In 2016, the Regional Transportation District was expecting the culmination of four major mass transit projects, the first being the University of Colorado A Line to Denver International Airport which opened in April of that year. During the summer, the B Line to Westminster opened as the second commuter rail line, which has two unopened stations between terminals.

These two stations are also a part of the unopened G Line, which for the past two years has been in limbo, neither open nor closed. This has left these two unopened stations as ghosts along the open B Line.

This all changes May 26th, when RTD will open the G line to the public. All stations on the line, including the two shared with the B line, will hold celebrations. The day began with festivities at the Wheat Ridge/Ward station and free rides all day and the day after. On Saturday, each station will have its own festivities going on.

On that Friday, a large white tent popped up in the parking lot of the Ward station. Here, the media and employees responsible for this project gathered to watch speeches from RTD board members and Denver Transit Partners directors (the contractor responsible for the G Line project).

A big focus of these talks was the success of their Public Private Partnership (P3) model, and how it allowed them to complete the massive Eagle P3 project. This project began in 2010 and consisted of the three new Commuter rail lines (the A, B, and G lines) and a new maintenance facility.

The opening of the G Line means a lot for the communities of Wheat Ridge and Arvada which have been without a rail connection to Denver since the trolleys closed in the 1940’s. It is also a big deal for RTD, meaning the completion of the last Eagle P3 Line.

The safety technology on commuter rail lines is brand new and cutting edge, which unfortunately has led to delays in these projects, and riddled the A Line with problems and occasional closures. Nobody wants to point fingers, but RTD’s choice to work with a new developer on their N Line to Thornton has raised some questions.

Going into the future, it is unclear whether the DTP will continue to work with RTD, and if so, in what capacity. Currently, the N Line and the extension of the C/D Line from the Mineral Station to one further East on Lucent Boulevard are the only rail projects under way.