Denver Airport station

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Denver Airport
A train sits at the platform under a large glass archway
Denver Airport station as seen from the Westin hotel
General information
Location26800 East 84th Avenue
Denver, Colorado
Coordinates39°50′46″N 104°40′26″W / 39.84611°N 104.67389°W / 39.84611; -104.67389
Owned byRegional Transportation District
Line(s)East Corridor[1]
Platforms1 island platform
Tracks2
Connections
Construction
Structure typeBelow grade
ParkingPaid parking nearby
Other information
Fare zoneAirport Zone
History
OpenedApril 22, 2016 (2016-04-22)
Passengers
201914,133 (avg. weekday)[2]
Rank2 out of 69
Services
Preceding station RTD Following station
61st & Peña
toward Union Station
 A Line Terminus
Location
Map

Denver Airport is a commuter rail station on the A Line in Denver, Colorado, serving Denver International Airport. The A Line begins at the airport and travels west to Union Station in Downtown Denver in about 37 minutes via six intermediate stops.[3] Trains operate approximately every 15 minutes.[4]

History

[edit]

The 1989 master plan for Denver International Airport included provisions for a future transit connection,[5] and the main Jeppesen Terminal was designed to accommodate it. The Regional Transportation District (RTD) first studied a rail link in 1997, but funding became available only after voters approved the FasTracks expansion package in November 2004.[6] The 23.5-mile (37.8 km) line was built and is operated through the Eagle P3, a public-private partnership.[7] The station opened along with the rest of the A Line on April 22, 2016.[8]

The two tracks and island platform at Denver Airport station are offset within the right-of-way to allow for future expansion.[9]

The station was designed by architecture firm Gensler, which also designed the 519-room Westin hotel built above and straddling the tracks. The hotel opened on November 25, 2015,[10] several months before the station, and the project also included an 82,000 square feet (7,600 m2) open-air plaza. The complex achieved a LEED Platinum rating.[5]

Station layout

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The station has a two-track island platform for A Line trains and several bus gates. The bus gates are used by RTD's SkyRide airport express buses, including route AB1 between Boulder and the airport and route AT connecting the airport with Arapahoe at Village Center station and Nine Mile station. Additional RTD service at the station includes route 104L, a limited-stop bus with hourly service to Thornton and two commuter routes with just a few runs per day: RTD route 145X to Brighton and 169L to Aurora.[11] The station is also served by Bustang's Sterling–Denver route.

Reflecting the airport location, the station has several specialized amenities.[11] To assist passengers arriving in Denver, who may not be acquainted with the RTD transit system, the station has an RTD Customer Care service desk where agents can answer questions. There are also ticket-vending machines to allow passengers to purchase a pass before boarding the A Line or RTD buses. To assist passengers departing Denver, the station includes flight information screens, airport check-in kiosks, and a baggage service desk where passengers may deposit their checked baggage before entering the airport.

The station is connected to the south end of the airport's Jeppesen Terminal by a five-story escalator, the tallest in Colorado.[9]

Public art

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The station includes several public art installations:[9]

  • Shadow Array, by Denver artist Patrick Marold, is an outdoor sculpture composed of 236 beetle-killed spruce logs arranged to create shifting shadows and patterns in natural and artificial light.
  • L’eau dans tous ses états (lit. 'Water in all of its states'), by Paris-based light artist Yann Kersalé, is a slow-moving video projection above the escalator connecting the station to the terminal.
  • An informal landscaping feature east of the platform incorporates dozens of surplus concrete railroad ties from construction, arranged decoratively in an area reserved for future expansion.

References

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  1. ^ "East & I-225 Rail Corridors Preliminary Service Plan" (PDF). Regional Transportation District. June 2017. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 27, 2022. Retrieved February 26, 2022.
  2. ^ "Rail Station Activity Analyzed" (PDF). Regional Transportation District (RTD). September 2019. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 31, 2019. Retrieved October 12, 2021.
  3. ^ "Denver Airport Train & Light Rail | VISIT DENVER". www.denver.org. Retrieved December 17, 2024.
  4. ^ "A Line Schedule". Regional Transportation District (RTD). Retrieved October 8, 2021.
  5. ^ a b "Westin DEN Hotel and Transit Center". Gensler. Retrieved October 8, 2021.
  6. ^ "Fastracks - East Corridor". Regional Transportation District (RTD). Retrieved April 29, 2010.
  7. ^ "Eagle P3 Commuter Rail Project, Denver, USA". Railway Technology. Archived from the original on September 3, 2011. Retrieved September 1, 2011.
  8. ^ "RTD service from Union Station to DIA scheduled to start April 22". The Denver Channel. Archived from the original on October 24, 2015. Retrieved October 22, 2015.
  9. ^ a b c Stanley, Deb (April 6, 2016). "Secrets of Colorado: 11 secrets of the Denver International Airport RTD train station". Denver 7 News. Retrieved April 23, 2016.
  10. ^ Baskas, Harriet (November 26, 2015). "Denver rides airport hotel trend, builds $580M Westin". CNBC. Retrieved April 23, 2016.
  11. ^ a b "Airport Service". Regional Transportation District (RTD). Archived from the original on November 25, 2020. Retrieved October 8, 2021.
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