1.
Regional Transportation District
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It operates over a 2, 340-square-mile area, serving 2.87 million people. RTD is governed by a 15-member, publicly elected Board of Directors, Directors are elected to a four-year term and represent a specific district of about 180,000 constituents. RTD currently operates a bus and rail system that has an area of 2,337 square miles. It employed 2,734 people and reported 103 million boardings in 2016 and it had a $466.7 million operating budget for the year of 2015. Google has RTD schedules attached to its trip planner, and 3rd party mobile applications are now available for the iPhone,1969, RTD was created in the 47th session of the Colorado General Assembly to provide public transportation to five additional counties in the metropolitan area. 1969–1971, The Denver Tramway Company continues service under sponsorship of the City and County of Denver, October 1970, RTD found it needed to establish a Northern Operations Group to provide service to Boulder and Longmont. RTD also acquired the privately owned Denver-Boulder Bus Company, which ran airport buses,1971, Denver Metro Transit took over the privately owned Denver Tramway Company. Denver Metro Transit was an entity created by the City and County of Denver, suburban service only continued for those suburbs willing to contribute a subsidy. 1972, RTD created a plan for a rapid transit system in the area. This plan included 98 miles of PRT and extensive bus service throughout the areas served by RTD, later that year, the Urban Mass Transportation Administration selected RTD to develop PRT as a demonstration project. The PRT project was eventually scrapped, the tax became effective January 1,1974. July 1974, Denver Metro Transit became part of RTD, 1975–1977, RTD consolidated, expanded, and improved service frequency. Service was expanded to routes that commercial carriers previously operated, february 1978, Inflation caused RTD to implement a new fare structure. For instances, the new Colorado Blvd route was number 40,1979, Federal approval was granted for the 16th Street Mall in downtown Denver, originally known as Transitway. The project allowed express bus productivity to double and was intersected by RTDs first light rail line. 1980, RTD reached a number of weekday passengers. It also acquired 216 new buses,89 of which were articulated, construction began on the 16th Street Mall. Work was also completed to make RTDs service more accessible to elderly,1983, On May 1,1983, the tax was increased to 0. 6%
2.
Commuter rail
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Trains operate following a schedule, at speeds varying from 50 to 200 km/h. Distance charges or zone pricing may be used and they primarily serve lower density suburban areas, and often share right-of-way with intercity or freight trains. Some services operate only during peak hours and others uses fewer departures during off peak hours, average speeds are high, often 50 km/h or higher. These higher speeds better serve the longer distances involved, some services include express services which skip some stations in order to run faster and separate longer distance riders from short-distance ones. The general range of commuter trains distance varies between 15 and 200 km, sometimes long distances can be explained by that the train runs between two or several cities. Distances between stations may vary, but are much longer than those of urban rail systems. In city centers the train either has a station or passes through the city centre with notably fewer station stops than those of urban rail systems. Toilets are often available on trains and in stations. Their ability to coexist with freight or intercity services in the same right-of-way can drastically reduce system construction costs, however, frequently they are built with dedicated tracks within that right-of-way to prevent delays, especially where service densities have converged in the inner parts of the network. Most such trains run on the standard gauge track. Some light rail systems may run on a narrower gauge, some countries, including Finland, India, Pakistan, Russia, Brazil and Sri Lanka, as well as San Francisco in the USA and Melbourne and Adelaide in Australia, use broad gauge track. The fact that the terminology is not standardised across countries further complicates matters, most S-bahns typically behave like commuter rail with most trackage not separated from other trains, and long lines with trains running between cities and suburbs rather than within a city. The distances between stations however, are usually short, in larger systems there is usually a high frequency metro-like central corridor in the city center where all the lines converge into. Typical examples of large city S-Bahns include Munich and Frankfurt, S-Bahns do also exist in some mid-size cities like Rostock and Magdeburg but behave more like typical commuter rail with lower frequencies and very little exclusive trackage. A similar network exists in Copenhagen called the S-tog, in Hamburg and Copenhagen, other, diesel driven trains, do continue where the S-Bahn ends. Regional rail usually provides rail services between towns and cities, rather than purely linking major population hubs in the way inter-city rail does, Regional rail operates outside major cities. Unlike Inter-city, it stops at most or all stations between cities and it provides a service between smaller communities along the line, and also connections with long-distance services at interchange stations located at junctions or at larger towns along the line. Alternative names are local train or stopping train, examples include the former BRs Regional Railways, Frances TER, Germanys DB Regio and South Koreas Tonggeun services
3.
Denver
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Denver, officially the City and County of Denver, is the capital and most populous municipality of the U. S. state of Colorado. Denver is in the South Platte River Valley on the edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains. The Denver downtown district is immediately east of the confluence of Cherry Creek with the South Platte River, Denver is nicknamed the Mile-High City because its official elevation is exactly one mile above sea level, making it the highest major city in the United States. The 105th meridian west of Greenwich, the reference for the Mountain Time Zone. Denver is ranked as a Beta- world city by the Globalization and World Cities Research Network. With a 2015 estimated population of 682,545, Denver ranks as the 19th-most populous U. S. city, and with a 2. 8% increase in 2015, the city is also the fastest-growing major city in the United States. The 10-county Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area had an estimated 2015 population of 2,814,330 and ranked as the 19th most populous U. S. metropolitan statistical area. The 12-city Denver-Aurora, CO Combined Statistical Area had an estimated 2015 population of 3,418,876, which ranks as the 16th most populous U. S. metropolitan area. Denver is the most populous city of the 18-county Front Range Urban Corridor, Denver is the most populous city within a 500-mile radius and the second-most populous city in the Mountain West after Phoenix, Arizona. In 2016, Denver was named the best place to live in the USA by U. S. News & World Report and this was the first historical settlement in what was later to become the city of Denver. The site faded quickly, however, and by the summer of 1859 it was abandoned in favor of Auraria, Larimer named the townsite Denver City to curry favor with Kansas Territorial Governor James W. Denver. Larimer hoped the name would help make it the county seat of Arapaho County but, unbeknownst to him. The location was accessible to existing trails and was across the South Platte River from the site of seasonal encampments of the Cheyenne, the site of these first towns is now the site of Confluence Park near downtown Denver. Larimer, along with associates in the St. Charles City Land Company, sold parcels in the town to merchants and miners, Denver City was a frontier town, with an economy based on servicing local miners with gambling, saloons, livestock and goods trading. In the early years, land parcels were often traded for grubstakes or gambled away by miners in Auraria, in May 1859, Denver City residents donated 53 lots to the Leavenworth & Pikes Peak Express in order to secure the regions first overland wagon route. Offering daily service for passengers, mail, freight, and gold, in 1863, Western Union furthered Denvers dominance of the region by choosing the city for its regional terminus. The Colorado Territory was created on February 28,1861, Arapahoe County was formed on November 1,1861, Denver City served as the Arapahoe County Seat from 1861 until consolidation in 1902. In 1867, Denver City became the territorial capital, with its newfound importance, Denver City shortened its name to Denver
4.
Geographic coordinate system
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A geographic coordinate system is a coordinate system used in geography that enables every location on Earth to be specified by a set of numbers, letters or symbols. The coordinates are chosen such that one of the numbers represents a vertical position. A common choice of coordinates is latitude, longitude and elevation, to specify a location on a two-dimensional map requires a map projection. The invention of a coordinate system is generally credited to Eratosthenes of Cyrene. Ptolemy credited him with the adoption of longitude and latitude. Ptolemys 2nd-century Geography used the prime meridian but measured latitude from the equator instead. Mathematical cartography resumed in Europe following Maximus Planudes recovery of Ptolemys text a little before 1300, in 1884, the United States hosted the International Meridian Conference, attended by representatives from twenty-five nations. Twenty-two of them agreed to adopt the longitude of the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, the Dominican Republic voted against the motion, while France and Brazil abstained. France adopted Greenwich Mean Time in place of local determinations by the Paris Observatory in 1911, the latitude of a point on Earths surface is the angle between the equatorial plane and the straight line that passes through that point and through the center of the Earth. Lines joining points of the same latitude trace circles on the surface of Earth called parallels, as they are parallel to the equator, the north pole is 90° N, the south pole is 90° S. The 0° parallel of latitude is designated the equator, the plane of all geographic coordinate systems. The equator divides the globe into Northern and Southern Hemispheres, the longitude of a point on Earths surface is the angle east or west of a reference meridian to another meridian that passes through that point. All meridians are halves of great ellipses, which converge at the north and south poles, the prime meridian determines the proper Eastern and Western Hemispheres, although maps often divide these hemispheres further west in order to keep the Old World on a single side. The antipodal meridian of Greenwich is both 180°W and 180°E, the combination of these two components specifies the position of any location on the surface of Earth, without consideration of altitude or depth. The grid formed by lines of latitude and longitude is known as a graticule, the origin/zero point of this system is located in the Gulf of Guinea about 625 km south of Tema, Ghana. To completely specify a location of a feature on, in, or above Earth. Earth is not a sphere, but a shape approximating a biaxial ellipsoid. It is nearly spherical, but has an equatorial bulge making the radius at the equator about 0. 3% larger than the radius measured through the poles, the shorter axis approximately coincides with the axis of rotation
5.
Island platform
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An island platform is a station layout arrangement where a single platform is positioned between two tracks within a railway station, tram stop or transitway interchange. Island platforms are popular on twin-track routes due to pragmatic and cost-effective reasons, an alternative arrangement is to position side platforms on either side of the tracks. The historical use of island platforms depends greatly upon the location, the island platform layout is a popular, cost-effective and practical solution in modern railway systems. Island platforms allow facilities such as escalators, elevators, shops, toilets and this is essential for wheelchair accessible stations. An island platform makes it easier for users and the infirm to change services between tracks. Additionally, an island platform layout eliminates the need to construct a crossover or subway between two platforms, however, island platforms may become overcrowded, especially at busy stations, and this can lead to safety issues such as Clapham Common and Angel on the London Underground. However, for the tracks to diverge around the platform, extra width is required along the right-of-way on each approach to the station. Track centers vary for rail systems throughout the world but are normally 3 to 5 meters, if the island platform is 6 meters wide, the tracks have to slew out by the same distance. While this is not a problem on a new line that is being constructed, in addition, a single island platform makes it quite difficult to have through tracks, which are usually between the local tracks. A common configuration in busy locations on high speed lines is a pair of island platforms, high-speed trains can therefore pass straight through the station, while slow trains pass around the platforms. This arrangement also allows the station to serve as a point where trains can be passed by faster trains. The purpose of this design was to reduce unnecessary passenger congestion at a station with a high volume of passengers. Many of the stations on the Great Central Railway were constructed in this form and this was because the line was planned to connect to a Channel Tunnel. Island platforms are a normal sight on Indian railway stations. Almost all railway stations in India consist of island platforms, in Toronto,29 subway stations use island platforms. A slight disadvantage is that crossovers have to be rather long, in southern New Jersey and Philadelphia, PATCO uses island platforms in all of its 13 stations, to facilitate one-person train operation. Most elevated stations in Singapores Mass Rapid Transit system use island platforms, the exception is Dover MRT Station, which uses side platforms as it is built on an existing rail line. The planned Canberra MRT Station will also use side platforms, as it also be built on an existing rail line
6.
RTD Bus & Rail
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RTD Bus and Rail is a transit system in the Denver, Colorado, metropolitan area. Operated by the Regional Transportation District, it currently runs 79 local,16 express,16 regional,11 limited and it also includes 7 light rail lines and an additional 2 commuter rail lines with 53 stations and 76 miles of track. Bus service in Denver dates back to 1924, when Denver Tramway began the first bus between Englewood and Fort Logan, buses had completely replaced the previously expansive streetcar system in metro Denver by 1950. However, cars were becoming a part of life. From 1969 to 1971, Denver Tramway required the sponsorship of the City and County of Denver to continue service, in 1971 with aging equipment, low revenues and lackluster ridership, the Denver Tramway Company transferred all of its assets to city-owned Denver Metro Transit. In 1969, the Regional Transportation District was created in the 47th session of the Colorado General Assembly to provide transportation to five additional counties in the metropolitan area. It acquired privately owned companies, improved service frequency, and expanded to routes that commercial carriers previously operated such as airport buses, in July 1974, Denver Metro Transit became part of RTD, and under the new banner, ridership began to increase. RTDs first light rail line, a 5. 3-mile section of what is now the D Line, opened on Friday and it operated with free service for that half day and the first weekend, with revenue service starting on October 10. It was estimated more than 200,000 passengers rode the new system during its two-and-a-half-day opening weekend. Since that time, several light rail lines have been opened. An 8. 7-mile southwest extension to Mineral Avenue in Littleton opened in July 2000, an additional 19-mile Southeast Corridor extension along I-25 to Lone Tree and a branch along I-225 to Parker Road were completed in November 2006 as part of Denvers T-REX project. As of April 2013, the system had 170 light rail vehicles, with the passage of FasTracks, RTD began planning for a series of commuter rail lines. The first 23.5 miles of which, the A Line servicing Denver International Airport, the primary RTD services are scheduled bus and rail routes. Most bus routes are divided into Local and Regional service levels, Light rail and commuter rail services are divided in four zones, A, B, C and airport. Local service is travel within two consecutive lettered zones, and regional service is all three lettered zones. The airport zone applies for bus or rail travel into and out of Denver International Airport, several regional bus routes to and from the South Metro were also eliminated by the openings of the Southeast & Southwest Corridors, replaced by feeder routes to light rail. G Line, Running from Nine Mile station to Lincoln station, with the completion of FasTracks I-225 corridor, the route resumed service as the R Line in 2017. Special bus services are offered for various purposes, some of the more popular special services are, call-n-Ride, which provides curb-to-curb service in specific areas
7.
Denver Union Station
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Denver Union Station is the main railway station and central transportation hub in Denver, Colorado. A station opened on the site June 1,1881, burning in 1894, the current structure was erected in two stages, with an enlarged central portion completed in 1914. In 2012, the station underwent a major renovation transforming it into the centerpiece of a new transit-oriented mixed-use development built on the sites former rail-yards. The station house re-opened in the summer of 2014 as a combination of the 112-room Crawford Hotel, several restaurants and retailers, and a train hall. Denvers first train station was constructed in 1868 to serve the new Denver Pacific Railway, by 1875, there were four different railroad stations, making passenger transfers between different railroad lines inconvenient. To remedy this issue, the Union Pacific Railroad proposed creating one central Union Station to combine the various operations, in February 1880, the owners of the four lines agreed to build a station at 17th and Wynkoop Streets. Architect A. Taylor of Kansas City was hired to develop the plans, however, a fire that started in the womens restroom in 1894 destroyed the central portion of the 1881 depot. The Kansas City architectural firm of Van Brunt & Howe was hired to design a replacement depot in the Romanesque Revival style. Both the 1881 and 1894 depots included a central clock tower with four clock faces. On July 4,1906, an arch was dedicated in front of the station in order to provide a symbolic threshold for travelers entering and leaving the city. Constructed at a cost of $22,500 with 70 tons of steel and over 2,000 light bulbs, the arch originally featured the word Welcome on both sides. However, the elevation facing 17th Street was changed to Mizpah, in 1912, the original Union Depot partnership was dissolved and replaced by the Denver Terminal Railway Company, representing the then-major operators of the station. The new partnership decided to demolish and rebuild the portion of the station to handle the increasing passenger traffic. The new central portion, designed by Denver architects Gove & Walsh, was built in the Beaux-Arts style, as a result of growing passenger service, the Mizpah Arch in front of the station was deemed a traffic hazard and was torn down in 1931. For the first time in 1958, passenger traffic at Stapleton International Airport exceeded that of Union Station and it was during this period that the orange Union Station, Travel by Train signs were placed on both sides of the building in order to advertise intercity rail travel. Amtrak eventually became the provider of rail service through the station. Until the grand renovation, the served the annual Cheyenne Frontier Days Train. The popular excursion train has since been based at a site near the Denver Coliseum, the plan was approved by the Partner Agencies in 2004 and was approved by voters in November of that year as the new FasTracks program
8.
A Line (RTD)
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Mass transit has been under consideration for the corridor between Downtown Denver and Denver International Airport since the latter was proposed in the 1980s. The project gathered momentum in 1997 when a Major Investment Study was completed for the corridor, encouraging fixed-guideway mass transit, highway widening, in July 2007, it was decided to use electric instead of diesel propulsion over speed and air pollution concerns. RTD designated the line with the letter “A”, denoting service to the airport, the first electric multiple unit railcars were pulled along the route on April 3,2015, commencing testing and commissioning of the line. Revenue service began on April 22,2016, the A Line route follows and remains within a mile of Interstate 25, Interstate 70, and the airport access highway. Leaving Union Station the line follows the Union Pacific corridor past Coors Field to reach a station at 38th, from there the line turns east alongside 40th Avenue past the Denver Union Pacific Intermodal Yard. Just east of Josephine Street the corridor turns two blocks north then east again to stay along the Union Pacific corridor to reach the 40th Avenue and Colorado Boulevard station. After passing under Colorado Boulevard the line parallels Smith Road, with a station at Central Park Boulevard in the redevelopment area of the decommissioned Stapleton International Airport. Shortly after entering Aurora, the line reaches a station at Peoria Street, continuing east, alongside Smith Road, the line passes under Peoria Street and then Interstate 225. Just west of Airport Boulevard, the line rises on a viaduct curving north over the Union Pacific tracks, Airport Boulevard, 32nd Avenue, and Interstate 70. Having left the Union Pacific corridor, the viaduct then descends to a station at the existing Park and Ride at 40th Avenue, from there the line reenters Denver, following the east side of Peña Boulevard. North of 56th Avenue it enters a recently added Peña Boulevard station at 61st Avenue, the line continues north and east, parallel to Peña Boulevard and crossing over E-470. Turning north, the crosses over Peña Boulevard adjacent to DIA runway 7/25
9.
Denver International Airport
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Denver International Airport, often referred to as DIA, is an airport in Denver, Colorado, United States. At 33,531 acres, it is the largest airport in the United States by total land area, runway 16R/34L, with a length of 16,000 feet, is the longest public use runway in the United States. As of 2015, DEN was the 18th-busiest airport in the world and it also has the third largest domestic connection network in the country. The airport features 133 gates spread out over three detached, yet connected, linear concourses. DEN has non-stop service to destinations throughout North America, Latin America, Europe, the airport is in northeastern Denver and is operated by the City & County of Denver Department of Aviation. DEN was voted Best Airport in North America by readers of Business Traveler Magazine six years in a row and was named Americas Best Run Airport by Time Magazine in 2002, the airport is the main hub for Frontier Airlines and Great Lakes Airlines. It is also the fourth-largest hub for United Airlines with 375 daily departures to 141 destinations, the airport is Southwest Airlines 4th most utilized airport and fastest-growing market, with 190 daily departures to nearly 60 destinations. DEN is the airport in the United States to have implemented an ISO 14001-certified environmental management system covering the entire airport. The airport is accessible via Peña Boulevard as well as the A Line commuter rail from Denver Union Station, the catenary steel cable system, similar to the Brooklyn Bridge design, supports the fabric roof. Both during construction and after its opening, DIA has set aside a portion of its construction and operation budgets for art, grotesques hiding in suitcases are present above the exit doors from the baggage claims. The corridor from the terminal and Concourse A usually contains additional temporary exhibits. Finally a number of different public art works are present in the train that links the main terminal with the concourses. Blue Mustang, by El Paso born artist Luis Jiménez, was one of the earliest public art commissions for Denver International Airport in 1993. The 32 feet tall Blue Mustang is a bright blue cast-fiberglass sculpture with glowing red eyes located between the inbound and outbound lanes of Peña Boulevard, Jiménez died in 2006 while creating the sculpture when part of it fell on him and severed an artery in his leg. At the time of his death, Jiménez had completed painting the head of the mustang, Blue Mustang was completed by others, and unveiled at the airport on February 11,2008. The statue has been the subject of considerable controversy, other DIA Art Commissions have been awarded to artists Leo Tanguma, Gary Sweeney, and Gary Yazzie. DIAs Art Collection was recently honored by the publishers of USA TODAY, the airport also features a bronze statue of astronaut, Congressman-elect and Denver native Jack Swigert. Swigert, who flew on Apollo 13 as Command Module Pilot, was elected to the House of Representatives in 1982, the statue is dressed in an A7L pressure suit, and is posed holding a gold-plated helmet
10.
Downtown Denver
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Downtown Denver is the main financial, commercial, and entertainment district in Denver, Colorado. There is over 23,000,000 sq ft of space in downtown Denver. The downtown area can be divided into six or seven main districts, Union Station, LoDo, Ball Park, Central Downtown, Civic Center, Upper Downtown, within those districts are many smaller features, districts and squares. Some of the popular features include the 16th Street pedestrian mall, built in 1982, Larimer Square, the re-emerging Theatre District near Curtis and 14th. Surrounding neighborhoods include Capitol Hill and Uptown to the east, Highland to the west, Five Points to the north, as of 2008, there are 34 buildings in the downtown area reaching over 300 ft. This count does not include the recently completed One Lincoln Park or the Spire, see the List of tallest buildings in Denver. Denver has made an effort to centralize its commercial and entertainment interests in the Downtown area. Currently, it is home to both Coors Field and Pepsi Center, and roughly a mile from nearby Sports Authority Field at Mile High, additionally, Downtown Denver is home to the second largest Performing Arts Center in the United States. Downtown Denver also houses a smaller Federal District consisting of four blocks around Champa, Stout and this district contains a federal courthouse, the Byron G. Rogers Federal Building, a U. S. Court of Appeals, and a US Customs House. Not a part of district is the Denver Mint, which actually lies behind the City and County Building at Civic Park. The Anadarko Petroleum Corporation operates its Denver office in the Granite Tower in Downtown Denver, support for the Urban Camping Ban included hotelier Walter Isenberg, Vice Chair of a Downtown Denver Partnership board and major donor to Denvers Road Home, the city agency on homelessness. Of the Denver Municipal Code, passed on May 14,2012, which provided the homeless a safe sanctuary in downtown Denver between the hours of 9,00 p. m. and 7,00 a. m. Sponsored by Mayor Michael Hancock and Councilman Albus Brooks, the ban was approved by a vote of 9 to 4 by the Denver City Council, Denver Homeless Out Loud compiled a report on the impact of the Urban Camping Ban after surveying 512 homeless people
11.
Bag tag
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Bag tags, also known as baggage tags, baggage checks or luggage tickets, have traditionally been used by bus, train, and airline carriers to route checked luggage to its final destination. The carriers liability is restricted to published tariffs and international agreements, the first separable coupon ticket was patented by John Michael Lyons of Moncton, New Brunswick on June 5,1882. The ticket showed the station, the destination, and a consecutive number for reference. The lower half of the ticket was given to the passenger, while the half, with a hole at the top, was inserted into a brass sleeve. At some point, reinforced paper tags were introduced and these are designed not to detach as easily as older tags during transport. The Warsaw Convention of 1929, specifically Article Four, established the criteria for issuing a check or luggage ticket. This agreement also established limit of liability on checked baggage, prior to the 1990s, airline bag tags consisted of a paper tag attached with a string. Current bag tags include a bar using the Interleaved 2 of 5 symbology. These bag tags are printed using a thermal or barcode printer on a thermal paper stock. This printed strip is attached to the luggage at check-in. There are two ways that bar code baggage tags are read, hand held scanners, and in-line arrays. One of the limitations of this system is that in order to read bar codes from the bottom of the belt, due to the frequent build-up of debris and dust on these lower arrays, the rate of successful reads can be low. Frequently, the rate, the percentage of bar code tags successfully read by these arrays. This means that more than one out of ten bar code baggage tags are not successfully read, for flights departing from an international airport within the European Union, bag tags are issued with green edges. Passengers are eligible to take these bags through a separate Blue Channel at Customs, bar codes cannot be automatically scanned without direct sight and undamaged print. Because of reading problems with poorly printed, obscured, crumpled, scored or otherwise damaged bar codes, in the US, McCarran International Airport has installed an RFID system throughout the airport. Hong Kong International Airport has also installed an RFID system, the International Air Transport Association is working to standardize RFID bag tags. British Airways is currently conducting a trial to test re-usable electronic luggage tags featuring electronic paper technology, the passenger checks in using the British Airways smartphone app, then holds the smartphone close to the tag
12.
Airport check-in
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Airport check-in uses service counters found at commercial airports handling commercial air travel. The check-in is normally handled by an airline itself or an agent working on behalf of an airline. Passengers usually hand over any baggage that they do not wish or are not allowed to carry on to the aircrafts cabin and receive a boarding pass before they can proceed to board their aircraft. Check-in is usually the first procedure for a passenger when arriving at an airport and this duration spans from 15 minutes to 4 hours depending on the destination and airline. The airline check-ins main function, however, is to accept luggage that is to go in the cargo hold. This reduces check-in time and queuing at the airport, at the time of check-in one of the Agents primary duties is to check for valid documents. This includes tickets, passports, visas, letters of consent etc and this information, known as Advance Passenger Information, is now usually collected online with or after the flight booking. At the time of check-in, the hands over baggage which is checked by the airport security. Anything that is above the limit or which is not allowed to be carried by the passenger themself to the aircraft cabin is usually handed over to the agent at the time of check-in. The baggage allowance, if any, is prescribed by the airline and these baggage restrictions are based on the class the passenger is traveling. E. g. Economy Class, First Class, Executive Class, Air New Zealand domestic services introduced a self-check-in process allowing passengers with bags to arrive and check-in at the self-service kiosks with luggage up to 25 min prior to departure time. Passengers then attach the tag and drop the bag themselves at the baggage drop belt. KLM also since 2008 provides a self-service bag drop counter at Schiphol International Airport, stockholm-Arlanda Airport introduced self-service bag drop in 2012. It is expected that self-service bag drop will be more common. Usually at the time of check-in, an option of selecting the seats is offered, the agent may ask if a window or aisle seat is wanted. Online check-in is the process in which passengers confirm their presence on a flight via the Internet, depending on the carrier and the specific flight, passengers may also enter details such as meal options and baggage quantities and select their preferred seating. This service is promoted by the airlines to passengers as being easier and faster because it reduces the time a passenger would normally spend at an airport check-in counter. Some airlines, however, would require passengers to proceed to a check-in counter at the airport, regardless of preferred check-in method
13.
Flight information display system
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The displays are located inside or around an airport terminal. A virtual version of a FIDS can also be found on most airport websites, in large airports, there are different sets of FIDS for each terminal or even each major airline. FIDS are used to assist passengers during air travel and people who want to pick up passengers after the flight. Due to code sharing, one single flight may be represented by a series of different flight numbers, thus lines, lines may be sorted by time, airline name, or city. Most FIDS are now displayed on LCD or LED screen, although some still use split-flap display
14.
Transportation Security Administration
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The Transportation Security Administration is an agency of the U. S. Department of Homeland Security that has authority over the security of the traveling public in the United States. It was created as a response to the September 11,2001 attacks, chiefly concerned with air travel, the TSA employs screening officers in airports, armed Federal Air Marshals on planes, and mobile teams of dog handlers. The use of enhanced screening procedures has caused controversy. S, Congress, and signed into law by President George W. Bush on November 19,2001. Originally part of the United States Department of Transportation, the TSA was moved to the Department of Homeland Security on March 9,2003, the TSA was created as a response to the September 11,2001 attacks. Its first administrator, John Magaw, was nominated by President Bush on December 10,2001, the organization was charged with developing policies to protect U. S. transportation, especially in airport security and the prevention of aircraft hijacking. TSA Screeners represent a case of a large scale staffing project completed over a period of time. The only effort in U. S history that came close to it was the testing of recruits for the forces in the First World War. TSA screeners, during the period from February to December 2002,1.7 million applicants were assessed for 55,000 positions. With state, local, and regional partners, the TSA oversees security for highways, railroads, buses, mass transit systems, pipelines, however, the bulk of the TSAs efforts are in aviation security. The TSA is responsible for screening passengers and baggage at more than 450 U. S. airports, private screening did not disappear under the TSA, which allows airports to opt out of federal screening and hire firms to do the job instead. Such firms must still get TSA approval under its Screening Partnership Program, among the U. S. Schulz – Sonoma County Airport, and Jackson Hole Airport. When TSA was established by the Aviation and Transportation Security Act in the Department of Transportation, following the TSAs transfer to the Department of Homeland Security, the position was reclassified as the Administrator of Transportation Security Administration. The position has also referred to as the Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security for the Transportation Security Administration. There have been six administrators and several acting administrators in TSAs history and they screen people and property and control entry and exit points in airports. They also watch several areas before and beyond checkpoints, TSOs carry no weapons, and are not permitted to use force, nor do they have the power to arrest. Transportation Security Officers provide security and protection of air travelers, airports and aircraft in a courteous, performing searches and screening, which may include physical interaction with passengers, conducting bag searches and lifting/carrying bags, bins, and property weighing up to 70lbs. Controlling terminal entry and exit points, interacting with the public, giving directions and responding to inquiries. This may include application of risk-based security screening protocols that vary based on program requirements. Key Requirements for Employment Be a U. S, a handful of airports also have a retention bonus of up to 35%
15.
Airport security
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Airport security refers to the techniques and methods used in protecting passengers, staff and planes which use the airports from accidental/malicious harm, crime and other threats. Large numbers of pass through airports every day. This presents potential targets for terrorism and other forms of crime because of the number of people located in one place, Airport security attempts to prevent any threats or potentially dangerous situations from arising or entering the country. If airport security does succeed then the chances of any situation, illegal items or threats entering into an aircraft. While some countries may have an agency that protects all of their airports, the primary personnel will vary and can include, A police force hired and dedicated to the airport e. g. Travelers are screened by metal detectors, explosive detection machines used include X-ray machines and explosives trace-detection portal machines. Explosive detection machines can also be used for both carry-on and checked baggage and these detect volatile compounds given off from explosives using gas chromatography. A recent development is the use of backscatter X-rays to detect hidden weapons. These devices, which use Compton scattering, require that the stand close to a flat panel. Alternately, the passengers step fully shoed onto a device which scans in under 1.2 seconds for objects as small as a razor blade. In some countries, specially trained individuals may engage passengers in a conversation to detect rather than solely relying on equipment to find threats. A single backscatter scan exposes the target to between 0.05 and 0.1 microsievert of radiation, in comparison, the exposure from a standard chest x-ray is almost 100 times higher. Generally people are screened through airport security into areas where the gates to the aircraft are located. These areas are often called secure, sterile and airside, Airport food outlets have started using plastic glasses and utensils as opposed to glasses made out of glass and utensils made out of metal to reduce the usefulness of such items as weapons. In the United States non-passengers were once allowed on the concourses to meet arriving friends or relatives at their gates, non-passengers must obtain a gate pass to enter the secure area of the airport. The most common reasons that a non-passenger may obtain a pass is to assist children. In the United States, at least 24 hours notice is required for those planning to attend a business meeting inside the secure area of the airport. Other countries, such as Canada or Australia do not restrict non-travellers from accessing the airside area, sensitive areas in airports, including airport ramps and operational spaces, are restricted from the general public
16.
Westin Hotels & Resorts
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Westin Hotels & Resorts is an American upscale hotel chain owned by Marriott International. As of 2013, Westin operated over 192 hotels in multiple countries across the globe, in 1930, Severt W. Thurston and Frank Dupar of Seattle, Washington met unexpectedly during breakfast at a diner in Yakima, Washington. The competing hotel owners decided to form a management company to all their properties. The men invited Peter and Adolph Schmidt, who operated five hotels in the Puget Sound area, to join them, the chain consisted of 17 properties,16 in Washington and one in Boise, Idaho. Western expanded to Vancouver, British Columbia and Portland, Oregon in 1931, by the early 1950s, Western also had properties in Montana and Utah. Early management developed each property individually, after more than two decades of rapid growth, many of its properties were merged into a single corporate structure in 1958, focusing on bringing the hotels together under a common chain identity. Western Hotels managed a floating hotel aboard the ocean liner QSMV Dominion Monarch, the chain also managed the restaurant atop the Space Needle, which they continued to manage until 1982. The company was renamed Western International Hotels in 1963, to reflect its growth overseas and that same year, the company went public. On November 1,1965, Western International announced an agreement with Hotel Corporation of America. In 1970, Western International was acquired by UAL Corporation, at the end of its 50th anniversary on January 5,1981, the company changed its name again to Westin Hotels. In 1987, UAL Chairman Richard Ferris announced a plan to make UAL into Allegis, a conglomerate based around United Airlines, Hertz Rent a Car, Hilton Hotels. This strategy failed, however, and Westin was sold in 1988 to Aoki Corporation of Japan, in 1994 Aoki sold it to Starwood Capital, real estate investment firm and parent of Starwood Lodging, and Goldman Sachs, an investment bank. In 1998 Starwood assumed full ownership of the company, Westin claims to have been the first hotel chain to introduce guest credit cards, 24-hour room service, and personal voice mail in each room. Westin markets certain amenities available in its properties to the public under the brand name Heavenly, in 2005, Westin became the first hotel company to gain a national retail store presence when Nordstrom started carrying the Heavenly Bed line in more than 60 stores. Westin refreshed its partnership with United Airlines in 2008 and these amenities were stopped following the merger with Continental Airlines. Especially in the last decade, Westin has focused on expanding globally, since 2005, the number of hotels has grown from 120 locations in 24 countries to over 192 locations in 37 countries as of 2013. In 2016, Marriott International acquired Starwood, becoming the worlds largest hotel company, the Westin Palace Madrid - historic 1912 luxury hotel in Madrid The Westin San Jose - Formerly the Saint Claire and Hyatt Saint Claire. Westin Hamburg - opened in 2016 and located in Hamburgs iconic Elbphilharmonie concert hall The Westin Sydney Westin Alumni Association, www. westinalumni. org Westin Hotels & Resorts Westin Hotel Store
17.
Convention center
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A convention center is a large building that is designed to hold a convention, where individuals and groups gather to promote and share common interests. Convention centers typically offer sufficient floor area to several thousand attendees. Very large venues, suitable for trade shows, are sometimes known as exhibition centres. Convention centers typically have at least one auditorium and may also contain concert halls, lecture halls, meeting rooms, some large resort area hotels include a convention center
18.
Right of way
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A similar right of access also exists on some public land in the United States and Canada, as well as Australia and New Zealand. In some countries, especially in Northern Europe, where the freedom to roam has historically taken the form of public rights. Alternatively, the right of way may be limited, when one person owns a piece of land which is bordered on all sides by lands owned by others, a court will be obliged to grant that person a right of way through the bordering land. As well this phrase describes priority of traffic flow, in England and Wales, other than in the 12 Inner London Boroughs and the City of London, public rights of way are paths on which the public have a legally protected right to pass and re-pass. Private rights of way or easements also exist, footpaths and other rights of way in most of England and Wales are shown on definitive maps. A definitive map is a record of rights of way in England. In law it is the record of where a right of way is located. The highway authority has a duty to maintain a definitive map. Currently, legislation allows the Inner London boroughs to choose to produce definitive maps if they wish, in 2011 Lambeth Council passed a resolution to work towards creating a definitive map for their borough, but this does not yet exist. The City of London has produced a Public Access Map, definitive maps exist for the Outer London boroughs. Some landowners allow access over their land without dedicating a right of way and these are often indistinguishable from public rights of way, but they are usually subject to restrictions. Such paths are closed at least once a year, so that a permanent right of way cannot be established in law. In Scotland, a right of way is a route over which the public has been able to pass unhindered for at least 20 years, the route must link two public places, such as villages, churches or roads. Unlike in England and Wales there is no obligation on Scottish local authorities to signpost or mark a right of way, however the charity Scotways, formed in 1845 to protect rights of way, records and signs the routes. There is no distinction between footpaths and bridleways in Scotland, though it is generally accepted that cyclists and horseriders may follow rights of way with suitable surfaces. The Land Reform Act 2003 codified in law traditional, non motorised, access practises on land, under the 2003 Act a plain language explanation of rights is published by Scottish Natural Heritage, the 2005 Scottish Access Code. Certain categories of land are excluded from this presumption of access, such as railway land, airfields. Section 3 of the Access Code explains at length how land managers are allowed to areas of land to the public for management purposes
19.
CNBC
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CNBC is an American basic cable, internet and satellite business news television channel that is owned by NBCUniversal News Group, a division of NBCUniversal, owned by Comcast. As of February 2015, CNBC is available to approximately 93,623,000 pay television households in the United States, in 2007, the network was ranked as the 19th most valuable cable channel in the United States, worth roughly $4 billion. In addition to the domestic U. S. feed, various localized versions of CNBC also operate, serving different regions, NBCUniversal is the owner, or a minority stakeholder, in many of these versions. CNBC had its beginnings around 1980 as the Satellite Program Network, showing a mix of old movies, instructional. The channel later changed its name to Tempo Television, after initially signing a letter of intent to acquire Tempo, NBC eventually opted for a deal to lease the channels transponder in June 1988. On this platform, and under the guidance of Tom Rogers, NBC and Cablevision initially operated CNBC as a 50-50 joint venture, choosing to headquarter the channel in Fort Lee, New Jersey. CNBC had considerable difficulty getting cable carriage at first, as many providers were skeptical of placing it alongside the longer-established Financial News Network. By the winter of 1990, CNBC was only in 17 million homes – less than half of FNNs potential reach – despite having the muscle of NBC standing behind it, however, around this time, FNN encountered serious financial difficulties. The deal increased the distribution of the enlarged network to over 40 million homes. Cablevision sold its 50% stake to NBC upon completion of the deal, with the full name Consumer News and Business Channel dropped, the networks business programming was at first branded CNBC/FNN, although this was phased out before the mid-1990s. Under Rogers leadership, CNBC began to grow during the 1990s, NBC Universal reacquired full control of loss-making CNBC Europe and CNBC Asia from Dow Jones at the end of 2005. The licensing agreement between Dow and CNBC U. S. remained intact, however, a rolling ticker provides real-time updates on share prices on the NYSE, NASDAQ, and AMEX, as well as market indices, news summaries, and weather updates by NBC meteorologists. A rotating top band of the screen rotates provides real-time updates on index and commodity prices from world markets. As of January 4,2016, the networks 480i standard definition feed now shows the same 16,9 HD feed on its 4,3 picture, CNBC provides a variety of programs throughout the business day. These short bulletins, which are around 30 seconds in length, the CNBC. com News Now update segments were discontinued as of early 2010. These bulletins were reintroduced in 2015 and they are aired hourly, on the half-hour between 10. 30am and 4. 30pm. The bulletins are read by Sue Herera, CNBCs breakout hit among its original series is Mad Money. Hosted by money manager Jim Cramer, the show gives stock advice to viewers who call to the program
20.
KMGH-TV
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KMGH-TV, virtual channel and VHF digital channel 7, is an ABC-affiliated television station located in Denver, Colorado, United States. The station is owned by the E. W. Scripps Company, on cable, the station is available on Comcast Xfinity channel 7, and in high definition on digital channel 652, Its also available on CenturyLink PRISM channel 7 & high definition channel 1007. The station first signed on the air on November 1,1952 as KLZ-TV and it was founded by the Oklahoma City-based Oklahoma Publishing Company, which also owned KLZ radio. KLZ-TV immediately took the CBS affiliation from KBTV, owing to KLZ radios longtime affiliation with the CBS Radio Network, in 1954, Gaylord sold the KLZ television and radio stations to Time-Life. The stations original facilities were housed in a renovated former auto dealership on the east side of the block at East 6th Avenue. In 1956, KLZ-TV presented the first remote television broadcast from a courtroom after general manager Hugh Terry won a battle to allow cameras into the courtroom. In 1957, the weekly public affairs series Panorama, became the first locally produced program in the Denver market to earn a Peabody Award. Channel 7 televised the first kidney transplant in the mid-1960s, starting in 1968 and running through 1983, KLZ-TV aired one of the most popular childrens programs in the Denver market, the Noell and Andy Show, which aired weekday mornings at 8,00 a. m. The programs coloring contest drew hundreds of entries each week, Channel 7 moved to its present studio facilities, an eight-sided, five-story building called The Communications Center, on the intersection of Speer Boulevard and Lincoln Street in 1969. Time-Life would later purchase WOTV in Grand Rapids in the final deal, by the time the sale was finalized in June 1972, the purchase price for the entire group was just over $57 million. WFBM-TV in Indianapolis, KERO-TV in Bakersfield and KOGO-TV in San Diego were retained by McGraw-Hill, along with KLZ-TV, which subsequently changed its call letters to KMGH-TV. The 1990s did not begin well for KMGH, the station saw significant overall profit losses in 1990 and 1991, a new management team introduced in 1991 turned things around at KMGH, net profit soared 105. 5% in 1992 as a result. As part of the deal, the network moved its programming from its station in Philadelphia, WCAU-TV. In a three-way trade, CBS traded WCAU to NBC in exchange for two of that networks O&Os – Denvers KCNC-TV and Salt Lake Citys KUTV, CBS then formed a joint venture with Westinghouse that assumed ownership of KYW-TV, KCNC and KUTV, with Westinghouse serving as majority owner. Group W/CBS and NBC also swapped the transmitter facilities – and by association, channel frequencies – of their stations in Miami, WCIX. At the same time, McGraw-Hill had struck an agreement with ABC, due partly to the fact that its stations in San Diego. The FCC approved the sale on November 29,2011, the stations digital channel is multiplexed, KMGH-TV operates the 24/7 News Channel on digital subchannel 7.4. The channel rebroadcasts KMGHs local newscasts throughout the day, alongside weather updates, KMGH-TV shut down its analog signal, over VHF channel 7, on April 16,2009
21.
The Denver Post
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The Denver Post is a daily newspaper that has been published in Denver, Colorado, United States, since 1892. The Post is the newspaper of MediaNews Group Inc. founded in 1983 by William Dean Singleton. MediaNews is today one of the nations largest newspaper chains, publisher of 61 daily newspapers, MediaNews bought The Denver Post from the Times Mirror Co. on Dec.1,1987. Times Mirror had bought the paper from the heirs of founder Frederick Gilmer Bonfils in 1980, as the major newspaper in Denver, the Post ranks 12th daily and 10th Sunday of the largest-circulation newspapers in the United States. As of March 2016, it has a weekday circulation of 1.2 million. The Denver Post receives roughly six million unique visitors generating more than 13 million page views. In August 1892, The Evening Post was founded by supporters of Grover Cleveland with $50,000 and it was a Democratic paper used to publicize political ideals and stem the number of Colorado Democrats leaving the party. Cleveland had been nominated for president because of his reputation for honest government, however, Cleveland and eastern Democrats opposed government purchase of silver, Colorados most important product, which made Cleveland unpopular in the state. Following the bust of silver prices in 1893, the country and Colorado went into a depression, a new group of owners with similar political ambitions raised $100,000 and resurrected the paper in June 1894. Neither had newspaper experience, but they were adept at the business of promotion, through the use of sensationalism, editorialism, and flamboyant circus journalism, a new era began for The Post. Circulation grew and eventually passed the three daily papers combined. On November 3,1895 the papers changed to Denver Evening Post. On January 1,1901 the word Evening was dropped from the name, among well-known Post reporters were Gene Fowler and sob sister Polly Pry. Damon Runyon worked briefly for The Post in 1905–06 before gaining fame as a writer in New York, after the deaths of Tammen and Bonfils in 1924 and 1933, Helen and May Bonfils, Bonfils daughters, became the principal owners of The Post. In 1946, The Post hired Palmer Hoyt away from the Portland Oregonian to become editor and publisher of the Post, with Hoyt in charge, news was reported fairly and accurately. He took editorial comment out of the stories and put it on an editorial page and he called the page The Open Forum and it continues today. In 1960 there was an attempt by publishing mogul Samuel I. Newhouse. Helen Bonfils brought in her friend and lawyer Donald Seawell to save the paper, the fight led to a series of lawsuits as Post management struggled to maintain local ownership
22.
Denver Tramway
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The Denver Tramway, operating in Denver, Colorado, was a streetcar system incorporated in 1886. The tramway was unusual for a number of reasons, the tramway is generally not used in the United States. The track was 3 ft 6 in narrow gauge, a gauge in the United States, but in general use by railways in Japan, southern Africa, New Zealand. The tramway made use of a variety of types of streetcars, including cars, cable cars. At the height of its operations, the tramway owned more than 160 miles of track. By the end of service, only 64 streetcars were still in use. After streetcar operation ceased in 1950 the tramway operated trolley coaches and conventional buses, in May 1971, the Denver Tramway Corporation ceased operation of Denvers transit system, selling its assets and operations to the City and County of Denver. The city continued those operations under the name Denver Metro Transit until 1974, in 1871 a horsecar line was finally built in West Denver, from Seventh and Larimer to the Five Points neighborhood, opening December 17. The Denver Horse Railroad Company was renamed the Denver City Railway Company in 1872, by 1877 the company employed eighteen men, had thirty-two horses and twelve cars. In that year it carried 392,420 passengers over its eight miles of road, in 1883 Denver City Railway Company changed hands. The railway was expanded and much of the old track was relaid with steel rails. Incorporated for fifty years, this service was to run on electricity or by cable, some of the initial investors then spun off a new company, The Denver Railway Association, which was given the rights to horse railways. This move was unpopular with both the Denver City Railway Company and the remaining investors in the Denver Electric and Cable Railway Company. Thus the Denver Railway Association was reincorporated and the consolidated company renamed the Denver Tramway. The Denver Tramway experimented with a direct-current series conduit car system connected to an electrified line in 1886. After a year of operation it was not making any profits, after losing a lawsuit to the Denver City Railway Company, they switched over to cable-power and finished their first line using it at the end of 1888. The Denver City Railway Company, finally having serious competition, also switched to cable-power and they secured a contract from the city to build a viaduct over the South Platte River and began to aggressively expand. Both the Denver Tramway and the Denver City Cable Railway Company were well equipped and determined to drive the other out of business, in 1888 the first practical electric street railway was installed by Frank J. Sprague in Richmond Virginia
23.
B Line (RTD)
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Part of the FasTracks project, the first 6. 2-mile section from downtown Denver to south Westminster opened on July 25,2016. The B Lines southern terminus is at Union Station in Denver and it runs on a railroad right-of-way north sharing track with the G Line until the Pecos Station after which the two routes diverge. Initially, the B Line continues north to its terminus at Westminster Station and it will start stopping at 41st & Fox station and Pecos Junction Station, which will both be served by the G Line, on May 21,2017. In 2004, Colorado voters approved FasTracks, a public transportation expansion plan. The first segment of the B Line is under construction as part of the Eagle P3 project and is expected to open in 2017, the remaining segment, extending to downtown Longmont, will require additional funding in order to be completed prior to 2044. The announcement angered many voters in the cities and suburbs north of Denver, the downturn in the economy and significant cost increases and delays associated with building and operating Northwest Rail led to the initiation of the year-long Northwest Area Mobility Study. This new system has been criticized as bus rapid transit creep
24.
Light rail
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Light rail, light rail transit or fast tram is urban public transport using rolling stock similar to a tramway, but operating at a higher capacity, and often on an exclusive right-of-way. A few light rail networks tend to have closer to rapid transit or even commuter rail. Other light rail networks are tram-like in nature and partially operate on streets, Light rail systems are found throughout the world, on all inhabited continents. They have been popular in recent years due to their lower capital costs. The term light rail was coined in 1972 by the U. S, Urban Mass Transportation Administration to describe new streetcar transformations that were taking place in Europe and the United States. In Germany the term Stadtbahn was used to describe the concept, and many in UMTA wanted to adopt the direct translation, however, UMTA finally adopted the term light rail instead. Light in this context is used in the sense of intended for light loads and fast movement, the infrastructure investment is also usually lighter than would be found for a heavy rail system. The Transportation Research Board defined light rail in 1977 as a mode of urban transportation utilizing predominantly reserved, electrically propelled rail vehicles operate singly or in trains. LRT provides a range of passenger capabilities and performance characteristics at moderate costs. Light rail is a generic international English phrase for these types of rail systems, the use of the generic term light rail avoids some serious incompatibilities between British and American English. The word trolley is used as a synonym for streetcar in the United States. A further difference arose because, while Britain abandoned all of its trams except Blackpool after World War II, when these cities upgraded to new technology, they called it light rail to differentiate it from their existing streetcars since some continued to operate both the old and new systems. Conventional rail technologies including high-speed, freight, commuter/regional, and metro/subway/elevated urban transit systems are considered heavy rail, people movers and personal rapid transit are even lighter, at least in terms of capacity. Monorail is a technology that has been more successful in specialized services than in a commuter transit role. Due to varying definitions, it is hard to distinguish between what is called light rail, and other forms of urban and commuter rail, a system described as light rail in one city may be considered to be a streetcar or tram system in another. Conversely, some lines that are called light rail are in very similar to rapid transit, in recent years. Some light rail systems, such as Sprinter, bear little similarity to urban rail, in the United States, light rail has become a catch-all term to describe a wide variety of passenger rail systems. There is a significant difference in cost between these different classes of light rail transit, tram-like systems are often less expensive than metro-like systems by a factor of two or more
25.
C Line (RTD)
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The line was added to the system on April 5,2002, to coincide with the opening of the Central Platte Valley Spur. Initially, C trains operated seven days a week, but ran to Mineral Ave. only during peak hours, at all other times, C service operated to I-25/Broadway. On May 3,2003, C trains began operating to Mineral Ave. at all times. With the opening of the Southeast Corridor on November 17,2006, weekend C service was discontinued except for sporting events. On January 11,2009, the service pattern between Union Station and I-25/Broadway was resumed and evening service discontinued. Midday weekday service was discontinued on January 19,2012 and was reinstated on August 17,2014 over the entire route, the 2004 voter approved FasTracks plan will add 2.5 mi to the Southwest Corridor. It will also add a station with 1,000 parking spots at C-470, there may also be a station at C-470 and Santa Fe Boulevard. This extension may open as soon as 2017
26.
D Line (RTD)
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The D line was the first line in the system when it opened in 1994, traveling from downtown Denver to I-25 and Broadway as the Central Corridor. It was extended along the Southwest Corridor in July 2000, the D Lines northern terminus is in Five Points northeast of downtown Denver. It goes through downtown, running southwest along Welton Street, then going up 19th Street, on trips leaving downtown, the line goes along Stout Street and 14th Street, on trips from Littleton, the line runs along California Street. Then the line follows Stout Street and Colfax Avenue, and follows a railroad right-of-way and they run in tandem until they reach their southern terminus at Mineral Avenue in Littleton. Central Rail Extension Mobility Study Final Report proposes that the D Line stations from 20th & Welton to 30th & Downing and this route would operate from the downtown loop to the new terminus at the shared A Lines 38th and Blake station. Riders would have to transfer to the new L Line from the D Line as the D Lines new northern terminus would be the downtown loop, the 14th & California Station closed in 2004 would be restored to support the L Line at the Convention Center. The Convention Center/Performing Arts Station, which opened in 2004, replaces the 14th & Stout and 14th & California stations, the 2004 voter approved FasTracks plan will add 2.5 mi to the Southwest Corridor. It will also add a station with 1,000 parking spots at C-470, there may also be a station at C-470 and Santa Fe Boulevard. This extension may open as soon as 2017
27.
E Line (RTD)
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The E Line, sometimes known as the Purple Line, is part of the light rail system operated by the Regional Transportation District in the Denver-Aurora Metropolitan Area in Colorado. The line was added to the system on November 17,2006 and it is one of four routes that are part of the RTDs service plan for the corridor. Although it operates seven days per week, the E line does not operate during midday hours on weekdays as of January 11,2009. According to a map in the RTDs current service plan for the corridor, the E Lines northern terminus is at Union Station in downtown Denver. It shares track with the C Line from Union Station to I-25 & Broadway, then diverges by a junction onto a flyover. The 2004 voter-approved FasTracks initiative will add 2.3 mi to the Southeast Corridor and it will also add three stations at Sky Ridge Medical Center, Lone Tree City Center and RidgeGate Parkway, with a 2,000 space parking lot at RidgeGate. Regional Transportation District has sent four teams a Request for Proposal on the Southeast Corridor extension expected due in May 2015, the Southeast Rail Line Extension plan is to extend light rail transit service to the new RidgeGate Parkway Interchange. Additional stations at Sky Ridge Medical Center, Lone Tree City Center, and new R Line terminus station at RidgeGate will have an expected opening in 2019
28.
F Line (RTD)
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It is one of four routes that are part of the RTDs service plan for the corridor. It operates Monday through Friday and does not run on weekends, according to a map in the RTDs service plan for the corridor, the F Lines color is red. The F Lines northern terminus is at 18th Street in downtown Denver and it shares track with the D Line from 18th Street to I-25 & Broadway, then runs along the Southeast Corridor to Lincoln Avenue in Lone Tree. The 2004 voter-approved FasTracks initiative will add 2.3 mi to the Southeast Corridor and it will also add three stations at Sky Ridge Medical Center, Lone Tree City Center and RidgeGate Parkway, with a 2,000 space parking lot at RidgeGate. Regional Transportation District has sent four teams a Request for Proposal on the Southeast Corridor extension expected due in May 2015, the Southeast Rail Line Extension plan is to extend light rail transit service to the new RidgeGate Parkway Interchange. Additional stations at Sky Ridge Medical Center, Lone Tree City Center, and new R Line terminus station at RidgeGate will have an expected opening in 2019
29.
H Line (RTD)
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It is one of four routes that are part of the RTDs service plan for the corridor. The line was extended to reach Florida station on February 24,2017 along with the opening of the R line, according to a map in the RTDs service plan for the corridor, the H Lines color is blue. The H Lines northern terminus is at 18th and California in downtown Denver, the 2004 voter-approved FasTracks initiative extended the H Line approximately 3.5 mi to the north along Interstate 225 with stops at Iliff Avenue and Florida Avenue. Work began in 2012, and the two station extension was combined with I-225 corridor light-rail line in 2013, construction was long expected to be completed in 2016, however opening was delayed until February 24,2017
30.
W Line (RTD)
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The W Line, also called the West Rail Line, is a Light Rail line in Denver, Lakewood, and Golden, Colorado, United States. The W Line was the first part of FasTracks to break ground, the line, the only line to traverse the West Corridor, opened for service on Friday, April 26,2013. The Denver Lakewood and Golden Railway started operations in the area in 1893, the route ran from the downtown Denver streetcar loop, through the Lakewood Dry Gulch near 13th Avenue and continued out to Golden. Interurban service continued until 1950, when all Denver area trolley, plans to resurrect a railway line from Denver to Golden were advanced in the mid-1970s and in the 1980s RTD purchased the right-of-way to an unused rail corridor between the two cities. A Major Investment Study conducted in 1997 stated the need for a transit corridor through the region. The Environmental Impact Statement was started in 2001 and finished with a Finding of No Significant Impact or FONSI in 2003, a rail-pulling ceremony was held on the 13th Avenue corridor on May 16,2007 and construction started in earnest in early 2008. The first full test run of the line happened Jan,3,2013 in anticipation of the official opening, April 26,2013, eight months ahead of schedule. The W Line follows the Central Platte Valley Corridor from Union Station, stopping at Pepsi Center/Elitch Gardens, Sports Authority Field at Mile High and a relocated Auraria West Campus station. It then leaves the CPV corridor, following a new bridge over the UP/BNSF Consolidated Main Line, traveling under Interstate 25, over the South Platte River. From the Federal Center the line narrows to a track line and travels west along U. S.6. This section is single track with the exception of a stop at Red Rocks Community College. The W Line is the first light rail route in metro Denver to make use of gated grade crossings within its right-of-way. Some of the route goes through residential areas and concerns about noise led to a solution for the warning system at crossing gates. The warning bells will adjust their volume in response to the ambient noise resulting in 50-70 dB during the evening hours compared to the volume of 90-100 dB. Three different fare zones exist along the W Line, RTD W Line Schedule Official website
31.
G Line (RTD)
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The G Line, also known as the Gold Line during construction, is a Regional Transportation District 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, 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, the line will be 11.2 miles 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 projects nickname of the Gold Line refers to the June 1850 discovery of gold by Georgia prospector Lewis Ralston in Ralston Creek, the G Lines 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
32.
N Line (RTD)
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The first 13 miles from downtown Denver to 124th Avenue in Thornton is under construction as part of the FasTracks expansion plan. When fully built out the line will be 18.5 miles long and pass through Denver, Commerce City, Northglenn, the N Line will have Colorados longest bridge at 9,533 feet called the Skyway Bridge. The possibilities and studies for a line in the North Metropolitan Denver have existed since the opening of the Light Rail Central Corridor in 1994. In the 2004 election year voters approved the North Metro Corridor as part of the RTD FasTracks expansion plan, in September 2006 the Environmental Impact Statement was started, with completion in late 2010, and gaining approval by the Federal Transit Administration in April 2011. A preexisting railroad right-of-way for the line was purchased in 2009, contract to build the North Metro Rail line to 124th Avenue was awarded to Graham, Balfour Beatty, Hamon Constructors November 2013 with notice to proceed in December 2013. The GBBH contract included an option that when funding available RTD can exercise option to build the line to 162nd Avenue, groundbreaking of the N Lines construction occurred March 20,2014 with expected completion in 2018. The N Lines southern terminus is at Union Station in Denver and it runs mostly on a preexisting railroad right-of-way to its northern terminus at Eastlake / 124th Station. In 2004 Colorado voters approved FasTracks, a public transportation expansion plan. In 2009 RTD paid $117 million to purchase the right-of-way from Union Pacific in preparation for the out of the North Metro rail line. However, with the recession of 2009, the North Metro Corridor became a victim of financial setbacks. RTD was able to further delaying the construction of the line when it accepted an unsolicited offer in 2013 to build out the full line in two stages
33.
Transportation Expansion Project
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The T-REX effort widened major interstates to as much as 7 lanes wide in each direction and added 19 miles of double-track light rail throughout the metropolitan area. Its considered by some to be one of the most successful transportation upgrade projects in the United States and it also received a National Design-Build Award from the Design-Build Institute of America. Stakeholders have been recognized nationally and internationally for its success, including quality management, success in T-REX led to public support of FasTracks during the 2004 election. The T-REX corridor carries more than 280,000 vehicles per day, T-REX was funded using no new state, county, city, or gas taxes. This was partially due to the TABOR laws enacted in 1992, instead, metropolitan areas that would benefit from the expansion voted to approve an increase of property taxes required for the build out. In November 1999, voters in affected municipalities approved two property-tax increases which partially funded the transit portion of the project, among those, Design-build contract with Southeast Corridor Constructors worth $1.18 billion. Light rail costs, $879 million, with $437 million coming from RTD and local matching funds, Highway costs, $795 million, from highway users taxes and matching federal revenue. 34 new light-rail vehicles, $91.8 million, elati Street Light Rail Maintenance Facility, $39.5 million. T-REXs initial footsteps can be traced back to a 1992 traffic congestion study commissioned by the Denver Regional Council of Governments. The study found that traffic volume along the corridor had exceeded its capacity of 180,000 vehicles per day and, within a few years. The study not only recommended widening the freeway by several lanes, in April 1995, The Colorado Department of Transportation and RTD took the first step toward developing the partnership that ultimately became T-REX. The two agencies and DRCOG commissioned the Southeast Corridor Major Investment Study, which sought the best solutions to the I-25/I-225 congestion problem, arapahoe and Douglas counties along with the cities of Denver, Aurora, and Greenwood Village participated in the initial MIS. Two other Denver-area corridor studies were also undertaken, the initial MIS was primarily transit-oriented in scope. The recommendations included light rail, highway improvements, pedestrian/bicycle facility improvements and it also recommended safety improvements such as acceleration and deceleration lanes, wider shoulders. The initial MIS did not call for additional highway lanes, the Federal Highway Administration and CDOT were troubled by this omission, and leaders of all four agencies agreed that the MIS placed too much emphasis on transit. We werent going to spend over a billion dollars on this project without involving more highway capacity and it couldnt be a predominantly transit project, Said Bill Jones, the Federal Highway Administrations Colorado Division administrator. This was the point when we realized together that the transit part of the project couldnt be built without the highway part. We looked at ways to break down the highway vs. transit rivalry and started looking at mobility, RTD Director, lets look at highway and transit as coordinated pieces of a comprehensive strategy to maximize mobility in a project with limited available right of way
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FasTracks
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FasTracks is a multibillion-dollar public transportation expansion plan under construction in metropolitan Denver, Colorado, United States. Developed by the Regional Transportation District, the plan consists of new rail, light rail. Six new light rail, electric rail and diesel commuter rail lines with a combined length of 122 miles will be constructed under the plan. Originally envisioned to cost $4.7 billion and to be completed in 2017, the 2008 global financial crisis caused a drop in revenues and material costs rose faster than forecast. By 2010, the budget grew to $6.5 billion while projected revenues dropped to $4.1 billion, another tax increase was not put on the 2010 or 2012 ballot, although the project is not expected to be finished until at least 2044. Alternative funding sources, such as partnerships, have been sought to complete projects as quickly as possible. The first of the six new lines envisioned in the plan, by mid-2014, construction was underway on the five other rail lines. Two commuter rail lines opened on their dates in 2016, the East Rail Line to Denver International Airport. The Gold Line to Arvada along with the I-225 Rail Line through Aurora, were expected to open in 2016, in addition, the North Metro Rail Line to Thornton is expected open in 2018. Denver Union Station underwent $200 million worth of facility improvements to turn it into the hub for new commuter, the underground 22-bay bus concourse at Union Station opened on May 11,2014, while the restaurants, bars, and hotel officially opened July 26,2014. FasTracks is estimated to have injected $3 billion into the economy from 2005 to 2013 and is responsible for creating 12,000 direct full-time jobs since 2005. FasTracks is being funded with federal appropriations, private contributions, the project was allowed to begin when the sales tax portion of its funding was approved by Denver metro area voters in November 2004. The tax went into effect in January 2005, in 2006, engineering design of the initial segment, the West Rail Line, was begun. By spring of 2006, the environmental impact statements of all proposed lines were underway. The municipal governments of Denver, Boulder, and Lakewood had launched detailed studies of community redevelopment possibilities around station locations. The cities of Westminster, Thornton, Aurora, Greenwood Village, Englewood, Sheridan, central to the regional nature of the service package is Union Station. Special studies of its redevelopment and adaptation for multiple transport modes were conducted and engineering design work, in May 2007, a $1.5 billion budget overrun was reported. Despite service and construction reductions, by January 2010 the budget had grown to $6.5 billion, at the same time, sales tax revenue forecasts for 2017 were projected to come in much less than originally anticipated leaving the project $2.45 billion short
