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The RTD board will talk about the Boulder/Longmont train tonight at 5:30. I'll tweet highlights. In the meantime, some homework for you:
https://www.cpr.org/2020/09/17/will-the-boulder-rtd-train-ever-roll-into-the-station-heres-what-we-know/
http://rtd.iqm2.com/Citizens/FileOpen.aspx?Type=1&ID=3073&Inline=True
https://www.cpr.org/2020/09/17/will-the-boulder-rtd-train-ever-roll-into-the-station-heres-what-we-know/
http://rtd.iqm2.com/Citizens/FileOpen.aspx?Type=1&ID=3073&Inline=True
Also, Longmont continues to be upset with RTD: https://www.timescall.com/2021/02/08/julia-pirnack-rtd-has-betrayed-longmont/
The governor's office tells me they'll have staff in attendance, and the governor may attend too.
You'll remember that he's been outspoken recently on the issue. https://www.cpr.org/2021/01/22/polis-extremely-concerned-by-rtd-leaders-questioning-of-boulder-train/
You'll remember that he's been outspoken recently on the issue. https://www.cpr.org/2021/01/22/polis-extremely-concerned-by-rtd-leaders-questioning-of-boulder-train/
Ho-lee smokes RTD is now streaming its board meetings on YouTube. https://twitter.com/julienjbouquet/status/1359296565630894081
Here we go! @AMalpiede starts by thanking everyone, says there's been a "great deal of interest" in NW rail lately. Goal tonight is to lay out the history so "we can come to a mutual understanding" of where the project is today.
A staff presentation is about to start: http://rtd.iqm2.com/Citizens/FileOpen.aspx?Type=1&ID=3073&Inline=True
@GovofCO will call in around 7 p.m. to join a discussion with the board.
@GovofCO will call in around 7 p.m. to join a discussion with the board.
An RTD exec is giving a brief history of FasTracks now. Short version: It passed in '04, then costs went way up and revenue did not meet projections. So RTD stretched, and got private $, to finish what it did complete.
OK, we're now getting into specifics on the Boulder/Longmont train. Here's the original vision:
Look at how much that changed by 2010. Cost from $565m to ~$1b, frequency couldn't be as much as originally promised.
One big reason for the variation: RTD had not done the detailed environmental impact work, which is necessary for all big infrastructure projects, for the B Line, before FasTracks passed.
Of course that's changed since 2010. Here's the most recent look:
In 2014, after it became clear that the train wasn't coming anytime soon, all the NW area governments agreed to prioritize US36 upgrades and some new BRT lines (none of which exist yet):
There was also a plan to run rush-hour only service. But it would still be super expensive to start ($700m) and would only carry ~800 people a day.
So when will RTD have the money for it? Gonna be awhile, unless voters approve higher taxes.
Could RTD get federal funding for the Boulder train?
Probs not. Under current criteria for federal grants, the project doesn't rate very well.
Probs not. Under current criteria for federal grants, the project doesn't rate very well.
One funding opportunity could be the Front Range rail project, which I wrote about in December: https://www.cpr.org/2020/12/04/front-range-rail-project-gets-a-rough-2b-price-tag-as-rtd-looks-to-jump-on-board/
In summary ...
Board discussion happening now. Up first is @LynnGuissinger, who reps Boulder. She asks why ridership projections have dropped by nearly half since 2004.
A: One reason is b/c projected frequency is less than initially promised.
A: One reason is b/c projected frequency is less than initially promised.
She adds that Boulder was vital for FasTracks passing, and that area taxpayers are v frustrated. Says now's the time for RTD to step up.
She says that means paying for new engineering work, and working with Amtrak/Front Range rail.
Next up: Erik Davidson, new board member from Broomfield/Longmont. Says RTD has lost faith with residents along the B Line corridor, and that RTD needs to prioritize the project by paying for that new engineering work.
(That would firm up the price tag for the rush-hour plan.)
(That would firm up the price tag for the rush-hour plan.)
He also says with the Biden Admin talking about rail, RTD needs to be ready in the event that federal $ appears.
. @vince_buzek echoes previous comments from Dirs. Guissinger and Davidson, in saying that RTD should pay for new engineering work to move the project forward.
. @Rosenthal5280, new board director from Aurora, also supports paying for the new engineering work.
. @Bobby_Dishell, new rep from SW Denver/Englewood/etc, says RTD board needs to think regionally. Says he's opposed to spending $ on a new study that would come at the cost of service (it would probably come from a FasTracks account that's been slowly growing for years).
Points out that FasTracks called for bus expansion that's been left behind. He's certainly sounded more skeptical than every other director so far.
. @GovofCO has entered the chat.
Says an "open and honest" dialogue is very important and appreciates the work RTD has done so far to complete FasTracks. Says it's essential that RTD fulfill its existing promises, i.e., the Boulder train, before it gets to new projects.
Says an "open and honest" dialogue is very important and appreciates the work RTD has done so far to complete FasTracks. Says it's essential that RTD fulfill its existing promises, i.e., the Boulder train, before it gets to new projects.
He adds that RTD should use its recent COVID relief federal grants to help move the B Line project forward. He's also quoting from this @qpyoungnews op-ed from yesterday: https://coloradonewsline.com/2021/02/08/rtd-betrayed-taxpayers-on-fastracks/
His voice rising, he acknowledges that RTD's current leadership wasn't around in 2004. "I don't think anyone would make this deal today. But it doesn't matter, because voters have been paying taxes since 2004."
The message here: RTD made a promise, and it needs to keep it. The practical benefits of it -- reduced traffic, etc -- are important but secondary, he says, to the bigger issue of trust in government.
Back to board questions. @Shelley_Cook says the stars may be aligning for the B Line, referencing the renewed federal interest in rail.
Kate Williams, who reps central Denver, says she pays property taxes but has never had children in Denver Public Schools. "I don't think that's too far removed from the discussion we're having tonight." Says there are other FT projects that are incomplete too.
. @DMTisdale says he recognizes the importance of the B Line, and says the RTD board's 2019 commitment to complete FT remains unchanged. Says RTD needs to find private partners to get the project done, not a new tax increase.
Director Peggy Catlin, of western Jefferson County, says the FasTracks promise to increase suburban bus service "has fallen from the wayside." She doesn't have any rail stops in her district. Says RTD needs to fulfill that promise too.
. @Shontel4RTD, of NE Denver, says RTD has allowed the @GovofCO to weigh in on this issue, but not other, less powerful, constituents.
@Rosenthal5280 asks whether RTD could do all of the unfinished FasTracks corridors at once.
A, from staff: Yes, if we have funding.
A, from staff: Yes, if we have funding.
. @Shontel4RTD is back on the mic. She says she loves trains, but would hate to see the B Line project go forward at the expense of passengers that really need transit. Says she wants to restore trust w/ voters, but wants to know the cost. And asks who will bear that cost.
. @RTDLadyBoss closing out the meeting. Says RTD staff will bring a plan to the board within 60 days on how to move the project forward.
That's a wrap. I'm gonna go find a snack.
