The FasTracks Failure
9th May 2023
The Antiplanner.
In 2004, Denver voters approved spending $4.8 billion building six new rail transit lines, and the first line opened ten years ago. This was soon followed by four more to the gushing praise of various outsiders.
Inside Denver, however, people are beginning to realize that the whole thing was a miserable failure, suffering massive cost overruns and never attaining its ridership projections. The West line, which had its tenth anniversary last week, never carried as many passengers as were projected in its first year. It’s too bad that the reporters who are questioning this now weren’t asking the same questions in 2004.
Denver’s Regional Transit District (RTD) suffers from numerous problems that can be traced back to its rail construction projects. It is heavily in debt and doesn’t have the money or the borrowing power to build the last rail line it promised in 2004. It also doesn’t have enough money to pay enough drivers to keep its trains and buses running, and staff shortages have led to many delays and reduced service. The rail lines never attracted enough riders to put a dent in traffic congestion or reduce air pollution before the pandemic.