Last Piece Of Rail From Union Station To DIA Now In Place
DENVER (CBS4) – Monday was a key day in the construction of the East Rail Line from Union Station to Denver International Airport.
The last piece of rail in the 23-mile line is now in place at the west end of the Interstate 70 flyover bridge.
When the line opens in 2016, commuters will cruise to DIA from Union Station in just 35 minutes, no matter the weather conditions.
RTD is expecting 28,000 riders will use it daily in 2016, and by 2030, 43,000 will ride the line.
On Monday the last rail was fixed to the concrete tie with a spray-painted golden steel clip. Crews also welded the two ends of the last rail using super-heated flames at about 4,000 degrees.
It was an exciting day for the crews because the hard work is paying off and soon commuters will have another transportation option in the metro area.
"What we have here is basically 23 miles from Union Station to the airport; right here is about the halfway point," Kevin Flynn with the Regional Transportation District said. "This just happens to be where they ended up finishing and joining the rails."
The track is set to debut in early 2016. The trains will be faster than light rail, going about 78 miles per hour with fewer stops.
Laura Rinker with Denver Transit Partners said commuters she's spoken to are excited for the line to open.
"I have people hug me in the store when they find out who I work for. It's really going to provide a lot of connectivity for the region," Rinker said. "We're not only building this one on the east corridor, but we're also going out west and doing the first segment of the northwest lines."
