RTD North Line Opening Delayed

The opening of the first 13 miles of the new North Line - which had been scheduled for early next year - will no happen as planned, according to the Regional Transportation District. The timeline had been to have work done by the end of the year with the opening soon after.

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"Current construction challenges" forced a reevaluation of the schedule and now RTD says they are not setting a date for the opening.

Those 13 miles - the whole project is an 18.5 electric commuter rail line - are fully funded and under construction. They will run from Union Station to the Eastlake 124th Avenue Station in Thornton.

"In any type of construction — housing, roadways, commercial buildings — there can be schedule impacts for various reasons," N line project manager Ashland Vaughn said.

The main issue causing the delay is work on the overall design drawings and obtaining the final approval of those designs.

The N line delay will not affect any other line.

Photo: RTD