FasTracks tilt toward diesel to be assessed

Kevin Flynn, Rocky Mountain News

Published March 7, 2007 at midnight

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An RTD director believes the transit agency could save $200 million or more in its FasTracks program by using only diesel- powered commuter rail in four of the new corridors.

Lee Kemp, of Broomfield, one of the 15 elected RTD board members, told his colleagues Tuesday that going with single technology would be less expensive upfront, less costly to maintain and perhaps forestall some of the "nickel and dime" cutting that has hit the first FasTracks corridor, which is over budget because of a sharp spike in construction costs.

Kemp asked that the RTD staff come up with a cost comparison between electric and diesel power.

The suggestion, Kemp admits, could cause some political bloodletting, because communities in at least two of the four new corridors targeted for so-called commuter rail - "heavy rail" compared with RTD's existing light rail system - have already eliminated diesel cars from their studies.

Cal Marsella, RTD's general manager, agreed it would be contentious.

"I think we would have serious political issues if we tried to predetermine the outcomes of those studies" by adopting a policy that one size of technology fits all corridors, Marsella said.

"The sentiment has been very strong in the community toward (electric commuter rail) and we have to account for that."

Marsella said each corridor has independent studies that can lead to different choices, and that has to be respected.

But Marsella said his staff would work on comparing the costs of having just a single choice.

Kemp's suggestion was driven by two things.

There is angst in Denver, Lakewood and Golden over having to absorb at least $113 million in cuts to the West Corridor light rail to get back within its $511.8 million budget.

RTD has upended long- planned designs to try to cut the total cost.

Second, an RTD consultant last year did a study showing that the upfront cost of building a diesel train system would be less than electrifying the lines, Kemp said.

Saving $200 million or more by ruling out electrified commuter rail would put off "nickel and dime" design changes to stay within budgets, Kemp said.

In the original $4.7 billion FasTracks program, three of the six new corridors were to be diesel- powered commuter rail, with heavier cars than light rail to operate in mixed traffic with freight trains.

They were the East Corridor to Denver International Airport, North Metro Corridor to Thornton and Commerce City and the Northwest Rail Corridor to Boulder and Longmont.

The Gold Line to Arvada and Wheat Ridge was recommended as light rail.

But environmental studies, required by the federal government, haven't gone according to that script.

The airport line and the Gold Line both have turned away from the original plans, and now have electric commuter rail as the remaining alternative.

Arvada Mayor Ken Fellman said a late change to take the electrified line off the table would have some serious consequences.

"It would cause ill will and mistrust of RTD," Fellman said.

"If there was a move to change it, I think there would be a lot of bloodletting along the way."

Mike Salazar, an Arvada resident who has followed the Gold Line study, said residents opposed diesel trains because of emissions, noise and vibration concerns.

Tale of the tracks

Here's a comparison of the two types of commuter rail that RTD is considering for FasTracks. An RTD board member wants to use diesel cars on four corridors, saying they will cost less than electric cars in the long run.

DIESEL CAR SPECS:

• Height: 14 feet, 7 inches

• Width: 10 feet, 6 inches

• Length: 85 feet

• Weight: 76 tons

• Cost: $3.6 million

• Seats: 90

• Acceleration: 1.4mph/sec

ELECTRIC CAR SPECS:

• Height: 12 feet, 1 inch

• Width: 10 feet, 6 inches

• Length: 85 feet