Light Rail Speed Restrictions

A speed restriction is a section of track where trains run at slower-than-normal speeds due to any number of ride quality, track, or maintenance issues. Speed restrictions, also known as slow zones, are put in place to ensure customers and employees are safe until any necessary repairs or preventive maintenance work is completed. Track conditions that make speed restrictions necessary can develop for several reasons, including the age of the rail’s infrastructure and weather.

In May 2024, RTD staff began using an enhanced inspection methodology on the Southeast Corridor’s light rail track. The thorough and comprehensive inspections included an examination of the track, ties, ballast, clips, and other related infrastructure.

The intent of RTD’s inspections is to identify preventive maintenance that may need to be addressed in the near-term or future. A number of minor issues and cosmetic defects were discovered during RTD’s recent track inspection, and speed restrictions have been temporarily put into place until maintenance issues are resolved.

No. RTD will not provide bus shuttles between stations in the Southeast Corridor’s slowdown zones while trains continue operating along the alignment. The agency also does not have the required people power resources to expand its bus operations at a magnitude necessary to support bus shuttles. However, as overnight maintenance work impacts light rail service, shuttles will be provided.

Maintenance and repair work timelines will be updated online and shared with customers and the public through media advisories, Service Alerts, and social media. Customers impacted by the speed restrictions are encouraged to check this webpage or sign up for Service Alerts.

RTD has a multiple bus routes operating along the Southeast Corridor to support customers. Specifically, the routes below provide regular service and connections to some of the impacted stations served by the E, H, and R lines.

RTD customers have an option to use CDOT’s Bustang service during the temporary disruption. RTD customers can ride the Bustang South Line between Sky Ridge Station, Colorado Station, and Denver Union Station using RTD fares until September 14.

Customers simply need to show a valid RTD fare to the operator while boarding Bustang at any of the three stations.

Individuals traveling anywhere in Lone Tree and Meridian can use the Link On Demand shuttle service to access light rail stations in that area.

Regular inspections guarantee that the public’s previous investments in RTD’s system remain intact. Maintaining assets in a state of good repair also ensures that the light rail system is reliable and operationally safe.

Speed restrictions are temporarily applied to a section of track until necessary maintenance work is performed. The Southeast Light Rail Corridor remains safe for RTD to continue running trains. If, at any time, the track was deemed not safe for operations, light rail services would immediately cease.

RTD proactively issued the current speed restrictions out of an abundance of caution. Agency decisions are based in applying the highest level of standards to prioritize safe operations.

Yes. Speed restrictions are regularly implemented by transit agencies to ensure rail operations remain safe. There are many recent examples of other mass transit agencies implementing speed restrictions. For example, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) currently has a number of speed restrictions in place across its system to support ongoing track renewal work.

RTD began a two-year maintenance project in April 2023 to repair the caps on retaining walls, also known as coping panels, that run along I-25 adjacent to the light rail alignment. The second and final phase of the Coping Panels Project began on May 26, 2024, and is scheduled to be completed in mid-September. The project requires light rail trains to single-track around work crews, which means all north- and south-bound trains use the same track in areas where crews are working.

RTD began a full-depth reconstruction of five intersections in the Downtown Loop in May 2024. The first phase of the project, which runs through mid-September, will rebuild rail infrastructure to improve safety and mobility, address deteriorating transit infrastructure, and extend the design life of the agency’s key transportation assets. Following completion of the first phase in September, light rail service will resume in the Downtown Loop until the subsequent phases begin in 2025.