One company interested in private FasTracks trains

Kevin Flynn, Rocky Mountain News

Published May 19, 2007 at midnight

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RTD need look no farther than its backyard for one company that is eager to bid on privately building and operating some of the new FasTracks corridors to save money.

Veolia – formerly Connex – is a 135-year-old French conglomerate that has helped finance, build and run many rail systems across the world. It already is in private partnerships that run two major commuter rail operations in the United States – for Boston’s Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority and southern California’s Metrolink rail system.

And here in Denver, Veolia has been running a number of RTD bus routes for just over two years as one of the three private contractors handling half of the work.

The company bid on the Denver work as part of its quick expansion into North America and especially because RTD was gearing up to expand the rail system.

The Denver bus contract was a foot in the door.

In Europe and elsewhere, Veolia has been part of ventures that have helped finance, design, build, operate and maintain regional rail networks. That’s something RTD will be looking for next year when it seeks private ventures to take over some of the over-budget FasTracks program and close a $670 million gap in RTD financing.

"I am incredibly excited and motivated by the opportunity for running rail in North America, and we’re particularly excited about Denver," said Ron Hartman, senior vice president for Veolia in its Washington office. "RTD is a great client and Denver is extremely visionary about their transportation."

Veolia was part of the building and operating team that handled the new light rail system, Luas, in Dublin, Ireland. It did two light rail lines in Barcelona, Spain, and is currently working on a light rail line in Jerusalem, Hartman said.

It runs a subway system in Stockholm, Sweden, and train lines in France, Germany and Australia.

Veolia will take a good look at RTD’s solicitation for private partners sometime next year.

"This is a market we are interested in," he said.

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