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Diesel lines or electric? RTD divided

Board breaks with staff on upcoming FasTracks decision

Kevin Flynn, Rocky Mountain News

Published May 29, 2007 at midnight

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RTD board members are poised to make a rare split from their own staff in a crucial decision next month: Determining what type of commuter trains to run in four FasTracks corridors.

The staff has recommended staying with the current plan, an even selection of two electric-powered and two diesel-powered lines. But some RTD board members want diesel-powered passenger cars on all four commuter corridors, a position that would scrap electric on the East Corridor to Denver International Airport and the Gold Line to Arvada-Wheat Ridge.

The debate involves much more than train technology. It's the first time board members seem ready to balk at a RTD staff recommendation about FasTracks.

Backers of self-propelled diesel-powered cars say such trains will save many millions of dollars - an important consideration because FasTracks faces a $670 million deficit. But electric supporters argue it's a cleaner alternative and could be cheaper in the long run because of rising fuel costs. The other two new FasTracks corridors will have light rail and the three existing light-rail lines are being extended.

The board must decide the commuter corridor issue in June to keep plans on track for seeking private companies to take over some FasTracks projects, a necessary element to close the deficit.

FasTracks is now priced at nearly $6.2 billion, up from the $4.7 billion presented to voters in 2004. RTD anticipates collecting $5.5 billion from the FasTracks sales tax, grants, loans and other sources. That leaves a $670 million gap that General Manager Cal Marsella says can be made up if private companies take over much of the work.

Benefits of all-diesel

The financial pressures have board members looking for ways they can contribute to the cutting. Lee Kemp, of Broomfield, is leading the effort to go all diesel – a move that could require delays of many months to backtrack on required environmental impact studies in two corridors where communities have a strong preference for electrified lines.

Diesel backers estimate a savings of between $135 million to $200 million, mainly by avoiding the cost of stringing miles of overhead high-voltage lines and electrical substations on the lines to DIA and Arvada-Wheat Ridge.

But one problem for diesel advocates is that there is only one manufacturer of the type of train cars called for in the FasTracks plan.

Colorado Railcar is right up U.S. 85 in Fort Lupton. The company has been pushing hard to have RTD adopt its technology. Federal crash safety rules require RTD to use heavier train cars if it shares tracks with freight trains, as would be the case on the four commuter corridors. Colorado Railcar took the lead to design a vehicle compliant with the rule.

So far, only Miami uses them. Portland, Ore., has ordered some. The company also makes passenger cars for tourist railroads such as Alaska Railways.

The cars are called DMU, for diesel multiple units. The electric trains are called EMU, or electric multiple units. The EMU models RTD would use meet the federal regulations.

RTD believes if it decides to place an order for dozens of these cars, other manufacturers would gear up to make them. Colorado Railcar has 150 workers and can put out 20 cars a year, said Arthur Rader, sales and marketing director. It has had talks with Fort Lupton about expanding the the plant to put out 40 a year.

Kemp's advocacy of the diesel plan puts him in a spotlight because his employer, Stewart & Stevenson, supplies diesel engines to Colorado Railcar.

Kemp says the engine that his company sells to Colorado Railcar, the Detroit Diesel Series 60, is being phased out because of tougher emissions standards taking effect in 2011, before RTD would get any new cars. So there's no guarantee his company would be involved down the line.

"I do definitely want it out in the open that I am a diesel person and we are a Detroit Diesel distributor," Kemp said. "But I want to make sure you understand that I don't have a preference as to what engine they use.

"One of the reasons I am advocating diesel is that I understand the types of technologies that are available," he said. "It's the board's responsibility to take a look at what cost savings there could be."

Colorado Railcar makes a double-decker diesel car that costs more than a single-level diesel and the electric-powered train car. But because it carries more people, RTD can save money by buying fewer of them.

Board member Bill Christopher, of Westminster, is in Kemp's corner.

"I very much favor DMU for all four corridors," Christopher said. "I don't see how we can ignore at least $135 million in savings, given our financial plight."

Some communities oppose diesel trains, citing noise and pollution concerns. Diesel pollution actually is lower than electric trains in three of four categories, but it delivers it all along the tracks while the electric system puts out the extra pollution at the power plants.

As far as noise, the specs on the diesel trains show the double-decker unit is actually slightly quieter than the electric.

"Diesel is not the boogeyman that the public perceives it to be," Christopher said. "It's not the sooty smoke you see with freight trains."

Keeping promises

But costs have to be balanced with the desires of the communities and the promises made to them in FasTracks.

The Gold Line was originally to be light rail, but railroads ruled that out because of liability concerns in the event of a collision. Arvada officials say electric commuter rail is the closest to what they were promised and the Gold Line budget already has funding for electrification.

The East Corridor airport line was originally a diesel project but the communities lobbied for electric, at a much higher cost.

"The people on the Gold Line are expecting electrification and we should provide it," said Bruce Daly, a board member from Conifer.

Board member Bill McMullen, of Denver, is pragmatic, preferring the staff's recommendation of split technologies.

"What I'm hearing from constituents is they get lost in the alphabet soup of technology, just get it done," he said.

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