Printable VersionFAQs
1. What is the North Metro Rail Line?The North Metro Rail LIne is a proposed 18-mile rail transit rail line between Denver Union Station and SH7/162nd Avenue, passing through Denver, Commerce City, Thornton, Northglenn, and unincorporated Adams County. The North Metro Final Corridor Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS), identifies a Preferred Alternative alignment that best provides a high-quality, reliable, high-capacity fixed-guideway transit service for the area while improving travel times and enhancing access to jobs, recreation and entertainment. The North Metro Rail Line includes a single-track with five passing tracks and eight station locations between Denver Union and SH7/162nd Avenue in Thornton. The stations are located at the National Western Stock Show, 72th Avenue, 88th Avenue, 104th Avenue, 112th Avenue, 124th Avenue, 144th Avenue and SH 7/162nd Avenue.
2. What will the North Metro Rail Line FEIS accomplish?
The North Metro Rail Line FEIS identifies a Preferred Alternative alignment, station locations and train type that best provides high-quality, reliable rail transit service that improves travel time in the corridor while enhancing access to metro-area jobs, entertainment, recreation and shopping for existing and future residents. This FEIS documents preferred alternative, identifies and recommends ways to avoid or minimize those impacts, as well as cost estimates and 30 percent engineering plans. While the Preferred Alternative alignment, station locations and vehicle technology have been determined, engineering will advance, new information will be evaluated, and agency and stake¬holder coordination will continue, resulting in further refinement and adjustments throughout final design and construction.
3. What is the schedule and when can the public participate?
The project welcomes public participation throughout the project. There are various ways to participate; attending meetings/hearings, submitting comments to
(online, through email, and at meetings). We encourage the public to sign up for our mailing list so that they can stay informed on the progress of the project and receive periodic updates and news about recent developments and meetings. The North Metro FEIS was made available for public review and comment between Jan. 28 and March 1, 2011. Public and agency comments were summarized in the Record of Decision (ROD) document and was signed by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) on April 22, 2011. All public and agency comments have been individually addressed and are available for review here. This marks the end of the
EIS process.
With the completion of the North Metro ROD, all FasTracks corridors will have completed the environmental planning phase and are all ready to be released
for construction.
*As of May 2010 - Interim schedule dates shown are approximate and flexible.
Schedules are updated on a annual basis.
4. How will the project protect the safety of children and residents along the corridor?
Safety for children, riders and residents is a priority for all of the FasTracks rail lines. In addition to fencing and gates, which are used to keep the public safe, the North Metro Rail Lines team is working closely with school districts along the corridor and will also coordinate with the various police departments and the Adams County Sheriff's department, through which the North Metro rail line passes, to develop any necessary safety and crime prevention programs. National studies indicate that the extension of a public transportation service does not create additional crime or increase safety problems. RTD's experience with its light rail projects has shown no increase in crime or any increase in problems for nearby schools.
5. How will the North Metro project impact the value of homes that directly border the various alignments?
We understand that residents along the North Metro Rail Line tracks are concerned that the impacts of the line will negatively affect their property values. Property values are determined using many factors -- some can be related to proximity to transit but many are not. Several factors are very subjective and make determining future values very difficult. In addition, the real estate market fluctuates regularly, so individual property values will fluctuate as well. There are, however, recent studies conducted around the country that concluded property values tend to increase near transit stations providing connectivity to a regional transportation system.
6. Will RTD need to acquire property?
The North Metro Rail Line is currently completing the FEIS phase of the project. We will have more information on potential affected properties as the design advances. If there are properties that need to be acquired for the project, RTD follows a federal process under the Uniform Relocation Assistance and Real Property Acquisition Policies Act to ensure properties are purchased for fair market value.
7. How will commuter rail noise and vibration be addressed?
As part of the planning phase for each of the FasTracks rail Lines, RTD addresses environmental impacts and makes recommendations for minimizing these impacts. Recognizing the effects of train horns on nearby communities, RTD will assist and facilitate the local jurisdictions' efforts to establish Quiet Zones along the Gold Line, Northwest Rail, East and North Metro Rail Lines. (For more on Quiet Zones go to http://www.rtd-fastracks.com/main_112). What is a Quiet Zone? For safety reasons, the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) currently requires trains that travel along freight tracks to sound their horns anytime the train approaches a railroad crossing - an intersection where the railroad tracks cross a roadway. Quiet Zones are railroad line segments at least a half-mile long where railroad engineers don't have to sound their train horns at railroad crossings because other safety measures have been incorporated. In addition to Quiet Zones, Sound Barrier Walls or Berms will be used for mitigation where needed. What is a Sound Barrier Wall? A sound barrier wall or Berm is constructed to deflect the train noise away from a sensitive receptor (building, park, etc) to reduce the decibel levels of unwanted noise, thus mitigating the severity of noise impacts.
8. What is environmental justice and how is it considered on this project?
Environmental Justice regulations were created out of concerns that undesirable land uses and facilities were being placed in minority and/or low-income communities without regard to the consequences of these actions. A number of regulations were developed to encourage better public involvement and decision-making during the planning and implementation of major projects, such as the North Metro Rail Line EIS. The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) requires compliance with these regulations for transportation projects. The implementation of Environmental Justice principles should:
- Assist in making better transportation decisions with the needs of all people in mind.
- Assist in the design of facilities that fit within their host communities.
- Enhance the public involvement process and ensure full and fair participation by all communities potentially affected.
- Avoid or minimize high and adverse affects to human health and environmental impacts on minority and low-income populations.
- Prevent the denial or delay of significant benefits to the project.
9. What issues are evaluated in the FEIS?
We evaluate social, environmental and economic impacts such as noise and vibration, right-of-way acquisition, traffic, parks and recreation, wetlands, floodplains and water resources, biological resources, cultural and historic resources, air quality, visual, and public safety and security. The results of these findings are discussed at public meetings as the information becomes available. The alternatives evaluation, potential impacts and measures to mitigate impacts are presented in the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) document.
10. What is going on with connecting North Metro Rail Line with the North I-25 to Fort Collins?
The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) has conducted an EIS along its North I-25 HWY (http://www.dot.state.co.us/northi25eis/). As the primary route between northern Colorado and the Denver metropolitan area, the I-25 Rail Line has experienced considerable growth over the years. People are increasingly aware that demands on the existing transportation system are exceeding its ability to serve travelers efficiently. Along with increased traffic volume on I-25 and parallel roadways has come an increase in accidents, resulting in a need to plan for transportation improvements within the rail line. The initiation of the North I-25 EIS represents the next step in evaluating and planning for improvements in this rail line. One of the alternatives under study is a commuter rail option that would connect with the North Metro Rail Line at 162nd Ave. The North Metro Rail Line EIS is working and communicating closely with this projects and cities that correlate with our project in order to best serve the public transportation needs of the future.
11. Will North Metro Rail Line buses continue to run once FasTracks commuter rail service is open?
Yes. Express bus service on I-25 will remain similar to current services. Existing routes closer to the commuter rail alignment will be modified to eliminate duplication of transit service patterns and to provide feeder bus service to and from the commuter rail stations. In addition, the FasTracks program also includes new FastConnects bus service, an improvement of bus service for suburb-to-suburb travel patterns.
Revised 01/25/2011
