Type Commuter rail Stations 8 | Status Under construction Opened TBD | |
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System Regional Transportation District Locale Denver Metropolitan Area Owner Regional Transportation District Terminis Wheat Ridge, Union Station | ||
The G Line, also known as the Gold Line during construction, is a Regional Transportation District (RTD) electric commuter rail line between Denver Union Station and Wheat Ridge, Colorado. Long scheduled to open in October 2016, the opening was delayed until an unspecified date.
Contents
History
The Gold Line is part of the RTD’s FasTracks expansion plan, and will be operated by Denver Transit Partners as part of the Eagle P3 public–private partnership. The line received a Record of Decision approval from the Federal Transit Administration in November 2009 allowing the line to be developed. Groundbreaking for the line occurred on 31 August 2011, at a ceremony in Olde Town Arvada where US Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced the approval of a $1 billion grant to fund the project.
The line will be 11.2 miles (18.0 km) in length, and is expected to cost $590.5 million. There will be a total of eight stations: Union Station, 41st Avenue, Pecos, Federal, Sheridan, Olde Town, Arvada Ridge and Ward Road.
The project's nickname of the "Gold Line" refers to the June 1850 discovery of gold by Georgia prospector Lewis Ralston in Ralston Creek, which runs a few blocks from the Olde Town Station.
Route
The G Line's southern terminus is at Union Station in Denver. It runs on a railroad right-of-way north sharing track with the B Line until the Pecos Station after which the two routes diverge. The G Line continues west to its terminus in Wheat Ridge.