DenverInfill Blog

The third and final major transit element of the Denver Union Station plan is the commuter rail station. The light rail station and the regional bus terminal are the other two transit elements we’ve already reviewed. The commuter rail station will be the closest transit element to the historic station, located immediately to the west of Union Station where the Amtrak and light rail platforms are today. Commuter rail involves trains similar to those used by Amtrak—they’re bigger and longer than light rail and come in electrified (overhead wire) or diesel engine varieties. RTD doesn’t yet have any commuter rail trains in operation, but later this year the first FasTracks commuter rail lines (Gold Line to Arvada/Wheat Ridge and East Line to Denver International Airport) will begin construction. Eventually, the commuter rail platforms at Union Station will accommodate not only the Gold and East lines, but the North and Northwest (Boulder) lines, as well as Amtrak, private excursion trains (such as the Ski Train) and room for future lines/expansion.

The commuter rail station area includes several components. First, the commuter rail platforms will be surrounded and partially enclosed by a large canopy shelter. This is the area often referred to as the Train Hall or the Train Shed, and should not be confused with the Great Hall inside the historic structure. Then there’s the Wewatta and Union Station Pavilions, and the pedestrian plaza/bridge over the tracks north of the platforms. Here are two images that give you the layout in this area. On the left is an illustrative image that shows the historic Union Station structure, the north and south “wing” buildings to either side, the white canopy Train Hall over the platforms with the oval opening in the center, the Wewatta and Union Station Pavilions directly on the 17th Street axis, future private-sector development buildings south and west of the Train Hall, and the parking garage structure straddling the tracks off to the north. The image on the right identifies which train lines will utilize the eight platforms within the commuter rail station.

The first element one would encounter after crossing Wewatta Street from the west is the Wewatta Pavilion. Like the Chestnut Pavilion, the Wewatta Pavilion will include escalators, elevators, and stairs to provide vertical access to the underground bus terminal. The area surrounding the pavilion also functions as a public space, with room for outdoor cafe patios for the adjacent buildings, ticketing machines, landscaping, seating, and other plaza features. Along Wewatta in this area will be the primary drop-off point for vehicles and queuing areas for taxis and other private shuttles. Below are two images that show the Wewatta Pavilion in plan view (left) and street-level view from across Wewatta Street (right):

The train platforms will be surrounded by a dramatic swoopy canopy, 500 feet long and 180 feet wide, that will provide some cover from the elements while still keeping the whole Train Hall area generally open air. Within the Train Hall, the center platforms under the “hole” in the bigger canopy will have lower canopies to provide shelter, information signs, and the like. The height of the big canopy goes up to over 40 feet on the ends but dips down to around 21 feet in the center to not block the view of the big windows and neon lights of the west facade of the historic station.  The four images below show the Train Hall area from different angles:

Between the Train Hall and the historic station is the Union Station Pavilion. Like its counterparts, it offers multiple options to access the underground bus terminal below. A new door in the center of the historic structure will allow one to walk from inside the Great Hall directly out to the Train Hall and go either to the commuter rail platforms or down via the Union Station Pavilion to the bus terminal. Here are two images that show the Union Station Pavilion area:

The three main pavilions are not the only ways to get underground to the bus terminal. The center two platforms within the Train Hall—those sandwiched in between the other two sets of tracks—will have their own stairways and elevators down to the bus terminal.

The final element is the pedestrian plaza/bridge over the commuter rail tracks just north of the Train Hall. The original DUS plan called for the private-sector development building north of the Wewatta Pavilion (Block B) to be “L” shaped like its counterpart to the south. At that time, a wide plaza spanning the tracks was planned (called Kinetic Plaza) that would be incorporated into the facade of the building. The Union Station master developer team is currently evaluating the feasibility of the portion of that building spanning over the tracks. In the event the building over the tracks is not built, the plaza will be narrowed to a pedestrian bridge. Either way, the plaza/bridge will provide vertical access to the east down to Wynkoop Plaza, to the north down to the corner of Wewatta and 18th, and to the south down to the two center commuter rail platforms. Additionally, the Denver Union Station Project Authority is currently evaluating the feasibility of the parking garage that spans over the tracks farther north. Consequently, the plan for the area around the pedestrian plaza/bridge is still somewhat in flux. The issue in both cases is that the building/parking garage over the tracks must be built within the next couple of years before the new commuter rail station becomes operational; otherwise, to build either structure over active tracks in the future would be extremely complex and most likely prohibitively expensive. Anyway, here are two images that show this pedestrian plaza/bridge area:

That pretty much covers the commuter rail station area. Next, we’ll take a look at the plans for the public spaces within the Union Station transit district, followed by a wrap-up of the private-sector developments that will eventually complete the entire project and make the Union Station district one of Downtown Denver’s best urban places.

The next component of the Denver Union Station plan we’ll look at is the underground regional bus terminal. This facility will replace RTD’s existing Market Street Station. It will span the width of the 17th Street right-of-way (about 140 feet) and run from the new light rail station to the historic Union Station, a distance of approximately 970 feet. The terminal will include 22 bus gates: 16 for regional RTD buses, 4 for the Downtown Circulator, and 2 for commercial carriers or for future expansion.

Within the bus terminal’s overall footprint is a pedestrian concourse 44 feet wide and about 780 feet long. The concourse connects the Chestnut Pavilion (discussed in the previous post on the light rail station) with the Union Station Pavilion, a similar portal immediately west of the historic station structure. In between, the Wewatta Pavilion provides yet another vertical access point to the bus terminal. Surrounding the pedestrian concourse is the bus drive loop and a bus parking lane along the north side of the terminal.

The upper-left image below shows how buses will access the terminal. Buses coming in from the I-25 HOV lane will descend a ramp just south of 18th Street. Buses from surface streets in Downtown, including the Downtown Circulator, will cross Wynkoop, pass in between the north wing building (IMA Financial) and the historic Ice House, turn left, and descend the same ramp. Once inside the terminal, buses will circulate in a clockwise rotation. Downtown Circulator stops are planned for under the commuter rail platforms and for under the Chestnut Pavilion. An additional bus ramp north of the light rail station will provide secondary access for the underground facility.

The upper-right image includes, at the top, a longitudinal section of the bus terminal, which shows the location of the three pavilions that provide escalator, elevator, and stairway access, as well as additional access points along the length of the terminal. At the bottom is a plan view of the facility, which shows the bus gates, bus parking area along the north side, and the pedestrian concourse.

The lower-left image compares the new DUS bus terminal with the existing Market Street Station, which is slightly wider but only one-third as long as the new facility at Union Station.

The lower-right image shows a cross section at approximately half-way between Chestnut and Wewatta. In the foreground are the 17th Street Gardens above the bus facility. Beyond is the Wewatta Pavilion, the commuter rail station, and the west facade of the historic Union Station.

Initially, moving sidewalks (a/k/a “travelators”) were proposed for the pedestrian concourse. However, after further analysis, the project team concluded it would be advantageous to remove them from the terminal’s design. Given the numerous vertical access nodes and concourse cross-over points that necessitate interrupting a travelator path, there was ultimately room for only two travelators (74 and 143 feet in length), which totaled only about one-quarter of the length of the concourse. Additionally, the width of the travelator took up valuable space and reduced the room available for seating and general passenger circulation. The top two images below show “with and without travelator” diagrams and their impact on pedestrian circulation and amenities within the concourse. The bottom two images show conceptual views from inside the concourse.

Many people have asked about Greyhound, and if they are moving to the new DUS bus terminal. Greyhound did considered moving to DUS at one point, but they ultimately declined to participate in the project. Meanwhile, it is my understanding that Greyhound is looking elsewhere within the greater Downtown area for a suitable new location.

One other notable attribute about the underground bus terminal is the skylights. Unlike Market Street Station which is a rather drab space, the new Union Station bus facility will enjoy plenty of natural light coming from seven skylights located between Chestnut and Wewatta. The diagrams below show the location and design of the skylights:

The underground bus terminal will open late 2013. Next up: the commuter rail station.

While Rick is doing a fantastic job of documenting the construction activities at the Denver Union Station site, I thought I would offer an overview of the DUS plan itself for those of you not yet up to speed on the final layout for the new transit hub at Union Station. As you may know, the Union Station plan has evolved over the course of five years from the adoption of the original Denver Union Station Master Plan in 2004, through the selection of the master developer in 2006, to the plan we have today. A lot of iterations and different alternatives have been evaluated over those five years, so it’s understandable if people still have questions about what the project is going to look like once it is finished in 2013 or so.

Before we begin, a quick note on why the DUS plan had to evolve in the first place. The original DUS Master Plan called for light rail, commuter rail, and the bus terminal all to be underground on the 19-acre DUS property, which was fine in concept, but it came with a price tag of $1 billion. Only about $200 million was set aside for Union Station in the FasTracks budget so… you can do the math. As it is, the current design will cost almost $500 million and yet it took several years just to come up with the missing $300 million (ultimately from federal loans). Meanwhile, the Federal Railroad Administration ruled that the design for putting the commuter rail station underground didn’t meet federal safety requirements, so the whole plan had to be revised anyway. In the end, by utilizing the wide 17th Street right-of-way and land along the consolidated freight tracks in addition to the Union Station property itself, the result was a financeable and buildable plan that integrates all of the transit, public space, and vertical development elements in a cohesive manner that will make the Union Station transit district a vibrant and dynamic hub to Downtown and the region.

The Denver Union Station plan consists of three major transit components: the light rail station, the underground RTD bus terminal, and the commuter rail station, along with private-sector development and several public spaces. The light rail station will be at-grade and located at the foot of 17th Street next to the CML (consolidated main line) freight tracks. The underground bus terminal will occupy the width of the 17th Street right-of-way and span the distance from the light rail station to the historic station. The commuter rail station will be at-grade and located between the historic station and Wewatta Street. Adjacent to and in between these three transit components are the public spaces and private-sector development sites. Here are several images that show the overall site configuration:

I’ll break this review of the DUS plan into several parts. This post will focus on the light rail station area. Future posts will cover the other two major transit elements, the public spaces, and the real estate development program. All of the images I’ll be presenting in all these Union Station posts will be taken from the various presentations available at the official project website, www.DenverUnionStation.org. I highly recommend you view the materials and information available on the DUS website to gain a full understanding of the project’s design, schedule, and other aspects.

Now, on to the plan! To get your bearings, ”west” will be towards the mountains and “east” towards Downtown; “north” towards 18th Street and “south” towards 16th.

The light rail station will cap the end of 17th Street, the spine of the entire transit district. It will have two platforms serving three tracks for the Southeast, Southwest, and West light rail lines. Access to the underground bus terminal will be provided by the Chestnut Pavilion, located immediately east of the light rail station, where elevators, escalators, and stairs will provide passengers with vertical circulation between the two levels. Also adjacent to the light rail station will be the terminus of the 16th Street Mall. The mall shuttles will drop passengers off next to the Chestnut Pavilion and pick passengers up under a large canopy shelter next to the light rail platform before completing their turn-around loop and heading back towards Downtown. The light rail station plaza will also connect to the plaza at the base of the Millennium Bridge to the south, and to the plaza at the base of the 18th Street Pedestrian Bridge to the north. Below are three images that show the light rail station, mall shuttle loop, and Chestnut Pavilion area (upper left: plan view with “west” at the top; upper right: axonometric view looking south; lower left: axonometric view looking east). The fourth image shows a preliminary cross-section view (Chestnut Place side) of how the Chestnut Pavilion will provide vertical access to the bus facility below.

Passengers exiting a light rail train will have several options to get to the commuter rail station and the historic station. They will be able to: 1.) walk the two blocks at street level along 17th Street through landscaped gardens and plazas and past the ground-floor retail and restaurant spaces that will eventually line the corridor; 2.) hop on the 16th Street Mall shuttle and get off at the very next stop at Union Station; 3.) walk underground via the pedestrian concourse inside the bus terminal; 4.) board the Downtown Circulator at its stop inside the bus terminal beneath the Chestnut Pavilion and get off at the next stop, located beneath the commuter rail platforms.

The plaza surrounding the light rail station will feature a bicycle parking area, landscaped planters, a distinctive paving pattern, and what will be perhaps the most visually interesting element, the exhaust/intake shafts for the underground bus terminal. Rising over 20 feet in height, the three shafts will be designed in a sculptural/artistic manner to complement the surrounding plaza and landscape design. Here are a few renderings of the light rail plaza area:

The light rail station will be the first major element of the Union Station project to be completed, with a projected opening later this year. Once the new light rail station is open, the existing light rail station will be removed to allow for continued excavation for the bus terminal and the commuter rail platforms.

Up next: the underground bus facility.