From Friday, March 16 at 9 p.m. through Monday, March 26 at 3 a.m., the County Line and Lincoln light rail stations along Denver’s southeast region of the E, F and R lines will be closed to train service for the completion of some important expansion work.
RTD picked these dates to coincide with spring breaks at Auraria Campus and the Douglas County School District, hopefully helping to minimize the overall impact.
Whether you’re relaxing on spring break, or will still need to utilize light-rail service during these dates, here are all the most-important things to know:
Why are they closing these stations?
While it’s always inconvenient to have to close light rail stations, the work completed during this closure will greatly benefit Denver metro’s southeast commuters.
The work being done will ultimately enable the expansion of the southeast line as part of the Southeast Rail Extension project. Crews will be removing existing track and rail, overhead catenary system poles and wires, conduit and other utilities and completely rebuilding the track infrastructure from the ground up.
And rather than having to find time for an additional closure, this one will allow crews to complete important bridge work that has to be done for the C-470 Express Lanes project to proceed.
In the long run this closure will add major benefits for commuters along the southeast corridor.
Dry Creek station will serve as the end of the line
The E, F and R lines will run north from Dry Creek station during this time, and Dry Creek will serve as the end of line.
So, when everyone gets off the train at Dry Creek, don’t worry, it’s all part of the plan.
Shuttle busses and extra parking
Due to the expected increase in demand for parking, RTD is working to provide extra parking spaces north of Dry Creek. So far, they’ve already secured an additional 300 paved spaces at the Park-n-Ride for the Arapahoe at Village Center station, and are still working to secure more.
Additionally, there will be limited shuttle busses running from the Lincoln and County Line stations to bring commuters to Dry Creek station. If you have the time, you’ll still be able to park at those stations and catch a free shuttle bus up to Dry Creek — but make sure given yourself plenty of extra time.
Shuttle busses will be chartered, so look for private buses, not RTD-branded ones. There will be an express route between Lincoln to Dry Creek, as well as an All Stop route that will stopover at County Line. Both routes will run approximately every 30 minutes.
For more details on the buses and when they’ll be running, check out RTD’s schedule here.
Lyft discounts
RTD riders affected by this train service closure can cash in on a 20% discount on Lyft rides during the entire period of the closure. The discount will be good for up to five rides, and has a maximum discount of $5.
To claim your discount, head here: lyft.com/invite/drycreek20.
Watch the weather report
RTD notes that this closure is weather dependent, so if one of those classic random Colorado spring snowstorms blows in, keep an eye out for rider alerts.
Yes, you’ll be able to take the light rail on Opening Day
Don’t worry, baseball fans. RTD made it a point to note that the light rail service will be fully restored in time for the Colorado Rockies’ home opener on April 6.
However, they will not be providing peanuts.
