Electric rail recommended for DIA line
Cars cleaner, faster than diesel power, RTD study team says
Kevin Flynn, Rocky Mountain News
Published September 19, 2006 at midnight
The FasTracks commuter train to Denver International Airport should be electric rather than diesel-powered, planners said Monday.
In a decision that could appease residents who fear diesel pollution, managers of the environmental impact study for the $702.1 million airport train said electrifying the 23.6-mile line would save money in the long run.
Electrified commuter rail costs about $39 million more to build than diesel between Denver Union Station and DIA. Lower operating costs of electric cars, however, will save nearly $73 million over a 30-year life cycle, according to an analysis by John Shonsey, chief engineer for the Regional Transportation District.
RTD is developing the East Corridor as one of nine rapid transit projects voters approved in 2004 as part of the $4.7 billion FasTracks program.
The recommendation to use so-called EMU technology - Electric Multiple Unit - instead of DMU, or Diesel Multiple Unit, was announced Monday by the RTD study team at the Denver City Council's FasTracks Committee. The recommendation ultimately will go to the Federal Transit Administration for its consideration.
The term "multiple unit" refers to the ability of each car to operate on its own or in tandem with several other cars in a train.
The plan voters approved was based on traditional diesel locomotives hauling passenger cars. The FasTracks budget was based on that technology.
But both EMU and DMU systems cost less. Also, both types of cars weigh less than traditional locomotives, which would allow bridges to be built to a lower weight standard, using less concrete and steel.
Shonsey said while RTD would have to pay more to put in overhead electrical lines for EMU cars, there is a net savings over DMU.
First, the electric cars can climb steeper grades than diesel cars. That allows planners to design shorter approaches to bridges. Such structures tend to be the most expensive parts of construction.
The electric cars accelerate faster than the diesels, cutting the travel time to DIA to 29 minutes instead of 34 minutes. The five-minute difference would save RTD the expense of buying the additional diesel cars needed to maintain a schedule of departures every 15 minutes.
flynnk@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-954-5247
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