Takeaways From a Ride on RTD’s B-Line, Denver’s Newest Rail Route
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RTD is having a busy 2016, and it continued Monday with the opening of the B-Line between Westminster and Union Station.
The commuter rail line gets people between downtown and Westminster in 11 minutes. It arrives every 30 minutes during peak hours (5:50 – 8:30 a.m. and 3:20 – 7:30 p.m.) and every hour the rest of the day. The train, which costs $2.60 one-way, does not stop between downtown and its northern suburb.
I hopped on the B-Line at Union Station yesterday afternoon, took the quick trip to Westminster Station, and walked around for a bit. Here are some takeaways.
There are two stations along the B-Line that the train does not serve.
Flying by at 79 mph, the train passed two RTD stations. Those are the Pecos Junction and 41st and Fox stations — part of the G-Line, scheduled to open this fall. You’d think both the B and G Lines would utilize the stops. Doing so would mean trains come more frequently, and higher frequency grows ridership by providing shorter wait times and flexibility for riders.
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This setup limits how people can use the line. Say a family lives near Pecos Junction and wants to take the train to Westminster a few miles north. They would have to hop on the G-Line, travel south to Union Station, transfer to the B-Line, and head back north to Westminster Station — passing their origin point on the way. How many people will choose to do that?
Nate Currey, an RTD spokesperson, said the transit agency had to designate the G and B lines as separate corridors to satisfy a billion-dollar-plus grant from the Federal Transit Administration. RTD has “every intention of reviewing our system a year after it opens,” Currey said. We could eventually see both lines serve those stops, he said. (Looking further ahead, however, if the B-Line is ever fully built out to Boulder, those stops will probably get bypassed to save time.)
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The train was standing room only in both directions, and it was a fast trip.
Lots of people used the B-Line on opening day, and many carried shopping bags and carts like they were running daily errands, not just taking a ride for the novelty. The trip each way was 11 minutes on the dot. (Google Maps says it’s a 25-minute drive station to station.) Still, RTD estimates the B-Line’s average ridership will be just 800 passengers per weekday this year. Which does make sense, when you consider the land use around Westminster Station…
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Cars and parking are king at Westminster Station.
Westminster Station is another example of RTD’s penchant for building drive-to transit. The RTD parking garage has 350 stalls for car storage and RTD plans to add 650 more. A privately run lot has 250 spots for a total of 600. There are 20 bike racks and 18 bike lockers. Two RTD bus lines serve the station — the 72 and the 31 — with service every 30 minutes.
A brand new street, Westminster Station Drive, was constructed to connect Federal Boulevard to the station. But it only has a sidewalk on one side. Sidewalks in the neighborhood closest to the station are just three feet wide. The street does have bike lanes and a Zagster bike-share station, but nearby Federal Boulevard — a speedway under Colorado DOT’s jurisdiction — impedes the bikeability of the neighborhood.
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Westminster Station does not anchor a walkable area — at least not yet.
Westminster Station is not surrounded by compact development with a mix of housing, retail, and office space that can be easily accessed on foot. The main feature is a 40-acre park that doesn’t exist yet (currently it’s just a lot of dirt). The park paths will connect a neighborhood of single-family homes to the station, but will also act as a buffer. A few low-rise apartment buildings sit near the station’s north side, but the closest neighbor is actually a sprawling RV dealership. There are only 300 residential units and 130 jobs with the 135 acres surrounding the station, according to the Denver Business Journal.
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One development is in the pipeline: A 70-unit affordable housing project with retail and office space on the lower floors at 71st and Federal. The city of Westminster imagines a “vibrant, mixed-use district” around the station, but it will be a while before that vision becomes reality. The city is just now working on a land use plan for the area.