Today’s post is a milestone: the 50th update on this important project. I will devote number 50 to the new light rail and 16th Street mall shuttle stations.
The light rail station is looking good. Here are views from opposite ends. The first one is from the Millennium Bridge, and the other is from the Union Gateway Bridge.
You may have noticed an odd looking machine on the tracks. It’s official name is a tamper and is visible in the first photo above. Like the names states, it picks up the tracks and tamps the stones firmly into place under the tracks to prevent subsequent settling and misalignment of the tracks.
This week the overhead catenary system (poles and overhead electric lines that power the light rail) will be installed. Then, this summer, the new tracks will be tied into the main line tracks on the other side of the Millennium Bridge, and the station will become operational.
The wider white canopy seen on the right side of the first photo covers the new passenger platform for the mall shuttle bus which will also become operational this summer. Obviously, the mall shuttle route will have to be extended to the new station. The bus will travel further along 16th Street and turn right onto a rebuilt Chestnut Place. Then it will turn left onto a new section of 17th Street that will run above and alongside the underground bus terminal. Finally, it will turn left again and pull up to the new passenger platform. Once passengers board the bus, it will continue forward and turn left onto 16th Street a few dozen feet before reaching the Millennium Bridge.
Once the mall bus and light rail stations are open for business, the old stations will be removed in preparation for digging the other half of the underground bus terminal.
Don’t forget to go to our Denver Union Station page at JobSiteVistor.com for more photos.
So what is the third track for again. Is it like the one at the Pepsi Center that is never used?
OJ, I don’t know, but I am researching an answer for you. I will update this reply when I have information.
The third track will be used if a train has a problem & has to be sent out for repair. If you ride the Light Rail on a regular basis you’ll see that there are a few places, other than the Pepsi Center spot, that expand to a third line for the same reason.
Thanks for the update. Very much appreciated from those of us who are out of town. 🙂
Chachafish, you are welcome. I enjoy it.
I don’t quite understand why it is such a small station. Maybe I missed somethings in the master plan, but that small platform linking ALL of the new DUS with the light rail system?
Nick, the photos may not do a good job of representing the size of the platform. I don’t have a way of measuring it, but it appears to be several hundred feet long.
Nick, when the new Union Station is complete it will be 1000′ long, from the new Light Rail station to the old Union Station. There are 22 bus bays under ground & this will also replace the Market Street bus station as well. So “small” is not what it’s about.
Thank you very much for the update! Looks like the project at DUS is coming along great. When are the new platforms expected to EIS as to begin train shed construction? It looks like its far enough along that only one or two months of more LRT construction would be necessary. Of course I don’t have a construction schedule, but I know it all has to be done by 2015 for East Corridor EIS (right?).
Thanks for all the work you put into this!
You’re welcome. Work on the second half of the underground bus terminal will begin this summer. I think that will take about a year to complete it. Then work on the train shed can begin. The latest estimate for completion of the entire project is spring of 2014. That date was made public last September. I have not seen anything official since then.
(By the way, three people in my immediate family share the name Brennan.)
Spoke to the Master Developer on the Millenium Bridge a few days ago, the new Union Station Light Rail Terminal is going to be operational by July of this year.
What’s EIS?
Great update Rick, looked like they had 8 of those poles up yesterday. Also looked like they were framing in at least one more of the skylights on the bus terminal roof. So will it be late spring/summer before they remove the box under the Millenium Bridge and connect the tracks?
Also, on an unrelated note, any word on what the project is across the street from the Manhattan?
Chris, goods eye on the poles. They are a little hard to see from my perch above. At last count this afternoon, 20 poles had been erected.
Yes, the latest estimate is summer to connect the new tracks to the rest of the light rail system.
I mentioned the Manhattan project in Update #51, but I do not have any details. I assume it is the Manhattan II which is another apartment building that has been planned for a long time.
Thanks for the great update! Just a quick question about some of the old stations…. I know that the old Union Station Light Rail stop and the Union Station Mall Ride stop will need to be removed to finish the rest of the new underground bus terminal. But, when the whole project is finished, what is the plan for Market Street Station? Will the land be sold to private investors, or will RTD still utilize it in some way?
Kio, as of several months ago (and I have no reason to believe anything has changed), the private developer gets the Market Street Station property as part of the overall financial deal that includes the developer’s commitment to invest in the area around Union Station. The developer is Union Station Neighborhood Company which is a joint venture of East West Partners and Continuum Partners. Both have successful local projects. See these links if you are not familiar with them.
http://unionstationdenver.com/
http://eastwestpartners.com/
http://www.continuumpartners.com/
Neat! thanks for the response, Rick!
So you are aware that Market Street station is being replaced by the new station. From what I hear Market Street will be available for something new. I hope they put another movie theater there. Hopefully not another Starbucks…
It’s great to be getting back into the habit of checking for your updates two or three times a week again. Sometime soon I’d enjoy some photos from the temporary Amtrak station when the train is in the station. I’m curious how the new track and platform look as well as how the crosswalk arrangement is working out.
Thanks for all your great work so far!
Oh…… scratch this!
Just checked in and you’ve been there….. and remembered my asking about it earlier.
You are good!
Used to be that ‘EIS’ was an Environmental Impact Study/Statement. Does that apply to the above mention and question?
That is correct.