AURORA, Colo. — More than a month after a derailment disrupted service on the Regional Transportation District’s light rail R line in Aurora, service has not been restored through the accident site. And, as of Sunday, a bus bridge around the site has been discontinued, ending the ability to use the route for through service between Denver’s southern suburbs, its east side, and the commuter line to Denver International Airport.
The Denver Post reports the RTD says service between the Florida and 13th Street stations on the R Line will be restored no sooner than December. The agency says it halted the shuttle bus connection because of a shortage of drivers, as well as low usage, which saw an average of 10 riders per hour, but declined to answer other questions about restoring service, citing an ongoing investigation into the accident.
The derailment on Sept. 21 came at a sharp curve at intersection of South Sable Boulevard and East Exposition Avenue [see “Three injured in Denver-area light-rail derailment,” Trains News Wire, Sept. 22, 2022]. It was the second such derailment at the intersection, the first having come in 2019.
Aurora Mayor Mike Coffman told the newspaper that he and city staff members “find it unacceptable” that the RTD is ending the shuttle connection, “forcing would-be R Line liders to seek different transportation options altogether.”
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