# Denver RTD A-LIne (Airport) Opens April 22



## PRR 60 (Mar 28, 2016)

Details of the opening of the Denver A-Line (Union Station to airport) have been announced.

The opening ceremonies will be held at the Denver International Airport station on Friday, April 22 from 10am to noon. At noon, scheduled service will start. Trains will operate every 15 minutes most of the day. Rides on the A line will be free on Friday.

On Saturday, April 23, there will be community-hosted parties at all the A Line stations between 10am and 2pm. Rides on all RTD rail lines will be free on Saturday (A Line departures between 5am and 10pm, other lines all day).

University of Colorado A Line

A brand new, 23-mile, electrified commuter rail line is opening. Not transit, not light rail: actual FRA-complient commuter rail under wire, with many miles built greenfield - new tracks built where there had never been tracks before. When is the last time that happened in the US? PHL Airport Line? That was largely on the NEC and rebuilt freight trackage with only the final loop into the airport new trackage. An off the top of my head guess - never. This may well be a first.


----------



## jis (Mar 28, 2016)

Does the one mile connector through Montclair between Bay Street and Watchung Avenue count? Juuust kidding....


----------



## Metra Electric Rider (Mar 29, 2016)

PRR 60 said:


> A brand new, 23-mile, electrified commuter rail line is opening. Not transit, not light rail: actual FRA-complient commuter rail under wire, with many miles built greenfield - new tracks built where there had never been tracks before. When is the last time that happened in the US? PHL Airport Line? That was largely on the NEC and rebuilt freight trackage with only the final loop into the airport new trackage. An off the top of my head guess - never. This may well be a first.


South Shore Line perhaps? Though that wasn't counted as commuter. Were some of the Metro North and LIRR lines built with electric traction from day one? Septa? But obviously, those are all ancient.


----------



## jis (Mar 29, 2016)

MNRR third rail electrification was extended to Northeast relatively recently.

Similarly, LIRR third rail was extended from Hicksville to Ronkonkoma.

Similar time frame or a little earlier NJT overhead electrification was extended from South Amboy to Matawan and then from there to Long Branch on the North Jersey Coast Line. More recently overhead electrification was extended from Bay Street Montclair to Great Notch/MSU on the Boonton Line.

And of course NEC electrification was extended from Mill River (New Haven) to Boston South Station too.

But none of these were complete new line construction.


----------

