property and Records Specialist
Judy Alcantara
Buyer
Ryan Miller
Buyer
Mia Pyszniak
Human Resources Intern
Carmen Cunningham
Civil Rights Intern
Isaac Schadel
Signal/Traction Power Maintainer
Saksith Say
General Repair Mechanic
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Aaron Torres Munoz
General Repair Mechanic
Olivia Maxwell
Bus Operator
Darian Craft
Bus Operator
Andargia Dagmawi
Bus Operator
David Olvera
Bus Operator
Bereket Weldu
Bus Operator
Charles Hardy
Bus Operator
Namgyel Wangchuk
Bus Operator
Jeremiah Espinoza-Young
Bus Operator
Alisha Baker
Bus Operator
Armando Irasaba
Bus Operator
Amilio Contreras
Bus Operator
Samual Abate
Bus Operator
Russell Pouliot
Bus Operator
Yonas Getnet
Bus Operator
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At last night’s monthly meeting, the Board of Directors unanimously approved the 2025-2029 five-year financial forecast, additional funding to the Downtown Rail Reconstruction Project legal services contract and a budget transfer to replace existing wheel truing equipment.
Other actions taken during the meeting included approval of a summary scope of work for a new federal lobbying services contract; adoption of amendments to the Board operating guidelines regarding Director communications with staff; adoption of a position of support on Ballot Measure 6A, which seeks to expand the bonding authority Downtown Denver Development Authority to make infrastructure investments in downtown Denver; and the ratification of Director Jaime Lewis to the Performance Committee. Staff also provided an update to the Board about the Paratransit Peer Review, including cost and ridership information and the timeline for a customer survey.
The Board also heard updates from General Manager and CEO Debra A. Johnson about her participation in a policy forum held by the Boulder Chamber of Commerce, attended the Denver Business Journal Outstanding Women in Business Awards, participated in a panel discussion about passenger rail service to the communities in the northwest Denver metro at a transportation summit hosted by Commuting Solutions, as well as the recently held Bus, Rail and Snowplow Ro(a)deos, among other topics.
Click the thumbnail above to watch a recording of the session.
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Reminder: Service changes go into effect Sunday | | |
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RTD adjusts its schedule three times a year to address ridership changes, traffic patterns, maintenance activities and customer feedback that affect its bus and rail system. Most notably, the Sept. 29 changes reintroduce the D and H lines to the Downtown Loop and reinstate the L Line. For a complete look at the changes RTD is making, click the link below. | |
Light rail service to resume in Downtown Loop on Sunday | D, H and L lines will resume normal operations in the Downtown Loop as part of September’s service changes. | |
Repairs completed at Kalamath Street crossing | |
RTD and project contractor KCI Construction successfully completed maintenance work to the at-grade light rail crossing on Kalamath Street on Friday, Sept. 20, and the morning of Saturday, Sept. 21, then successfully operated test trains through the completed project on Saturday afternoon.
The work, which took place Sept. 16-21, involved temporarily detouring traffic while crews stabilized the rail base and repaired asphalt along the rail alignment, ahead of light rail trains returning to the Downtown Loop as part of RTD’s September service changes.
Completing the maintenance during a time when trains are not traveling through the Kalamath Street crossing also alleviated the need for service disruptions to customers. A complete reconstruction of this at-grade crossing is planned for 2025, as outlined in the subsequent phases of the Downtown Rail Reconstruction Project.
While work was underway, drivers traveling southbound along Champa Street to access West Colfax Avenue were detoured to Speer Boulevard. RTD worked in coordination with the City and County of Denver’s Department of Transportation and Infrastructure (DOTI) on the planned closure.
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Visit rtd-denver.com/railproject for more updates. | |
Nine Mile Station concrete repairs are underway | RTD and project contractor Summit Sealants began work last week on a long-term phased construction project to make structural repairs to the Nine Mile Station Park-n-Ride garage. | |
From Wellness: Provide feedback on the services the Wellness Team offers | RTD is gathering feedback to help plan future health and wellness programming for employees. Visit the link below to take the 12-question survey. | |
Salaried employees: Complete Procurement 101 training | |
Contracting and Procurement has launched its first formal agencywide training on RTD’s procurement process, “Procurement 101.” This training, available on Workday, provides a high-level overview of public procurement requirements and the procurement process for goods and services at RTD.
The Procurement 101 course is required for all salaried employees. Eligible employees were automatically enrolled in this training course in Workday and were notified by email and through Workday. Employees have 30 days from the initial notice to complete the training. Questions can be directed to purchasing.help@rtd-denver.com.
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From Community Engagement: Take the DDP travel survey | The Downtown Denver Partnership (DDP) has opened its annual travel survey. Whether employees commute to the office or work from home, the survey is a significant indicator of how downtown employees travel to work, and the feedback that DDP receives directly influences many of the mobility-related projects they work on. The survey is open until Oct. 18 and can be taken by clicking the link below. | |
From Human Resources: Consistently badge in to prevent facility lockout | Employee badges are disabled after 30 consecutive days of inactivity (i.e., not badging into an RTD facility). Employees who have not accessed an RTD facility in more than a month should contact Christopher Blanchett (christopher.blanchett@rtd-denver.com) or Israel Laufer (israel.laufer@rtd-denver.com) to have their badge reactivated. | |
Salaried performance assessments are due by Friday | |
The 2023/24 year-end performance assessment cycle closes at noon on Friday. All incomplete reviews without an approved Human Resources deferral will be closed and marked incomplete. Employees who have not completed their performance assessments should contact their manager as soon as possible.
Click the link below to read a memo from Chief People Officer Charlene Polege regarding the status of the 2023/24 year-end performance assessment.
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#ICYMI: In Case You Missed It | |
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. | | |
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Debra's Quote of the Week | |
“As people of color, we have a potent power – and a responsibility – to change events around us, not just professionally, but spiritually and politically as well.”
— Michelle Herrera Mulligan
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