Diesel FasTracks cars draw fire

Kevin Flynn, Rocky Mountain News

Published September 21, 2007 at midnight

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Critics of RTD's plan to use diesel-powered passenger cars on the FasTracks line to Boulder and Longmont feel railroaded by the agency's elimination of electric-powered cars.

Several people at a public meeting Thursday questioned whether RTD had fully analyzed alternative ways to make the more expensive electrified alternative affordable before ruling it out.

RTD's environmental analysis of the two types of self-propelled commuter cars shows the electric model produces less noise and vibration than the diesel cars. Some Denver officials and residents in the neighborhoods north of downtown, where two FasTracks corridors could end up using diesel cars, say that alternative produces more pollution.

"I would like to remind you," Councilwoman Judy Montero said in a written statement to RTD, "that one of the objectives of the FasTracks program is to minimize negative impacts to the community. Selecting diesel vehicles does not meet that objective."

But RTD said recently that a new condition the BNSF Railway imposed on RTD's shared use of the active freight line to Boulder for FasTracks' Northwest Rail corridor makes electrification far too costly.

The railroad has told RTD that the overhead high voltage wires that power electric commuter trains would need to be 26 feet over the tracks, instead of the standard 23 feet. That's because unlike other corridors, the line to Boulder and Longmont will share the track with freight trains. BNSF said its maintenance equipment needs the extra clearance.

The extra height would require RTD to reconstruct at least nine bridges along the route at an estimated cost of up to $565 million.

Jake Jakubowski, a resident of Sunnyside, through which the trains will travel, told RTD officials they should determine the cost of lowering tracks an additional three feet under those bridges. "We're talking about environmental issues that are really at the heart of the core city's interest," he said.

Other residents suggested RTD look into using dual-powered passenger cars that can use either electric or diesel.

That's an option because the Northwest Rail corridor is expected to share the same tracks north out of Denver's Union Station as the Gold Line to Arvada and Wheat Ridge. Electric cars already have been selected for the Gold Line, so the shared tracks will have high-voltage lines overhead as far as Pecos Street, where the two corridors split.

One problem. Although dual-powered locomotives have been in use for many years, there are no dual-powered self-propelled commuter cars approved for use on freight tracks. RTD ruled out using locomotive-hauled trains a while ago.

While RTD could request that manufacturers bid on making a new type of car, the agency is skittish about being the first to try it.

"We don't want to try an untested technology," said spokeswoman Karen Morales.

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