[fatlasp]

I live in Longmont; one of the cities promised a light rail connection in 2004. So far RTD has collected more than $44 million in taxes and has pushed the completion date of our section of the rail to beyond 2040. This is why I am still driving my car. I don't care how the transit 'looks and feels' -- I just want it to exist.

[bproven]

Yep - this is waaaay overdue. If Denver metro is serious this project should be completed in the next 5 years or less (hwy 36 Boulder to Westminster station then Union Station Denver; Boulder to Longmont on 119). Then get on building that train from Denver to Summit County and a Caltrain type setup from Fort Collins to at least CO Springs...maybe Pueblo. Except this time its ground up, so how about higher speeds...its not like we live in 2017 or something.

I'm also going to say that for the most part we want mass transit but in America we build incomplete mass transit and then complain that it sucks. it also doesn't help that (with enough frequency) it is not on time, slower than driving, not maintained well, and dirty. Its for the poor people who can't afford a car! But again this is due to the fact that we treat it as a second class transportation option.

We would need to commit to something like the "Interstate Highway System" if this sort of thing is going to work. That project is proof that it can happen and for the most part many people are glad it exists today. If we can build a national interstate system in 35 years we can certainly build a real mass transportation infrastructure.

In other words it should not take 40 years to build a light rail from Boulder to Denver lol

[mkempe]

Worse for Boulder: it was recently decided by RTD that after collecting $millions in taxes they would NOT build a rail connection.

[julienchastang]

@mkempe Do you have a reference or link for this? Thanks.

[mkempe]

You'd have to look up the last couple of years in the Daily Camera. Basically RTD invested in buses for Boulder along the rebuilt US 36 (not even attempting to build a rail line); they announced there would not be enough money to complete a rail line to Longmont until 2044, even if using a direct South-North rail line that already exists and doesn't go near Boulder; and finally they confirmed failure/refusal to negotiate and pay to keep their option to run on the BNSF line to Boulder (BNSF upped the price beyond RTD's reach since then) -- so it is not happening for at least another 30-40 years I would guess. When we moved to Boulder in early 2009 we were told the line was in progress and would be done by now...

[provost]

> our section of the rail to beyond 2040

Whoa, what's their explanation for it to take 23+ more years? That seems unreasonable.

[samlevine]

Seattle's modest light rail system is going to end up costing $50 billion. Ultimately Americans are just really bad at infrastructure and if you're not willing to spend 10x what other developed countries are you're not getting it.

[fatlasp]

My understanding is that the original idea was to do a partnership / use BNSF rails (for some reasonably "small" fee [I think I heard $30-40 mil]) which were preexisting but then BNSF decided that the rail could only be used during certain time windows when it wouldn't effect their industrial traffic; OR RTD could pay something like $550 million. Not sure if the 23 years is to collect the tax for that cost or what.

[thescriptkiddie]

Most likely lack of funds. They will collect taxes for ~20 years and then build it in the last ~3.